Importance Score: 35 / 100 🔵
SNL Responds to Morgan Wallen’s On-Stage Departure with Humorous Sketch
Saturday Night Live (SNL) addressed Morgan Wallen‘s recent departure from the show, incorporating the country music singer’s controversial exit into their latest episode. The NBC comedy program referenced Wallen’s early stage leave just one week after the musical guest’s unexpected exit before the closing credits of the previous live broadcast from Studio 8H.
Cold Open Sketch Takes Aim at Wallen’s Exit
The initial jest regarding Wallen’s exit appeared during the April 5 broadcast’s opening sketch. The bit humorously alluded to former President Donald Trump‘s declaration of extensive tariffs on imported goods to the United States.
Tariff Humor and “God’s Country” Reference
In the sketch, cast member James Austin Johnson, impersonating the former president, proclaimed, “You know, no country is safe from my tariffs.” He further joked, “I even put tariffs on an island that is uninhabited by humans. It’s called Heard and McDonald Island.”
Johnson, as Trump, then continued, “You know, I had to mock up some artwork of McDonald Island. Howard, do you mind bringing that out, please? There we go. I want to go to there. Get me to God’s country, right?” The punchline directly echoed Wallen’s Instagram post from the previous week.
“Get Me To God’s Country” Phrase Becomes Punchline
Following his swift departure from the New York City-based SNL program at the conclusion of the March 29 show, Wallen, a resident of Tennessee, posted a photograph on Instagram. The image, seemingly depicting a private airplane on a tarmac, was accompanied by the phrase “Get me to God’s country,” which quickly gained viral traction.