SNL Cast Stays Focused Despite Wallen’s Viral Walk-Off
Country star Morgan Wallen made headlines last month after his unexpected and abrupt exit from the “Saturday Night Live” stage during the closing moments of the March 29 episode. Instead of joining the cast for the traditional on-stage send-off, Wallen walked away, triggering a wave of reactions across social media.
However, according to cast members Bowen Yang and Kenan Thompson, the incident didn’t cause much disruption behind the scenes at NBC’s legendary late-night show.
“This is the God’s honest truth: nothing happened,” Yang said during his guest appearance on TODAY with Jenna & Friends on April 7, 2025. “We all showed up to work the next day — it’s just how things go. You move on.”
Kenan Thompson: ‘Time to Move On’
Kenan Thompson, a long-standing “SNL” veteran, also shared his thoughts on the matter while appearing on the same segment with Jenna Bush Hager. When asked about Wallen’s exit, Thompson replied humorously:
“I’m not familiar,” he joked, before adding, “You’ve got to move on, you know what I mean?”
Thompson took the opportunity to redirect attention toward that evening’s host, Mikey Madison, who was making her “SNL” debut following her recent Oscar win for the film Anora.
“She had a great show,” Thompson said. “We should be giving more credit to her.”
Kenan on Wallen: ‘A Spike in the Norm’
In a separate Entertainment Weekly interview, Thompson elaborated on the unusual nature of Wallen’s exit.
“I don’t know what goes through people’s minds when they decide to do something like that,” he said. “We’re so used to everyone turning around and saying ‘Good job.’ So when someone dips out, it raises questions.”
He humorously added, “I thought maybe he just had to go to the potty.”
SNL Weekend Update Jokes About the Incident
The April 5 episode of “SNL” featured a sharp reference to Wallen’s exit during the popular Weekend Update segment. Co-anchor Colin Jost compared the stock market dip to Wallen’s vanishing act:
“Money is leaving the stock market faster than Morgan Wallen at goodnights,” Jost quipped.
Wallen’s Controversial History with SNL
This isn’t the first time Morgan Wallen’s behavior has sparked controversy on “SNL.” In October 2020, he was removed from the lineup after videos surfaced of him partying maskless during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was later rebooked and returned as the musical guest in December 2020.
