Punkie Johnson, a cast member on “Saturday Night Live” for the last four seasons, confirmed on Instagram Thursday that she is exiting the NBC sketch comedy program ahead of Season 50.
The comedian let the news slip while performing onstage at her own comedy show Wednesday, and assured in her video announcement that “it’s not bad blood, it’s no bridges burned.”
“I just want to let you know after four seasons, I will not be returning to ‘SNL’ for the 50th,” Johnson began. “Alright, so last night, I had a Punkie and Friends show, and since it was some ‘SNL’ cast and writers at the show, I opened up the floor for questions. And everything was going fine, until somebody asked, ‘What are you looking forward to most next season?’ I don’t remember the exact question, all I heard was, ‘Me and next season.’ I’m not going to lie to my friends, so I just said, ‘Oh, I ain’t coming back.’ “
“Then I woke up this morning to text messages, phone calls, tags on the Internet,” she continued. “I’m like, ‘What is going on!’ They’re like, ‘Well, you made some comments.’ I’m like, it was a comedy show, I was just having fun. It’s no bad blood, it’s no bridges burned, it’s no hard feelings. Like, bro, I love my people. I ain’t think none of this was going to be a big deal. See this is why Dave Chappell make people lock up they phones. But yo, man, ‘SNL’ was a dream 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, I’mma be at the after parties acting a plum fool, but, you know, my time there has come to an end.”
Watch the full video, below:
The announcement came the day after NBC locked Maya Rudolph in to play Vice President Kamala Harris through the 2024 presidential election cycle, an impersonation Johnson previously played once on the program.
Johnson will be remembered on “SNL” for being the program’s first openly LGBTQ and Black female cast member and only its eighth Black female cast member overall. After starting as a featured player in 2020, Johnson was upped to repertory status in 2022.
Her other credits include “Space Force,” “A Black Lady Sketch Show,” “Corporate” and “Adam Ruins Everything.”
