'SNL' cast departures: Punkie Johnson, Molly Kearney exit
As the premiere of "Saturday Night Live's" 50th season draws near, at least two cast members will be missing from the lineup.
Punkie Johnson, 39, and Molly Kearney, 32, both confirmed they will not be back in Studio 8H when "SNL" returns this fall. A person who was unauthorized to speak publicly about the situation confirmed the news to USA TODAY on Friday.
"I just want to let y'all know that after four seasons I will not be returning to 'SNL' for the 50th," Johnson said in a video posted to Instagram Thursday.
Kearney, who uses they/them pronouns, announced they will not be part of the Season 50 cast in an Instagram post Friday, which included snapshots of behind-the-scenes moments on set.
"Yall that’s a wrap on my time on SNL! Reflecting on the amazing 2 seasons I got on this show, it was such a dream come true. So incredibly grateful for this period in my life," the caption read. "So much love to all my big hearted buddies behind the scenes who make the magic happen every week. So many bald caps, so little time."
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They shouted out "my day 1 crew" Marcello Hernández, Devon Walker and Michael Longfellow, who were also brought on as featured players in Season 48.
Kearney, the show's first non-binary cast member, joined as a featured player in 2022, and Johnson was hired in 2020 and promoted to main cast member in 2022.
The news that she's out at "SNL" accidentally came out after she "opened up the floor to questions" at the end of a "Punkie and Friends" show the previous night, Johnson said in her video.
“Everything was going fine until somebody asked, ‘What are you looking forward to next season?'... I didn’t want to lie to my friends, so I just said, ‘Oh, I ain’t comin’ back," Johnson said. "It's no bad blood, it's no bridges burned, it's no hard feelings.
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"'SNL' was a dream that I didn’t even know that I could achieve. Man, I was a part of one of the most elite institutions in comedy, and I am so grateful for it. That's still my people. I love them," she continued. "I'm going to be at the after-parties acting a plumb fool. But my time has come to an end."
"SNL" routinely cuts a few cast members each summer and holds auditions for new featured players. The show is expected to confirm its 2024-25 cast shortly before the next season, due in late September.