'SNL' Alum Opens Up About Exit: Punkie Johnson Speaks

The comedian announced in July they won't be returning for the milestone 50th season of 'Saturday Night Live.'

By Megan Behnke

Punkie Johnson is speaking out about her departure from Saturday Night Live. The comedian joined the long-running variety sketch series in 2020 as a featured player. At a comedy show in July, she revealed she wouldn't be back for the show's milestone 50th season. Via The Hollywood Reporter, Johnson appeared on the Fly on the Wall podcast, hosted by SNL alums Dana Carvey and David Spade, to finally open up about her reason for leaving.

Johnson recalled that ahead of Season 49 last year, she told her team she didn't know if she belongs at SNL, but they convinced her to stay, telling her she needs a plan and couldn't just quit her job. Luckily, her final season was "tremendous." "I think I got like three or four sketches [in the] first half," Johnson explained. "And usually I only get maybe two or three on the entire season, so I'm like, 'Oh man, I'm killing it. Like, this is my season.'"

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(Photo:

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE -- Episode 1857 -- Pictured: Punkie Johnson as Tanya L during the "Airbnb Commercial" sketch on Saturday, March 2, 2024

- Lauren Clements/NBC)

Once writer Ben Silva exited SNL, though, things went in a different direction. Johnson shared that Silva "just knew how to speak Punkie. So if I was telling him something, he knew how to put it in SNL format for me. If I try to put it in SNL format, that's the hard part." Eventually, Johnson decided to leave in order to focus on her stand-up comedy and other projects.

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"I didn't really feel like I fit like I didn't feel like that was my zone," she said. "That show is for a different type of person. I came from stand-up, so I just thought everybody else came from stand-up. I started having conversations with people and everybody was like, 'Oh yeah, we went to school for this.' I'm like, y'all went to school to be here?"

While she may no longer be on Saturday Night Live, Punkie Johnson is as excited as ever to see what lies ahead. "Ever since word got out that I'm not going back to the show, my phone and opportunities have not stopped," she shared. "It's crazy." It seems like Johnson will soon be taking over the comedy world, and it wouldn't be surprising if she already has some secret projects already lined up. It is disappointing that she left before the big landmark season, but it shouldn't be long until she has her next TV gig.

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