Actor and comedian Kenan Thompson, who’s a longstanding fixture on Saturday Night Live, says he was a little miffed after he saw Morgan Wallen‘s Instagram story — a shot of an airport tarmac, and the words “Get me to God’s country” — after leaving his gig as the musical guest on SNL last weekend.
“The ‘God’s country’ of it all is strange because it’s like, ‘What are you trying to say?'” Thompson told Variety.
“You trying to say that we are not in God’s country?” he continued, presumably referring to the show’s home of New York. “We’re not all in God’s country? We’re not all under God’s umbrella?
“That’s not necessarily my favorite,” he added. “But whatever. Moving on, we got a new show. We got Jack Black this week.”
Wallen’s performance slot last weekend’s episode drew substantial extra buzz because of the way he left the show: Abruptly, as the credits rolled, while the rest of the cast and crew were still mingling onstage.
That’s a break from the way SNL normally works, as musical guests are typically expected to stay and hang out onstage. But Thompson pointed out that Wallen’s early exit wasn’t entirely unprecedented.
“Prince did the same thing. I’m not saying Morgan Wallen is Prince, but we weren’t surprised because Prince was notoriously standoffish,” he explained, adding that Wallen’s departure was different — and that the cast was a little puzzled to see him leave early.
“I don’t know if he understood the assignment or not, or if he was really feeling a certain kind of way,” Thompson related.
“You see somebody before you get a chance to say ‘Hi’ or ‘Good job’ or anything like that, they just dipping,” he continued. “I thought maybe he had to go to the potty or something…it’s definitely a spike in the norm.”
Read More: Audience Members Say the Internet Got Morgan Wallen’s ‘SNL’ Exit All Wrong
Unnamed sources from both Wallen’s camp and NBC‘s have said there’s no bad blood. But social media has been buzzing with fan reactions since Wallen’s unusual exit off the SNL stage.
Some thought it was a simple mistake or lapse in communication over what the singer was supposed to do at the end of the show. Others saw his exit as a “disrespectful” slight, and maybe a comment on Wallen’s rocky history with SNL.
He was supposed to make his debut in 2020 but was disinvited after not following the show’s COVID-19 protocols (he did return to make his debut two months later.)
As for what he thinks of Wallen in general, Thompson said, “Seems like a complicated individual, I guess.”
Timeline of Morgan Wallen Controversies + Accomplishments
Here is a timeline of his most notable accomplishments and most controversial moments.
Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes
