“Saturday Night Live” lead cast member Punkie Johnson explained Wednesday why she’s leaving the show ahead of season 50.
It turns out that Johnson’s departure from “SNL” has been a long time coming, according to comments she made on “SNL” alumni David Spade and Dana Carvey’s podcast “Fly on the Wall.” Ahead of season 49, Johnson went to her team to express her doubts about her coveted role in the iconic late night show.
“I talked to my team. I was like, ‘Look, I don’t really know if I belong at this job, so maybe I should step away,’” Johnson told the former cast members. “But I told them super, super late, like right after I found out I got to go back. And it was like ‘Well Punkie, you need a plan. You can’t just quit your job.'” So she went back and things were fine at first.
In fact, Johnson said the first few weeks of season 49 were “tremendous.” (RELATED: Based SNL Rips Men Competing In Women’s Sports)
“I think I got like three or four sketches on the first half [of the season],” she continued. “And usually I only get maybe two or three on the entire season, so I’m like, ‘Oh man, I’m killing it. Like, this is my season.’” Then her writer, Ben Silva, bailed on the show, hindering Johnson’s ability to accurately communicate wat she was thinking for her sketch pitches, Variety noted.
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AUSTIN, TEXAS – MARCH 14: Punkie Johnson performs onstage at A Night at The Comedy Store Stand Up Showcase-2nd Show during the 2022 SXSW Conference and Festivals at Creek and the Cave on March 14, 2022 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Errich Petersen/Getty Images for SXSW)
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 30: Punkie Johnson attends the American Museum of Natural History’s 2023 Museum Gala at the American Museum of Natural History on November 30, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for the American Museum of Natural History )
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EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – DECEMBER 22: Actress and Comedian Punkie Johnson (aka Jessica Williams) of “Saturday Night Live” attends the Thursday Night Football game between the Jacksonville Jaguars vs the New York Jets in the rain at MetLife Stadium on December 22, 2022 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Al Pereira/Getty Images)
“I didn’t really feel like I fit, like I didn’t feel like that was my zone. That show is for a different type of person,” Johnson added. “I came from standup so I just thought everybody else came from standup. I started having conversations with people and everybody was like, ‘Oh yeah, we went to school for this.’ I’m like, ‘Y’all went to school to be here?’” (RELATED: Trailer For ‘SNL’ Movie Comes Out And It’s Not What We Expected)
Johnson doesn’t seem to have any upcoming projects on her IMDB as an actress, writer or producer but she seems to be all over the comedy scene. I have a feeling this isn’t the last we’ll see of her and I’m stoked to see what comes next.