The Real Reason Why ‘Saturday Night Live’ Star Punkie Johnson Left The Show

Punkie Johnson recently got candid about her Saturday Night Live departure after a four season-run.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the comedy addressed the change while appearing on the Fly on the Wall podcast, confessing to hosts and SNL alums Dana Carvey and David Spade that she “didn’t really feel like I fit” on the NBC sketch comedy show.

Here’s why Punkie Johnson left Saturday Night Live

“I talked to my team. I was like, ‘Look, I don’t really know if I belong at this job, so maybe I should step away,’” Johnson recounted. However, they convinced her to stay, telling her, “You need a plan. You can’t just quit your job.”

Johnson reflected on her last season, telling Spade and Carvey that it ended up being “tremendous.”

“I think I got like three or four sketches [in the] first half. 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,’” she added.

Things changed when her SNL writer Ben Silva left the show, pushing her to consider her place on in 30 Rock. Johnson said Silva “just knew how to speak Punkie,” adding, “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.”

The Bottoms actress came to the decision that it would be best for her to leave the show and focus on other projects and stand-up comedy.

“I didn’t really feel like I fit, like I didn’t feel like that was my zone. That show is for a different type of person,” Johnson shared.

She added, “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?”

Johnson said she’s looking forward to what’s coming next.

“Ever since word got out that I’m not going back to the show, my phone and opportunities have not stopped,” she said. “It’s crazy.”

Johnson joined SNL back in 2020 as a featured player. Following news of her departure, news broke that Molly Kearney would also be leaving the show.