Morgan Wallen from season 6 of The Voice was dumped from Saturday Night Live for partying maskless. The news came this week after a video was posted online of Wallen making out with several female fans amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Neither he nor his kissing partners were socially distanced. Although one fan visibly had a mask on her person, clearly none of the parties involved were masked in the video.
Saturday Night Live returned to the airwaves last weekend. The long-running sketch-comedy series had announced that Wallen would be the musical guest for the October 10 episode hosted by Bill Burr. The up-and-coming country singer was assured an audience in the millions with his appearance. Saturday Night Live has a reputation for breaking new musical acts and propelling them into superstardom. The show was responsible for giving Prince his first national on-camera audience in 1981. It has also contributed to the success of other guests such as Tame Impala, Frank Ocean, and Maggie Rogers, who was nominated for a Grammy Award shortly after her November 2018 appearance on the show. Given the current Covid-19 pandemic, SNL had enacted strict social distancing rules and frequent testing to keep its cast and crew safe, as well as ensuring that no shut-downs would be forced due to an outbreak of illness on set. Wallen's actions clearly jeopardized that policy. It has since been announced that Jack White (formerly of The White Stripes) will be his replacement.
Wallen issued a heartfelt and somber video apology to his fans and his team for disappointing them. He said, "I apologize to SNL, to my fans, to my team, for bringing me these opportunities, and I let them down. On a personal note, I think I have some growing up to do. I think I’ve lost myself a little but I've tried to find joy in the wrong places, and it's left me with less joy. So I'm gonna go try to work on that." The act of contrition is a necessary one. It has been said that Saturday Night Live is a highly selective venue and doesn't just let anyone onto its stage. Although Wallen's appearance on The Voice may have helped speed things along as it pertains to his booking (both The Voice and SNL are on NBC), it's still unknown if he'll be invited back later in the season to make up for his transgression.
Wallen first achieved national recognition on season 6 of The Voice. As part of team Usher and later team Levine, he was eliminated during the Playoffs. Roughly a year later, the singer released his debut EP, Stand Alone. In 2016, he was signed to Big Loud Records. He released the debut single The Way I Talk for his label that year, and followed it up with a music video for the track in 2017. Wallen continued his meteoric rise by striking out on the road with Florida Georgia Line for the Dig Your Roots tour. He also co-wrote Jason Aldean's single, "You Make It Easy." In 2018, Wallen released his debut album, If I Know Me. After 114 weeks on Billboard's country music charts, the album reached No. 1 in August 2020. He also has several prestigious nominations under his belt, including nods from the CMT Music Awards and the iHeartRadio Music Awards.
It's a shame that Morgan Wallen was so reckless with his behavior. He should have at the very least obeyed SNL's rules because of the wonderful opportunity that the show might have provided him. With so many artists struggling to stay afloat in the current economy, Wallen could have increased sales of his music tenfold, while garnering fans in the process. After all, outside of his success on The Voice and perhaps country radio, he's not exactly a household name. Sure, his apology was the smart thing to do, but this mistake is one that could have repercussions on his career for many years to come, and rightfully so. The moral of the story? Wear a mask. Practice social distancing. This guy didn't, and it may have cost him millions.
Source: ET Online, Gold Derby