Until recently, Morgan Wallen was getting ready for one of the biggest weekends of his career, as he was set to be the musical guest on Saturday Night Live. Things changed, though, after videos of him partying in decidedly non-socially-distanced environments made the rounds online. He was pulled from the show, and SNL was tasked with quickly finding a replacement. Now, they have announced that Jack White, whose White Stripes just announced a new greatest hits album, will be taking over musical guest duties on this weekend’s episode.
SNL creator Lorne Michaels made the announcement on Today, telling Willie Geist in an interview that was filmed on Thursday, “We’re still in the middle of it. I know Jack White is coming in, and there could be some other stuff. […] And he’s always good on the show.” He also spoke about the challenges of this sort of situation, saying, “Calling somebody on a Thursday to be here for Friday… it’s complicated. It has to be people who are ready to go.”
Lorne Michaels revealed the new @nbcsnl musical guest after Morgan Wallen was removed for breaching COVID-19 protocols. Catch the full interview with @WillieGeist on #SundayTODAY. pic.twitter.com/3VsNILgBH4
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) October 9, 2020
White has been on the show multiple times over the years, both solo and as a member of The White Stripes. His most recent guest spot came on the April 14, 2018 episode hosted by John Mulaney.
Watch Michaels make the announcement above.