SNL Boots Country Singer Morgan Wallen from This Week’s Show After Video Surfaces of Him Partying With No Mask

Photo credit: Brett Carlsen, Getty Images for YouTube.

Country star Morgan Wallen was abruptly dropped as the musical guest of this week’s Saturday Night Live after recent videos surfaced of him partying in a crowded Alabama bar without wearing a mask.

According to the Washington Post, the star found out on Wednesday that his invitation to perform on the show had been rescinded.

“I’m in New York City in a hotel room, I was getting ready for SNL this Saturday, and I got a call from the show letting me know I will no longer be able to play,” Wallen said in a video on his Instagram account. “And that’s because of Covid protocols, which I understand.”

Wallen has been seen on a number of social media posts partying at in Tuscaloosa, Alabama while attending last Saturday’s Alabama – Texas A&M football game. In one TikTok video, Wallen can be seen drinking maskless in a packed bar and kissing at least one other patron.

I’ve seen like 87 tiktoks similar to this one. Morgan Wallen belongs to the streets. pic.twitter.com/LNeZVc3v6v

— ?Tyne? (@RyleeTWing) October 5, 2020

Wallen’s reckless behavior would have posed obvious risks to the show, since it is filming live and has put in place strict safety guidelines to protect its cast members, among them that everyone must wear a mask until the moment they appear on stage. Any infection of a member of the SNL cast could be devastating, as it would result in everyone quarantining for two weeks.

Wallen expressed regret in his Instagram video and said the SNL creator and executive producer Lorne Michaels encouraged him and hinted at a possible future appearance.