Morgan Wallen is a Problem, but SNL has been THE Problem for Quite Some Time

His bad acts have been public knowledge. So why would they keep booking him as a musical guest?

For fifty years, Saturday Night Live has been a cultural pillar. Their skits have helped shape our culture. Celebrity Jeopardy made it impossible to ever look at the word “therapist” the same way. Wayne’s World gave us “we’re not worthy”. Kate McKinnon redefined a “close encounter”. Adam Samberg had us all singing about being on a boat, and a dick in a box.

Hosting SNL meant that you made it. It meant that you were relevant. Every Saturday night, SNL brought new and classic artists into our homes. Each episode brought us something we all long for: joy. With every uncontrollable laugh, absurd storyline, and shocking build-up, it gave us one of the best feelings in the world. Bill Burr, John Mulaney, and Nate Bargatze became household names. Their musical stage introduced us to artists who were legendary and new.

With each host and musical guest, SNL sends America a message about what should matter to the country. They say that these are the cultural icons of the time. Their bookings have made careers and ended them. They have turned people from unknowns to superstars. With that kind of cultural influence, there is a great responsibility. That responsibility has been lost to them.

For years, SNL has booked hosts and musical guests who have sent a clear message to people of color. Our ratings matter more than your feelings.

Living in Music City, there isn’t a moment when I am not reminded that this is the mecca of country music. City placards, commemorating musical milestones, can be found in every neighborhood. Party buses full of drunken ladies in white cowboy boots blare the latest country hits as they cruise Broadway. You can almost surely find a bar named after your favorite country crooner. You cannot escape it.

I have a confession to make: I am not a country music fan. My playlist features Doechii, Kendrick, a lot of dance music, jazz legends, Broadway musicals, and, of course, Dolly. She transcends genres.

I had no idea who Morgan Wallen was until he made the local news in February 2021, for all the wrong reasons. After a night of partying with his friends, Wallen and crew returned to his apartment. It was late, and they had no regard for their sleeping neighbors. When his African American neighbor asked him to keep it down, he turned to his friends and said “take care of this nigger”. The whole thing was caught on video. His label suspended him, and it looked like he was canceled, until he wasn’t.

Tennessee has never let a little thing like racism inconvenience them. After all, this is the birthplace of the Klan. This is the land of big trucks with Confederate flag bumper stickers. This is where racists can be identified in a myriad of ways. There are “Sons of the Confederacy “ or “Don’t Tread on Me” license plates. MAGA hats are displayed on Cybertruck dashes. Sometimes they even have a Nazi march downtown or across the street from a Juneteenth festival. Confederate monuments and placards glorify the losing side throughout the state. Tourists exuberantly pack downtown bars named after controversial music stars like Jason Aldean and Kid Rock. So you must be pretty bad when your home state doesn’t want to be associated with you.

In the Spring of 2024, Morgan Wallen was in his cups at a rooftop bar on crowded Broadway and decided that it would be a good idea to throw a chair from the roof onto the street. Fortunately, it didn’t hit anyone. However, the police officer, whom it narrowly missed, was not amused, and Wallen was arrested.

At that time, an entertainment company was looking to license his name for use in their rooftop bar. Like I said, Tennessee never let a little thing like a racial slur get in their way. In Trump’s America, that is a feature, not a bug.

The city council did see it as a bug. His previous bad acts and racial aggression were too much for them. They denied the permits for the bar, stating that they did not want Nashville to be associated with someone like him.

But that wasn’t a problem for Saturday Night Live. All they saw was that he was the It boy of country music, and that was enough. So, after the racial insults and the careless chair toss, they welcomed Wallen with open arms for the third time.

This Saturday, the world learned what Nashville has known for a while. From hurling racial slurs to hurling chairs, one thing is clear: Morgan Wallen is a man baby. His bad acts have been public knowledge for some time. So why would they keep booking him as a musical guest?

Morgan Wallen wasn't the first. The current president cursed their stage twice. The first time in 2004 and the second time in November 2015. That was five months after he had announced his candidacy by vilifying Mexican immigrants. It was also seven years after he began demanding Obama’s birth certificate. But hey, he was what everyone was talking about. He was the It clown of the birther movement.

Then there was Mother’s Day 2021. SNL crafted an intro monologue for the World’s Richest man that presented him as a sweet guy on the spectrum who loved his mother. At the time, he was facing several lawsuits regarding racial harassment and racial intimidation at Tesla. He was making erratic posts that prompted the board of Tesla to bring a suit against him. He settled a lawsuit brought by a SpaceX flight attendant who alleged that he groped her and exposed himself on a flight in 2016. Five years before his appearance.

These bookings made things very clear to me. They don’t care about the kids of color or women who dream of being the next Eddie Murphy, Leslie Jones, or Fred Armisen. The kids like me who begged their parents to let them stay up late to watch sketches that were sometimes over their heads, but always inspirational.

They care about propping up wealth, white men, and whatever gets them ratings. Even if it is at the expense of marginalized communities, who long to see themselves reflected in pop culture.

Thanks to the temper tantrum of Wallen, everyone is talking about a show that was on life support, after 50 years of cultural relevance. They need these titans of hate to keep them alive. In Trump’s America, they just might survive.