According to The Hollywood Reporter, NBC’s Saturday Night Live is losing two history-making cast members ahead of its 50th season. First is Punkie Johnson, the second Black LGBT woman to be a cast member on the sketch comedy show. She announced her departure on Wednesday, July 31, at a “Punkie and Friends” comedy show in Brooklyn.
The next day, she released an Instagram video explaining the situation. That said, it’s not entirely clear if she left by her own volition or was let go. This uncertainty is not uncommon for cast member departures between seasons. In the video, Johnson explains that, during a post-show Q&A, she was asked what she was looking forward to in Season 50. Her response?
I didn’t want to lie to my friends, so I said, ‘Oh I ain’t comin’ back.’
She elaborated on her time with the show, expressing gratitude above all else. She even discouraged speculation about some sort of behind-the-scenes tumult. In her words:
No bad blood, no bridges burned, no hard feelings…SNL was a dream that I didn’t even know I could achieve. I was a part of one of the most elite institutions in comedy, and I am so grateful for it.
Johnson’s announcement comes on the heels of the news that Maya Rudolph will have a recurring presence in Season 50 as, unsurprisingly, Kamala Harris. She won’t necessarily just play the presidential hopeful, but it’s safe to assume she’ll inhabit that role as often as Alec Baldwin played fellow commander-in-chief contender Donald Trump. There is no news yet on who will be playing the latter in Season 50, but it stands to reason James Austin Johnson will continue to play the role.
Who Else Is Leaving SNL in Season 50?
Also coming from The Hollywood Reporter is the news that Saturday Night Live‘s first nonbinary cast member, Molly Kearney, will not return for Season 50. They made the announcement via social media just one day after Johnson posted her Instagram video. Kearney was only on SNL for two years but has also made a splash via Prime Video’s A League of Their Own.
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Kearney was one of the replacements when SNL experienced what is arguably its most profound mass cast member departure back in 2022. At that time, fan favorites Aidy Bryant, Kate McKinnon, Pete Davidson, Kyle Mooney, Alex Moffat, and the ever-underrated Melissa Villaseñor announced their departures. On leaving the show, Kearney expressed similar gratitude-based sentiments to Johnson. In their words:
“That’s a wrap on my time on SNL! Reflecting on the amazing 2 seasons I got on this show, it was such a dream come true. So incredibly grateful for this period in my life. So much love to all my big hearted buddies behind the scenes who make the magic happen every week. So many bald caps, so little time.”
Time will tell how the 50th year of the show plays. But it’s undoubtedly an important year, and not just because of the election. It marks a major anniversary for the NBC tentpole, and fans should expect as much retrospect as was seen during year 40, if not more so. Kearney’s Instagram post follows.
Saturday Night Live
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