Punkie Johnson is opening up about the reason for her departure from Saturday Night Live after four seasons.
The comedian recently stopped by the Fly on the Wall podcast, and told hosts/SNL alums Dana Carvey and David Spade that she “didn’t really feel like I fit” on NBC’s sketch comedy show. Johnson first revealed she wasn’t returning for the show’s landmark 50th season at a comedy show last month.
“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 recalled of her initial conversation with her team before season 49 got underway last year. However, they convinced her to stay, telling her, “You need a plan. You can’t just quit your job.”
Johnson noted that her last season ended up being “tremendous,” adding, “I think I got like three or four sketches [in the] first half. 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.’”
But things took a turn when her writer Ben Silva exited SNL, leading her to reevaluate her place on the NBC series. Silva “just knew how to speak Punkie,” Johnson explained of their close connection. “So if I was telling him something, he knew how to put it in SNL format for me. If I try to put it in SNL format, that’s the hard part.”
The Love Life actress ultimately decided to leave and focus on other projects and stand-up comedy. “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 told Carvey and Spade.
“I came from stand-up, so I just thought everybody else came from stand-up,” she added. “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?”
Looking ahead, Johnson is excited about what’s next in her career. “Ever since word got out that I’m not going back to the show, my phone and opportunities have not stopped,” she said. “It’s crazy.”
The comedian first joined SNL in 2020 as a featured player. Shortly after she announced her departure, SNL star Molly Kearney also shared they were leaving.
