Jack White will be on 'SNL' after Morgan Wallen dropped for breaking Covid protocols

Two days after country music star Morgan Wallen was removed as the musical guest on "Saturday Night Live" this weekend for breaching Covid-19 protocols, executive producer Lorne Michaels has found a replacement on short notice.

Less than 48 hours before the show will air, Michaels shared in an interview with TODAY's Willie Geist that singer-songwriter Jack White will step in for Wallen, who said in an Instagram video on Wednesday that his "actions this past weekend were pretty shortsighted" after he was captured on social media partying without a mask in Alabama.

"I know Jack White is coming in, and there could be some other stuff still in discussion," Michaels said.

Having to switch gears on the fly meant several factors coming together quickly.

"It depends on whether their band is together," Michaels said. "Calling somebody on a Thursday to be here for Friday and say, you know, is complicated. It has to be people who are ready to go."

The former member of The White Stripes most recently performed on "SNL" in 2018, when White played a pair of songs from his solo album, "Boarding House Reach," and also took part in a sketch during the show.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

"He's always good on the show, just always good," Michaels said.

Michaels said that he does plan to have Wallen, 27, perform on the show in the future. Wallen apologized for the incident on Wednesday.

• Add to Google

Morgan Wallen dropped as ‘SNL’ musical guest for breaking COVID protocols

02:36

"I respect the show’s decision because I know that I put them in jeopardy," he said. "And I take ownership for this."

"It probably isn't the first country singer or the first person from rock 'n' roll who partied after a big, in that case, football game or a concert," Michaels said. "But we're just living in a different time, and everything is scrutinized in a microscopic way."

A viral TikTok video of Wallen partying at a bar in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, set off warning bells as far as Covid-19 protocols in New York City, where "SNL" is filmed. The show resumed filming live on Oct. 3 in front of an audience for the first time since the pandemic began in March.