Saturday Night Live cast members Punkie Johnson and Molly Kearney made history when they joined the legendary sketch comedy show. But last week, the two comedians separately announced they would not be returning for the show’s 50th season.
Johnson became the first out Black queer woman on the show when she was hired in 2020. Danitra Vance, a Black lesbian who joined SNL‘s 11th season in 1985, was not out during her run on the show. Kate McKinnon became the show’s first out woman in 2012.
Johnson, who starred in Space Force and A Black Lady Sketch Show, confirmed her departure in an Instagram video posted Thursday. “I ain’t coming back,” she said.
“It’s no bad blood, it’s no bridges burned, it’s no hard feelings,” Johnson continued. “SNL was a dream I didn’t even know I could achieve. I was a part of one of the most elite institutions in comedy, and I am so grateful for it.”
Kearney, the first-ever nonbinary cast member, joined the show in 2022. Following Johnson’s announcement, they also took to Instagram to make their departure official.
“Yall 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,” they captioned Friday’s post.
Kearney, who stared in Amazon’s A League of Their Own remake and Disney+’s Mighty Ducks, said they were “so incredibly grateful” for the chance to join the show.
“It was a true honor to work with such a talented group of writers and DON’T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THE CAST,” they wrote.
While SNL has become slightly more diverse since it began its run in 1975, representation for queer people and Black people is still severely lacking. In this year’s cast, only five out of 17 members are Black, and two are Black women. There are three out cast members, including Johnson, Kearney and Bowen Yang. There has never been a transgender cast member.
It’s unknown who will replace the Johnson and Kearney. SNL‘s 50th season premieres on September 28.
