Morgan Wallen is no longer appearing as the musical guest on this weekend’s Saturday Night Live. The country music star took to Instagram to reveal the news that the show chose to cancel his performance after he broke COVID-19 protocol last weekend at a party.
The 27-year-old singer took to Instagram on Wednesday to reveal SNL‘s decision. He spoke directly to the fans in a video that he captioned with a simple broken-heart emoji.
“I’m not positive for COVID, but my actions this past weekend were pretty short-sighted, and they’ve obviously affected my long-term goals and my dreams,” he said. “I respect the show’s decision because I know that I put them in jeopardy.”
Wallen explained that he understands the network’s decision to remove him from this weekend’s show. “And I take ownership for this,” he continued. “I’d like to apologize to SNL. To my fans. To my team. For bringing me these opportunities, and I let them down.”
Furthermore, the “Whiskey Glasses” singer reveals that he plans to take self-inventory of his actions and behavior. “And on a more personal note, I think I have some growing up to do,” he said. “You know, I think I’ve lost myself a little bit. I’ve tried to find joy in the wrong places, and I don’t know, it’s left with less joy. So I’m going to try to go work on that.”
In an effort to “find joy,” Wallen says that he will take a step away from the public spotlight for an unspecified amount of time. “I’m going to take a step back from the spotlight for a little while and go work on myself,” he said. “I wish I could’ve made country music and my fans proud this Saturday, but I respect the decision once again.”
Despite the cancellation, Wallen says there’s no bad blood between him and SNL showrunner Lorne Michaels. “And Lorne Michaels actually gave me a lot of encouragement by letting me know that we’ll find another time to make this up. So that means a lot to me. Thank you for that.”
In conclusion, Wallen addressed the social media backlash directed at him over last week’s maskless party. “Lastly, I know that I’m taking some heat, a lot of heat, but I just wanted to let you guys know that your messages of encouragement haven’t gone unnoticed either,” Morgan Wallen said. “It may be a second before you hear from me for a while. But I’m going to go work on me. And I appreciate y’all respecting that.”
Wallen drew heavy social media backlash after videos surfaced of him partying at an SEC football tailgate last weekend in Tuscaloosa. Footage from the festivities posted online showed him going maskless and kissing girls at the event. Learn more here.
[H/T The Hollywood Reporter]
