Punkie Johnson Announces Departure From 'Saturday Night Live' After 4 Seasons

Punkie Johnson announced that after four years she will not be returning as a cast member on “Saturday Night Live” next season.

“I just want to let you know after four seasons, I will not be returning to SNL for the 50th,” Johnson said Thursday in a video on Instagram.

Johnson, 36, made history in 2020 when she joined “SNL” and became the first out queer Black cast member on the show, following Danitria Vance, a Black lesbian cast member who was not publicly out during her time on “SNL” in 2010.

In an interview with NBC News in 2020, she shared how surreal joining “SNL” has been for her.

“It wasn’t even a dream because I never thought that I would get there. That’s how surprised I was,” she said. “I’m just this little lesbian chick from New Orleans who is just enjoying life doing comedy and thinking that’s it.”

HuffPost reached out to Johnson’s team for comment on why she is leaving the show but did not receive an immediate response.

Several past and present “SNL” cast members, including Heidi Gardner, Cecily Strong, Chloe Fineman and Chris Redd, commented on Johnson’s social media post announcing her departure.

“Love you til the death of me Punkie!!! Now get off Instagram and whatever tf editing app you use and call me back please!” “SNL” cast member Ego Nwodin wrote in the comments.

Johnson echoed her 2020 comments about “SNL” in her post on Thursday, describing it as 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’mma be at the after parties acting a plum fool, but, you know, my time there has come to an end,” she said.

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