“Saturday Night Live” star Punkie Johnson explained Wednesday why she's leaving the show ahead of its 50th season.
Johnson's departure from “SNL” has been a long time coming, she said on the show with former “SNL” cast members David Spade and Dana Carvey. Podcasts Ahead of season 49 of “Fly on the Wall,” Johnson visited with the team and expressed doubts about his coveted role on the iconic late-night show.
“I talked to my team and I was like, 'Maybe I should quit, because I'm not sure if this is the job for me,'” Johnson told her former cast members. “But I told them that very late, because I'd just found out I could come back. And they were like, 'Punky, we need a plan. You can't quit your job.'” So she returned, and at first, everything went well.
In fact, Johnson said the first few weeks of Season 49 have been “amazing.” (Related: US SNL slams men competing in women's sports)
“I think I did three or four sketches in the first half. [of the season]”Usually you only get two or three wins in the whole season, and then you're like, 'Oh, this is amazing. This is my season.'” Writer Ben Silva then left the show, preventing Johnson from sharing exactly what he had in mind for the sketches, Variety reported. attention.
AUSTIN, TX – MARCH 14: Punkie Johnson performs onstage during “A Night at The Comedy Store Stand Up Showcase-2nd Show” during the 2022 SXSW Conference & Festival at Creek and the Cave in Austin, Texas on March 14, 2022. (Photo by Eric Petersen/Getty Images for SXSW)
NEW YORK, NY – 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. (Mike Coppola/Getty Images/Courtesy of American Museum of Natural History)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – DECEMBER 22: Saturday Night Live actress and comedian Punkie Johnson (aka Jessica Williams) watches the Jacksonville Jaguars vs. New York Jets Thursday Night Football game 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 in, I felt like it was out of my league, that the show was for a different type of person,” Johnson added. “I come from stand-up, so I assumed everybody else came from stand-up. I started having conversations with people and they were like, 'Oh, we went to school to do this,' and I was like, 'Did you guys go to school to be here?'” (Related: The new “SNL” movie trailer is out, and it's not what we expected.)
Johnson doesn't appear to have any upcoming projects lined up. IMDB As an actress, writer and producer, she It seems Ubiquitous Comedy This scene. I have a feeling this won't be the last we see of her and I can't wait to see what happens next.
