“Saturday Night Live” is losing two of its veterans in Taran Killiam and Jay Pharoah. According to The Hollywood Reporter, neither will be back for the show’s upcoming 42nd season.
Killam and Pharoah have both been with “SNL” for six seasons and are said to be leaving to pursue other career opportunities. However, their departures are coming at a crucial time for the show.
With elections coming up, “SNL” is losing two of its versatile impressionists. Pharoah is perhaps best known for his President Barack Obama impersonation, along with Jay Z, Will Smith, Denzel Washington and others. Killam has also played a host of notable faces such as Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Donald Trump and Matthew McConaughey.
As it turns out, Killam’s contract was not picked up for a seventh season by Lorne Michaels.
“I had sort of had it in my head I would make this upcoming year my last year, but then hear they weren’t going to pick up my contract. I was never given a reason why, really,” he told Uproxx.
Killam is making his directorial debut on the upcoming Arnold Schwarzenegger picture “Why We’re Killing Gunther,” a move he thinks may have contributed to NBC’s decision.
“I honestly don’t know what happened on the other side, but I do know we had expressed I have work on this film and in bonding this picture, that has to get cleared with ‘SNL.’ My feeling about it is I got my dream job. I set out to be on ‘SNL’ and I got to do that and I did very well. And I love and adore and will forever have close ties and tight bonds with the brilliant, smartest, funniest people I’ve ever met in my life. So, I have no gripes at all.”