Devon Walker has given a full explanation on why he’s leaving the popular comedy skit show Saturday Night Live – also known as SNL – after three seasons.
He tried his best to explain the situation
In an Interview with Rolling Stone published on Saturday, 30 August, the comedian explained his exit from the popular skit show.
“To be frank, I guess the best way I put it is like me and the show kind of looked at each other and we decided together that it was time to go our separate ways,” he said.
It ‘felt like it was time’
The 34-year-old continued, “I think I felt ready to leave the show, and I think the show felt ready to leave me.”
“I was just ready to do something else. We both felt like it was time,” he added.
Walker joined SNL in 2022
The stand-up comedian joined SNL in 2022 and stayed for three seasons before deciding to quit. He noted that it ‘was such a big time commitment, and life commitment’.
“There’s been a lot of life stuff that I feel like I’ve had to miss out on,” he said.
He’s ready for a new way of life
“And I felt ready to do a different version of my life. I think that me and the show are both ready to turn the page,” the comedian added.
Walker shared news of his exit from the sketch comedy series on Monday, August 25.
Other creators have also left the show
Since Walker announced his departure from the show, other cast members have followed suit.
Michael Longfellow, Emil Wakim and Heidi Gardner have also announced their exits as creator Lorne Michaels confirmed SNL would be receiving some changes for Season 51.
Walker called the show ‘toxic as hell’
In his departure announcement on Instagram, Walker said that sometimes working on SNL ‘was toxic as hell’.
“But we did what we made the most of what it was, even amidst all of the dysfunction,” he wrote. “We made a f**ked up lil family.”
But he’s ‘grateful’ for the friendships he made
Despite all of this, Walker told the magazine that he’s ‘grateful’ for the close bonds he made with other cast members on the show.
“It’s like a fraternity on a certain level,” he said. “I might see, like, Adam Sandler, you know, and he’s talking about how there’s a shorthand.”
“Even though he went through the show 30 years before I ever got there, we know what it is. There’s just an understanding that anybody who’s ever worked there will always share.”
Walker also appreciated his relationship with Michaels
The comedian also showed appreciation for SNL creator Lorne Michaels, 80, gushing over their professional relationship.
“The best part of working with Lorne was probably getting hired by him,” he said.
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He’s a big fan of all the people Michaels has picked before
“It’s true,” Walker continued. “Something about, the same guy that handpicked these people that I’m a big fan of — the Will Ferrells, the Sandlers, the Tracy Morgans, the Tina Feys — the same person who decided on these folks, also picked me.”
“To me, that vote of confidence is something that I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life.”
