Among the recent releases of the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday night live is cast member Punkie Johnson. Soon after the news broke, Johnson revealed why she left the show.
According to Deadline, Johnson commented on the ordeal while appearing on Fly on the wall podcast, hosted by SNL former students Dana Carvey and David Spade. Although he had been with the show for four seasons at this point, Johnson still felt he was having trouble adjusting to the SNL family. She said she felt that way from the beginning, and when she looked for a way out, she was encouraged by her management to continue until she had a plan for where to go next. Johnson stayed for another season, though without much of her material being used.

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“I talked to my team. I said, 'Look, I really don't know if this job suits me.so maybe I should step aside,'” Johnson said. “I think I got three or four splashes [in the] first half. And I usually only get two or three of those in the whole season, so I'm like, “Oh man, I'm doing this.”
Look, I don't really know if this job is for me, so maybe I should step away.
Johnson said his motivation to stay took another hit when writer Ben Silva left. SNLbecause “he just knew how to talk Punkie.” She added of the writer, “So if I told him something, he knew how to put it in SNL format for me. If I try to put it in SNL format, this is the hard part.”

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On completing the departure SNLJohnson added, “I didn't really feel comfortable, like I didn't feel comfortable in that area.. That show is for a different kind of person. I thought everyone else came from stand-up comedy. I started talking to people and they were all like, “Oh yeah, we went to school for this.” And I was like, did you go to school to be here?”
New opportunities have arrived for Punkie Johnson
“Since word got out that I wasn’t coming back to the show, my phone and opportunities haven’t stopped. It’s crazy,” she continued, hinting that there’s much more to come from Johnson despite her exit from the NBC show.
Johnson was one of two cast members who recently announced they were leaving the show, and it’s possible there could be more departures before Season 50 debuts. Along with Johnson, it’s been reported that Molly Kearney will also be leaving after two seasons.
Saturday Night Live returns for its 50th season this fall on NBC.
Source: Moscow on the Wall