‘SNL’: Cecily Strong Dishes on Possibly Leaving the Show

After six years on Saturday Night Live, Cecily Strong said there have been times when she thought about leaving the sketch comedy series.

Last week, Strong appeared on Busy Philipps‘ Busy Tonight, where she said she remains uncertain about how long she will be on SNL.

“I think it’ll feel right when it’s time,” Strong told Philipps. “There’s some days I’m like, ‘That’s it, I’m not coming back!’ And then the next week it’s like, ‘Oh I love it, I can stay for ten years.’ There’s just so much of my life is there, so it’s— I don’t know. I guess I just don’t know.”

“It’s nice having a job,” Strong added.

While many SNL cast members are asked who the worst celebrity guest was, Strong wanted to talk about the best. She was surprised by Thor actor Chris Hemsworth, whose body of work did not seem like a good fit for SNL.

“He came in and sort of charmed us all and was so like the cool jock that wants to hang out with the gay theater kids,” she recalled. “I feel like he left and we all were like, ‘Are we all dating Chris Hemsworth now?’ Like, all the boys and all the girls were all like, ‘Are we all in love? I mean, what happened? What just happened?’”

Strong got her start in comedy in Chicago, studying at the Second City Conservatory and iO Chicago. She made her SNL debut in September 2012 and co-anchored Weekend Update with Seth Meyers and Colin Jost, before being replaced with Michael Che. Strong’s season with Jost did not completely gel together, which was one reason why SNL creator Lorne Michaels plugged in Che.

“This is about a new era, what feels appropriate for now. That’s why we did a lot of combinations and tests, and this is kind of where we came out,” Michaels told the New York Times in 2014. “It struggled to find an identity last season… because what had come before had been pretty brilliant.”

Michaels also said at the time that Strong requested the change to give her more time to focus on sketches.

Saturday Night Live resumes this Saturday with Halsey guest hosting and performing. The Feb. 16 episode features Black Monday actor Don Cheadle as host and Gary Clark Jr. as musical performer.

SNL airs Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC. New episodes of Busy Tonight air Mondays through Thursdays at 11 p.m. ET on E! Network.

Photo credit: Jordin Althaus/E! Entertainment