Comedian Molly Kearney announced their departure from “Saturday Night Live,” ahead of the show’s 50th season, in a Friday Instagram post.
“That’s a wrap on my time on SNL! Reflecting on the amazing 2 seasons I got on this show, it was such a dream come true,” Kearney, who joined Studio 8H during season 48 in 2022, wrote. “So incredibly grateful for this period in my life.”
Kearney, the first nonbinary member of the show’s cast, shouted out comics Marcello Hernandez, Devon Walker, and Michael Longfellow, who each joined the show in its 48th season.
“My brother for life,” Hernandez commented on the post, while Longfellow added, “Love you for life my dawg.”
The comic spoofed celebs like Kevin James and Guy Fieri as a featured player, also using the “SNL” stump to raise awareness for a slate of anti-LGBTQ legislation around the country, during an April 2023 “Weekend Update” segment.
Kearney, who previously appeared on Amazon’s “A League of Their Own,” joins a long list of “SNL” alumni as the show preps for its 50th season, set to begin in September, paired with a planned 50th Anniversary celebration next year. Kearney hasn’t yet shared their reason for bowing out of the show.
Kearney’s departure announcement comes just a day after fellow cast member Punkie Johnson announced her exit from the show at a comedy show in Brooklyn, in an announcement that, like Kearney’s, came much earlier than the typical cast shake-up notices from NBC.