‘SNL’: Kyle Mooney Speaks out After His Exit

Saturday Night Live cast member Kyle Mooney finally confirmed his exit from the long-running sketch comedy series in an Instagram post on Friday. The post came almost two weeks after the Season 47 finale aired, featuring grand good-bye gestures for Aidy Bryant, Kate McKinnon, and Pete Davidson. Mooney was also expected to leave, but his talents for playing bizarre and uncomfortable characters didn’t get one last chance to shine.

“Thank you [SNL],” Davidson wrote on Instagram. “See you soon NYC. Swipe for a great memory with some of the best friends a guy could ask for.” The first slide was a picture of Mooney standing on the Studio 8H stage, but the next slide wasn’t really a memory from SNL. It was a clip from the “Gotta Get a Gift for Splinter” music video in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: We Wish You a Turtles Christmas special. (Mooney voiced Michaelangelo in Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.)

The Season 47 finale aired back on May 21 and saw McKinnon, Bryant, and Davidson all get elaborate send-offs. McKinnon revived her “Close Encounter” sketch character Miss Rafferty, who decided to leave earth with her beloved aliens in the cold open. Bryant performed one last “Trend Forecasters” bit on “Weekend Update” with Bowen Yang, while Davidson shared the important influence SNL has been on his life.

Mooney did not get one last sketch to showcase his talents. He popped up in the final sketch of the night, “Women’s Commercial,” but that was it. Mooney’s last “Weekend Update” spot came in the May 14 episode, when he played Baby Yoda for the final time.

Mooney joined SNL in 2013. He became the last remaining new cast member from 2013 after Beck Bennett left in 2021. Mooney’s other credits include Zoolander 2, The Unicorn, Drunk History, Rick and Morty, and Saturday Morning All-Star Hits!.

Yang, who was promoted to repertory player for Season 47, told Entertainment Tonight that filming the season finale was “so emotional” for everyone. “It is just these four people who have defined what that show is in the last decade,” Yang explained. He later added that the departing cast members were “distinct presences, distinct voices, and four people who were sort of the best to ever do it.”

SNL Season 47 had the largest cast in the show’s history. The season also featured Mikey Day, Chloe Fineman, Heidi Garner, Alex Moffat, Ego Nwodim, Chris Redd, Cecily Strong, Kenan Thompson, Melissa Villasenor, Aristotle Athari, Andrew Dismukes, James Austin Johnson, Punkie Johnson, and Sarah Sherman. Michael Che and Colin Jost continued serving as head writers and “Weekend Update” anchors.