“Saturday Night Live” just lost another cast member. Molly Kearney announced they would not be returning to the NBC staple a day after Punkie Johnson’s confirmed departure.
“Y’all that’s a wrap on my time on ‘SNL’! Reflecting on the amazing two seasons I got on this show, it was such a dream come true. So incredibly grateful for this period in my life,” Kearney wrote on Instagram on Friday. “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. It was a true honor to work with such a talented group of writers and DON’T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THE CAST.”
Kearney, who uses they/them pronouns, first joined “SNL” in 2022 as a featured player for Season 48. They made their debut alongside Marcello Hernandez, Michael Longfellow and Devon Walker and became the first openly non-binary cast member of the long-running sketch comedy series. During their time on the show, Kearney was best known for their “Weekend Update” appearances, where they talked about going home for the holidays and spoke out about anti-LGBT bills, and for playing senator Randy McNally. They also starred in a Please Don’t Destroy video that revolved around Kearney becoming the attorney general for Ohio.
Prior to “SNL,” Kearney was known for their work in the Chicago stand-up scene. They were also selected to be part of Comedy Central’s “Up Next” showcase in 2019 and have appeared in Prime Video’s “A League of Their Own” and the Disney+ series, “The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers.”
Johnson also announced that she was leaving the series this week. On Thursday, the comedian confirmed her departure on Instagram after accidentally letting it slip during a Wednesday night show. In the same post, she assured her followers, “It’s not bad blood, it’s no bridges burned.” Johnson joined the 46th season of the show in 2020 and was part of “Saturday Night Live” for four seasons. Johnson referred to “SNL” as “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,” Johnson said in a video.
“Saturday Night Live” returns for Season 50 on Sept. 28, on NBC.
