“I didn’t want it to come off like I was leaving angrily.”
After 10 hilarious years, Aidy Bryant is saying goodbye to Saturday Night Live, and now, she’s letting fans know why it was time for her to walk away.
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During a recent interview with Variety, Aidy revealed how the pandemic played a role in her decision to leave the show.
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“If it weren’t for COVID, I probably would have left a few years earlier,” Aidy told Variety. “But it was such a huge change.”
“When COVID hit, it was so jarring that we were all like, ‘I’m definitely going to come back next year.’ And then I had to shoot Shrill for half of last season, and so I missed a lot.”
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That feeling of missing out led Aidy to return to SNL for an extra year. She admitted that she wanted “one last normal year” on the show.
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“This year wasn’t the normal year that I hoped for, but it was closer to that,” Aidy said. “It was like, ‘OK, it’s really time now.’ And 10 felt like a nice, solid round number.”
She recalled being scared to tell longtime SNL showrunner Lorne Michaels, but he ended up being very understanding.
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“Maybe in March or April, I went to his office and was like, ‘I gotta talk to you.’ I was scared because I feel close to him and so grateful to him.”
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“I didn’t want it to come off like I was leaving angrily. I am leaving with so much love. He was like, ‘I understand, and it makes sense for you.’”
Aidy bid farewell in late May by doing one final Weekend Update segment with Bowen Yang as the Trend Forecasters.
But Aidy isn’t the only cast member who recently announced their SNL departure. Kate McKinnon, Kyle Mooney, and Pete Davidson are also leaving.
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To read more about Aidy, check out her full Variety interview.
