Punkie Johnson Reveals Her Departure From Saturday Night Live In A Social Media Post; Check Out The Post

Saturday Night Live’s beloved character Punkie Johnson has announced her exit from the comedy show. Check out the post below.

Published on Aug 02, 2024  |  07:54 PM IST |  41.3K
Punkie Johnson (CC: YouTube/ Saturday Night Live)
Punkie Johnson (CC: YouTube/ Saturday Night Live)

Punkie Johnson, 39, whose real name is Jesica Williams, bid adieu to the beloved Saturday Night Live Show after 4 years of being a cast member. The announcement of her departure came forth on social media in a post shared by the star herself.

Johnson took to her Instagram on August 1 (Thursday) and kept her story to the point revealing how her departure happened suddenly.

While explaining the incident, she shared, “Alright, so last night, I had a Punkie and Friends show, and since it was some SNL cast and writers at the show, I opened up the floor for questions."

The 39-year-old expressed, “Everything was going fine,” until an audience member questioned what the actress was looking forward to in SNL’s upcoming 50th season. 

She stated that she did not exactly remember the exact question. She added, “All I heard was,‘ Me and next season.’ I’m not going to lie to my friends, so I just said, ‘Oh, I ain’t coming back.’” 

Punkie then shared that the following morning she woke up to multiple texts, phone calls, and tags on the internet. She said, “'I'm like, ‘What is going on!’ They’re like, ‘Well, you made some comments.’"

She made it clear that there was no “bad blood” or “bridges burned,” with her saying goodbye to the show. 

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The actress continued that she loved her people and she did not think that none of this would be a big deal. 

She also appeared to express her gratitude for the show. The 39-year-old shared that SNL was a “dream” she was not aware she could achieve. She captioned the post saying, “SNL I LOVE YOU… LOOKING FORWARD TO WHATS NEXT!!! #snl #49 PUNKIE OUT!!!!” Check out the post and know in detail what she had to say.


Her fellow castmate Ego Nwodim commented, “Love you til the death of me Punkie!! Now get off instagram and whatever tf editing app you used and call me back please!"

Other SNL alums including Cecily Strong, Chloe Fineman, and Heidi Gardner also commented on this post. Other celebrities Wanda Sykes and Quinta Brunson also expressed their thoughts in the comments section.

Many of Punkie’s fans expressed their shock over this sudden announcement. Multiple people shared that they will miss seeing her on the show and many offered their love to her.

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The 39-year-old has previously opened up about her gratitude and surprise being an SNL cast member on several occasions.

When she became a regular cast member in 2022 after appearing on the show as a featured player in 2020, she made history as she was the show’s openly second queer black woman among the cast members.


ALSO READ: Is Maya Rudolph Set To Play Kamala Harris On SNL Amid Ongoing Presidential Election Race? Find Out Here

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