“I was part of one of the most distinguished institutions in comedy, and I am so grateful for that,” the comedian said.
Punky Johnson will be away from Saturday Night LiveThe comedian confirmed Thursday in an Instagram video that she will not be joining the show's 50th season, saying “no bridges have been burned” with the cast.
“After four seasons, I will not be returning to SNL for the 50th season,” Johnson said, noting that she was asked about her return to SNL for the new season during a comedy show at Union Hall in Brooklyn the night before. “I don’t lie to my friends, so I just said, ‘I’m not coming back.’”
Johnson said she woke up Thursday morning to texts and messages from people asking about her comments as she made clear there was no negativity attached to her coming out. “There’s no hard feelings, no burned bridges, no hard feelings,” Johnson said. “Bro, I love my people! I didn’t think any of this would matter.”
“SNL was a dream I didn’t even know I could achieve,” she added. “I was part of one of the most unique institutions in comedy, and I’m so grateful for that. That’s still my people. I love them. I’ll be at the after-show parties acting like a jerk! My time is up now, and Punky is out now, guys!”
Johnson has appeared in Saturday Night Live In 2020 and was promoted to be part of the cast in 2022. She appeared in several sketches, impersonating Ice Spice, Queen Latifah, Gayle King and many others. She commented in her farewell post: “SNL I love you… looking forward to what's next!!!”
The news of her departure comes one day after it was confirmed that Maya Rudolph would return this fall to play Vice President Kamala Harris.
