As Saturday Night Live prepares to kick off its 50th season this fall, cast member Punkie Johnson has revealed she will not be returning to the show. Word of this announcement began spreading on July 31 when Johnson reportedly revealed the news to her audience at a live stand-up performance at Brooklynâs Union Hall. One of the attendees took to X to say that Johnson had given audience members permission to share the news online and that she was âvery happyâ to be parting ways with the show.
On August 1, Johnson confirmed the news of her departure on Instagram and offered further clarification. âItâs no bad blood, itâs no bridges burned, itâs no hard feelings,â she says in the video. âSNL was a dream I didnât 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.â
Johnson joined SNL in 2020 for the showâs 46th season and was promoted from featured player to repertory player in 2022. While she was a steady hand in the sketches and âWeekend Updateâ pieces she appeared in â see this 2021 âUpdateâ about spending time with her family over the holidays â the show ultimately wasnât able to harness Johnsonâs stand-up charisma enough to make her a consistent onscreen presence. But she did find some success outside SNL during her tenure, most notably via her scene-stealing cameo in the 2023 movie Bottoms. Wherever Johnson goes next, we hope she continues to stay in touch with Abby, the âvampire-head assâ warden of âNice Jail.â