Molly Kearney exits ‘SNL’ after making history as first nonbinary cast member: ‘That’s a wrap’

Molly Kearney is saying goodbye to “Saturday Night Live” after two seasons on the show.

The comedian, 32, who was the first nonbinary performer to join the “SNL” cast and uses they/them pronouns, announced their departure in an Instagram post on August 2.

“Yall that’s a wrap on my time on SNL!” they wrote, alongside a carousel of photos from their time on the series.

“Reflecting on the amazing 2 seasons I got on this show, it was such a dream come true. So incredibly grateful for this period in my life.”

“So much love to all my big hearted buddies behind the scenes who make the magic happen every week,” they added. “So many bald caps, so little time.”

“It was a true honor to work with such a talented group of writers and DON’T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THE CAST,” Kearney said.

“Special shout out to my day 1 crew @marcellohdz @internetdevon and @longfellow_michael. Head up and heart out! Harold forever!!!!!”

Kearney joined “SNL” as a featured player in 2022 for Season 48 and also performed on Season 49.

News of Kearney’s departure followed fellow cast member Punkie Johnson, 39, revealing her exit from the show on Wednesday, July 31, while doing stand-up at Brooklyn’s Union Hall.

“I just want to let you know after four seasons, I will not be returning to ‘SNL’ for the 50th,” Johnson, aka Jessica Williams, confirmed in an Instagram video posted August 1.

In the video, Johnson revealed that her announcement was a bit off the cuff. During her set the previous night, she was asked by an audience member what she was “looking forward to most” on the next season of “SNL,” and that’s when she spilled the beans.

“I don’t remember the exact question, all I heard was, ‘me and next season,’” she recalled. “I’m not going to lie to my friends, so I just said, ‘Oh, I ain’t coming back.’”

“Then I woke up this morning to text messages, phone calls, tags on the internet. I’m like, ‘What is going on!’ They’re like, ‘Well, you made some comments.’”

In her Instagram video, the comedian explained that there was “no bad blood, no bridges burned, no hard feelings” with the “SNL” team.

“Bro, I love my people! I didn’t think none of this was going to be a big deal.” She added that her experience on the show was “a dream I didn’t even know that I could achieve.”

“I was a part of one of the most elite institutions in comedy, and I am so grateful for it. That’s still my people. I love them. I’m gonna be at the after parties acting a plumb fool!”

“My time now has come to an end,” she continued. “Punkie outside now, y’all!”

Johnson’s post was captioned, “SNL I LOVE YOU … LOOKING FORWARD TO WHATS NEXT!!!”

As for Kearney, they had breakout moments during their time on the late-night sketch show.

In 2023, the comedian did a Weekend Update segment talking about the rise of anti-LGBTQ legislation across the country. 

Literally dropping into the guest seat via a harness suspended from the ceiling of studio 8H, and accompanied by a WWE-style announcer intro, Kearney blasted politicians who have sought to eliminate healthcare for transgender youth.

“As you know, I’ve been wanting to come to update and talk about trans people,” they began.

“But I have for a much longer time than that wanted to fly down from the ceiling. But I’m not gonna lie, this harness is pretty tight and my groin area is beefed. I’ve been hung up by my genitals for far too long and I’m starting to feel like a frickin’ Republican lawmaker.”

Over the past few years, many states have introduced bills that would limit or ban trans youths’ right to medically transition from the gender they were assigned when born.

“Restricting Health Care for Kids. For some reason, there’s something about the word ‘trans’ that makes people forget the word ‘kids,’” Kearney said. “If you don’t care about trans kids’ lives, it means you don’t care about fricking kids’ lives.”

Exiting the bit just as dramatically as they entered, Kearney was hoisted towards the ceiling and fired off one last missive.

“What’s happening kids is wrong and you don’t need to be scared,” they told the audience.

“Our job is to protect you and your job is to focus on being a kid. It’s kind of like me flying in the SNL sky. There’s a bunch of dudes asking you about your crotch and where you’re allowed to pee. But if you just hang on, you’ll look up and realize you’re flying kid.”