r/LiveFromNewYork • u/barrie2k • Aug 01 '24
Punkie Johnson is leaving SNL! Cast News
According to this tweet (that I’m totally ripping, thx twitter user @swws2039) she’s leaving SNL before season 50. Replies from other audience members confirmed! Thoughts? I believe this
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u/justinsimoni Aug 01 '24
I’m glad she’s doing what’s best for her. SNL seems like a really tough gig!
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u/hanselpremium Aug 01 '24
i think it’s pretty well documented that snl is a very tough place to work
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u/windmillninja Aug 01 '24
Even Andy Samberg, whose presence on the show defined an entire era, has said that his time there was basically killing him.
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u/TheColorWolf Aug 01 '24
Yeah it was built in a self destructive and drug fuelled era and the culture never truly changed even though less people did coke.
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u/philster666 Aug 01 '24
Because Lorne is still in charge
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u/Sleeze_ Aug 01 '24
I'm so interested to see how the culture changes for the next iteration of the show. And even more interesated to see what that culture change does to the shows quality overall.
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u/HappyInstruction3678 Aug 01 '24
Mark my words, when Lorne dies SO many people from that show are going to come out about how horrible he was.
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u/TomHanksIsNotMyDad Aug 01 '24
It's probably going to start out as a tribute to him. Then the question will be how long it takes before it 180s into people saying things they have wanted for years. I think it will have to be a big enough name to get the ball rolling for it though. Jim breuer I could see being an earlier vocal voice as he talked about it in his book a long (15 years?) time ago about how he needed to get out of SNL before it fully destroyed him and his wife supported that decision.
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u/BooTheSpookyGhost Aug 01 '24
I never understood why they were so stubborn about writing an episode the week it aired. Why not pay to have them on staff writing all summer and then they can have normal hours? It really seems like a “this worked in the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, 00’s so this is how we’re doing it.” Meanwhile every other show has evolved.
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u/huskersax Aug 01 '24
It's pretty clear from hearing alumns talk about sketches that they bank sketches and only the topical ones are really, truly from scratch in a given week.
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u/TimeFourChanges Aug 01 '24
Yeah, like Bob Odenkirk's "Motivational Speaker" sketch with Farley and Church Lady. Those had long been workshopped before being on SNL.
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u/KelVarnsen_2023 Aug 01 '24
But even then, the ones they are banking would be just ideas wouldn't they? I wonder if they would be able to have like some story meetings in August where a bunch of those ideas get approved and then completely written before the season even starts.
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u/ConsistentAmount4 Aug 01 '24
So much of it's dependent on the hosts though. They're not going to force a host to perform in a sketch that they don't want to do. This is why hosts who are up for anything like Buck Henry or Tom Hanks or Christoper Walken are asked back (and frequently at the end of the season where they can in fact reuse sketches from earlier).
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u/BooTheSpookyGhost Aug 01 '24
It’s pretty clear from hearing alums talk that once they pitch an idea and it’s shot down that re-pitching is a pretty bold move.
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u/pgm123 Aug 01 '24
Some ideas get reworked over time. But it does seem a lot of it gets written the week of.
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u/Redeem123 Aug 01 '24
The Lonely Island and Seth podcast has already talked about a bunch of ideas that appeared for several weeks before making it to live. It doesn’t sound rare at all.
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u/justinsimoni Aug 01 '24
Weekend Update is literally written at the last minute -- what makes it gold (other than the incredible chemistry between Che and that other guy that's dying somewhere in the Pacific) is how topical the jokes are. Runtime wise WU takes a huge chunk -- like 2 or 3 sketches worth and it has saved so many sinking shows.
The cold open is also pretty topical.
I think many other ideas for sketches are more pulled from the bank. Esp. when they redo sketches. Sometimes those are THE best sketches as the twist they add works so well for the guest or whatever.
But EVEN then man: it sounds like a grind.
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u/KelVarnsen_2023 Aug 01 '24
Yea anytime you hear SNL people talk about their time on the show, like if someone is on Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend, it always sounds like combat veterans talking about their wartime experiences.
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u/shayneysides Aug 01 '24
Oh hey, this is my tweet! I was at a show tonight where she announced this. She talked a lot about how miserable she was at SNL and how much better she's been doing since she quit, so even though I'm sad to see her go, it's ultimately a good thing.
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u/broduding Aug 01 '24
It is kind of amazing that SNL is simultaneously one of the most desired jobs in comedy while let's say roughly half the former cast members seem to have negative experiences and are thrilled when they leave. I can't think of anything in entertainment that comes close.
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u/therealvanmorrison Aug 01 '24
I work in a career with insane hours. The kind of place I work at is top tier competitive for students to get into.
About half quit a few years in and do nothing but talk about how much they fucking hated it.
Pressure, stress, hours all seem fine until you do them.
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u/roehnin Aug 01 '24
Lawyer? Many of my lawyer friends have the same reaction.
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u/therealvanmorrison Aug 01 '24
Yup! I’m still in. But my friends are mostly gone.
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u/roehnin Aug 01 '24
My lawyer girlfriend talked me out of law school
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u/Natural_Raspberry993 Aug 01 '24
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u/Puzzleheaded_Age_158 Aug 01 '24
Honestly thought it's painful how accurate the song is.
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u/PuffyTacoSupremacist Aug 01 '24
A family friend encouraged me to work in BigLaw before going to law school. A year of being a law clerk and I never considered it again.
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u/rekipsj Aug 01 '24
You won't regret the decision.
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u/PuffyTacoSupremacist Aug 01 '24
That was almost 15 years ago and I have zero regrets.
Ironically I work in legal consulting now, but not as a lawyer.
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u/Ok_Bodybuilder800 Aug 01 '24
I ended up in docketing and zero regrets about not going to law school or even becoming a paralegal for that matter 😂
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u/coldliketherockies Aug 01 '24
May I ask why it’s talked about so hatefully compared to maybe other professional jobs? My brother in law is a lawyer and while he doesn’t complain much out loud I think the hours bother him greatly ?
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u/therealvanmorrison Aug 01 '24
Oh man. I could write a book.
It’s not just that the hours are long, it’s that you’re on call 24/7. You could get dumped with 6 hours of work at 10pm. That shit happens. And it’s worse when you’re junior, both because your work product sucks and will get torn to shreds/you barely know what you’re doing, and because there are like six people above you throwing shit down on you.
Lots and lots of clients and senior lawyers are total dicks. That’s a big part of it. The kind of stuff you see on Reddit where people complaining their boss is mean - almost every single time, it’s 10% of biglaw mean.
Much of the work is dry and boring until you get senior enough to lead the complex, interesting work.
The traditional payoff for all this was making partner one day and getting rich, but now almost no one makes partner, and when you do, you’re a “non equity partner” for however many extra years and aren’t getting rich rich, just enough that when your spouse leaves and takes half, you still get to drive an old BMW.
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u/Quackular Aug 01 '24
Man, being a lawyer is such a trap haha. I knew I never wanted nor did I have the ability to do Big Law, and I have never regretted that decision. When people hear the starting salaries of junior attorneys at those firms, they are surprised why I never had aspirations to go there. For me, no money in the world is being completely burnt out before I turn 30. People outside of the legal world really just don't understand how awful those jobs are. I'm happy making half of the big law associates but having the ability to work relatively normal hours and have a realistic shot at partner in a few years at the small-medium firm I'm at.
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u/broduding Aug 01 '24
Yeah I'm sure there's many non entertainment examples. I had a cousin quit medical school in her 4th year. Wall Street would probably be a good one though the money is probably enough to not truly regret it.
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u/LLCoolBeans_Esq Aug 01 '24
Honestly this, I'm in medicine and residency was the hardest years of my life. Whenever I read about SNL it's like the comedian version of medical residency.
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u/bestwhit we're not porn stars anymore Aug 01 '24
I didn’t even finish my last year of residency because I developed CRPS and my program wouldn’t meet me halfway for accommodations. Residency absolutely were the hardest years of my life too.
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u/LLCoolBeans_Esq Aug 02 '24
Fun thing for me: After residency, my hairline came back... idk why but I thought I'd share.
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u/DataDude00 Aug 01 '24
As someone who has worked a high pressure Wall St job I can confirm sometimes the money isn't worth it.
My boss outright told me he believes that a basic "professional day" is 10 hours in the office and 12 should be a common occurrence. Can confirm that there were many days I would get in a bit before 8am and not leave until after 8pm
The money is good but it was soul crushing and I started to get anxiety, depression and stress
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u/Potty-mouth-75 Aug 01 '24
There's a 50% dropout rate with newbies in my job. It's not for the faint-hearted. Some stay for years and years. Whatever makes you happy.
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u/Gorazde Aug 01 '24
I'd say its more than half. Even the most successful former cast members like Bill Hader or Andy Samberg, who have ongoing relationships with Lorne and the show, and therefore have to be diplomatic about it. When you listen to what they say about the experience of working on the show in interviews, what they're describing sounds like a total nightmare.
Bill was crippled by anxiety the entire time he worked there. And Andy has told how even one of his biggest successes (Dick in a Box) became a curse. He had nothing and hit on the idea at the very last minute. And because of that, he was expected to pull a rabbit out of a hat every week at the last minute when he had absolutely no ideas.
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u/tvuniverse Aug 01 '24
though I feel like most entertainment productions are toxic. That's why it's more interesting to hear people say GOOD things about sets/former production employers. Just the culture and pace of entertainment production lends itself to burnout and toxicity. That's why I'm never surprised when people leave shows or they end and they're like "oh, Ellen was horrible" or" This set was toxic" or "Here's my Quiet on Set story"....that's literally just the industry....having a weekly, live, topical, comedy shows where the actors are also the writers, doesn't help.
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u/ATLCoyote Aug 01 '24
To me, it actually makes sense that this duality would exist.
Putting any complaints about rigid producers or show-runners aside, the basic nature of the job is tough. It's a weekly grind of long hours, you have to compete with a dozen other cast members for air time, you're often at the mercy of the writers on the sketches and characters you play from week to week, which don't always showcase your best skills, you have to be a main cast member to make decent money yet it still doesn't pay as much as other gigs that would consume 21 weeks per year.
Yet it's also a great way for otherwise unknown comedians to make a name for themselves and launch long, successful careers in the business. So, its a great pay-your-dues launching pad for young comedians but not a great gig for anyone that's already established.
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u/Emotional_Ad5714 Aug 01 '24
It's like working at a 500 attorney law firm. Everyone in law school wants that job, few get it, most who get it hate it, and a handful become multimillionaires.
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u/myassholealt Aug 01 '24
Career altering jobs that are highly coveted usually are also really miserable jobs because of the time and labor effort required. There's no such thing as 40 hour work week in these jobs. You're at work until the project is complete. Maybe you go home to shower and sleep for a few hours. And then you start the next project. On and on until you quit. Or get fired. Or rise up high enough in the ranks that you get minions to do this while you go golfing.
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u/reindeermoon Aug 01 '24
I think even for someone who had a negative experience, having been on SNL is going to open a lot of doors for them going forward. Sometimes, in any career, you have to spend time doing things you don’t like in order to get to the good stuff later. I doubt many former cast members would say they wish they hadn’t done the show at all.
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u/moonkittiecat Aug 01 '24
“…one of the most desired jobs in comedy and one of the jobs that is mentally and emotionally crippling.” People come on there pretty normal and leave with all sorts of ailments and mental health diagnoses. Forget that noise. I’ll just sit here and do voices for my dog.
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u/gamecat89 Aug 01 '24
As someone who achieved the “goal” job in my field, something that less than 5 percent of graduates obtain, I get it.
It is like an illusive white whale. you want it, because everyone tells you that you want it and because of all the supposed history behind it.
But then you get into it and realize that it is the most stressful possible environment for you, you have no life outside it, and you are beholden to the whims of a few.
On top of that, you see all your friends in “less prestigious” jobs living it up and doing all the things you thought yours would let you do.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Card_71 Aug 01 '24
Because it’s a brutal pressure cooker to make live shows weekly. Many people can’t handle or thrive in that type of environment, even if they are pretty funny.
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u/shitkabob Aug 01 '24
Can you give more information about what she said about her experience?
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u/redditissoover Aug 01 '24
I saw her perform last year and she talked about how they were always trying to make her wear super femme costumes and thought it was very funny, and she didn’t like it and they thought that was funny. I could see where that would be super annoying.
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u/JanePizza What a colour! Aug 01 '24
Makes that Jacob Elordi sketch everyone keeps posting the screenshot of sad in retrospect :(
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u/tlonreddit <— Season when I started watching Aug 01 '24
My guess is that it was long hours with no return (she was hardly in any sketches)
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u/shayneysides Aug 01 '24
There's not that much else to say- she mentioned getting in an argument with a talent producer, but it didn't sound like it got her fired or anything like that, it was just another thing that convinced her to leave. She also told a brief anecdote when she was talking about her hair. I don't remember too well what she said, but it was essentially that she was shown a room full of wigs for her and people expected her to be happy because it's supposed to be every woman's dream, or something like that. Obviously it wasn't hers though.
Mostly she talked about how happy she was to be leaving and told the audience that if you're in a relationship with anything- a job, person, place, whatever- and it's making you miserable, you should leave, no matter what else it's providing you.
Last thing I just remembered- she mentioned being happy that her LaTina Jefferson sketch (from the Bad Bunny episode) got on, because that was the one character she really wanted to do on the show.
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u/shitkabob Aug 01 '24
Thank you for this! I'm sad, I think Punkie is hilarious when she's allowed to do what she does best. I especially loved LaTina Jefferson. And, for anyone who hasn't seen it, Punkie's part was HILARIOUS in the movie Bottoms. I wish SNL allowed THAT side of her to shine. It's truly magnificent. She's a talent.
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u/meases Aug 02 '24
Totally love LaTina Jefferson too! Though I really want to know what the original Spanish line for the telenovela was supposed to be. Spent a good half hour today trying to figure it out with no luck. But it's ok Tuna una is close enough I'm sure.
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u/barrie2k Aug 01 '24
Thanks OOP! I’m glad it’s been some time since she officially left the show, so that she’s no longer raw from leaving. I really hope NBC learned something from how she was treated and the backlash they’ll hopefully be receiving for this.
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u/geodebug Aug 01 '24
She's just another in a long line of SNL cast members who didn't break out on the show for some reason or another.
Sarah Silverman, Joan Cusack, Gilbert Gottfried, Nancy Walls, Jenny Slate, Michaela Watkins, Robert Downy Jr., Janeane Garofalo...
I'm sure she had her fans but there will be no backlash. They'll just find new cast members and the machine will keep running.
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u/Fabulousandthick Aug 01 '24
As long as they get a good replacement & she’s able to do bigger & better things for herself I’m happy for her 🙌
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u/PuffyTacoSupremacist Aug 01 '24
So it was a while ago? My first thought was that this was tied to the news of Maya Rudolph playing Kamala, but I guess not.
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u/Grumpy_NovaCat_01 Aug 01 '24
Probably one of the reasons they had to go ask Maya to come back. Im curious to see how the show handles this given its poor history with women of color … well, women generally….
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u/acusumano Aug 01 '24
They were undoubtedly eager to ask Maya to come back—she’s a fan favorite and already played Kamala, so this was happening regardless of whether Punkie was around.
Whether Maya will be available after the election is a question mark, and relying on someone outside the current cast to play the sitting president is not ideal, but either way I think Ego had a better shot at the role than Punkie.
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u/ThomasBay Aug 01 '24
She was one of the least funniest cast members on that show, I was shocked when they brought her back for a second season. I was even more shocked when she came back for a third. Sounds like she could be deflecting.
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u/ojhwel Aug 01 '24
I'll always have her in my heart as LaTina Jefferson (the telenovela actress who didn't know Spanish in the Bad Bunny episode)
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u/earthlings_all Aug 02 '24
OMG yes this was so funny! Have replayed this one more than ten times it is just well done. As a latina it hits different too, I loved it. I am sad to see her go.
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u/trythebebes Aug 01 '24
I've mentioned a few times before throughout the season she often looked like she wasn't even hiding how checked out she often looked on the show lately. There were quite a few goodnights where she looked really pissed off, kinda had a feeling she wasn't enjoying herself on the show, just a vibe she was putting out moreso than usual this season.
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u/Hikerius Aug 01 '24
The show seems to suck the soul out of cast members while they’re there. I can’t imagine how one can have a functional, happy, healthy life working the hours they do, with that amount of pressure. It seems like that has to become their entire world, and their health must suffer for it too
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u/ha_look_at_that_nerd Aug 01 '24
I think it was JAJ or someone who had just had their first child when they joined the cast of the show, and I remember hearing that and thinking “based on everything I’ve heard about working there, HOW?!”
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u/kpw1320 Aug 01 '24
I think the story was that his wife was pregnant when he auditioned and the show was something he'd wanted in the past, but he'd finally carved out a niche for himself and felt like it would be disruptive if he got it....so of course he got.
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u/ZombieNedflanders Aug 01 '24 edited Aug 02 '24
Edit: I was wrong! It happened during the cold open. Sorry for spreading rumors
During the “I am your mother” monologue with Maya Rudolf she flexed her bicep, but when I watched the episode again the next day, they cut it out. It was the first time I noticed the next day version of the show was edited. I was wondering what went on behind the scenes with that
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u/aerojockey That's true, you're absolutely right Aug 01 '24
Flex is still there on Youtube.
(Do they re-air SNL on Sunday? Or is that some Peacock thingie.)
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u/ZombieNedflanders Aug 01 '24
Yes it’s on peacock. It’s usually edited slightly for time and sometimes they swap for the dress rehearsal version of certain skits but I don’t think that was the case here. I just watched on YouTube and the flex wasn’t there
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u/earthlings_all Aug 02 '24
I watched this on YT and also saw the flex. I remember this because we all gasped! I thought she did it while with her mother?
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u/ImNotTheBossOfYou Aug 01 '24
Sometimes they'll swap out for the dress version if it played better.
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u/-QuestionMark- Aug 01 '24
Yup, I never saw the re-run with the edit but did watch it live and for sure remember the flexing.
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u/Sunbythemoon Aug 01 '24
Didn’t they hire her with the dreads?
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u/JohnWhoHasACat Aug 01 '24
I want to state that this is not at all a justification for what happened:
In the acting world, it is generally understood that your hair belongs to the costume department when you are on a project. It should be whatever they think suits the project best. This has often in recent years budded up against the specific importance that hair holds in non-white communities.
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u/remotecontroldr Aug 01 '24
Awww this is disappointing to know this was her experience.
I always liked her and I thought she was doing great in the different parts she was playing.
(I know she gets a lot of criticism and isn’t necessarily a fan favorite but I was always rooting for her.)
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u/Moobook Aug 01 '24 edited Aug 02 '24
Same, I really dug her. Her part in “Strollin’” is legendary (“I’m Pitty-Pat Patricia!”)
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u/coachFox Aug 01 '24
Chris Redd deserved better too.
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u/LuxAgaetes Aug 01 '24
I mean, wasn't Chris Redd's exit partially brought on by his own personal issues? Like dating Keenan's ex-wife? 🤔
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u/maximumtesticle Aug 01 '24
dating Keenan's ex-wife
...then why did they do a sitcom together?
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u/TheCoastalCardician Aug 01 '24
I have a recently rewatched funny Punkie moment. It was such a little moment but the cut to her and Chloe kill me 🤣
(Women’s Only AA ft Jacob Elordi)
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u/BooTheSpookyGhost Aug 01 '24
I more feel disappointed that SNL made that her experience. There are tons of punkie fans and they definitely ignored her and didn’t know what to do with her.
None of this is Punkie’s fault, it’s all NBC.
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u/mdervin Aug 01 '24
No. The culture and work experience of SNL has decades of documentation, any cast member who fails either chose not to follow the playbook or didn’t have the talent to succeed. Every incoming cast member has the exact same story.
It’s like a non-swimmer blaming the water for drowning.
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u/VeryLowIQIndividual Aug 01 '24
This show is tough and littered with the carcasses of bad, good and great funny people who just couldn’t get traction for whatever reason.
It’s competitive and grueling. Most people are still raw out the door when they leave. The show is like an abusive parent you want to please who is never going to give you that hug and appreciation. It very tough love with Lorne. I think that’s across the board the feeling I get from everyone on that show.
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u/Grandpas_Spells Aug 01 '24
This is the most accurate description. Tim Robinson crushed it before and after SNL but didn’t make that specific job work.
Also, everybody knows it’s a pressure cooker with a high failure rate. Everybody who goes there knows people who’ve been through it as cast or writer. No surprises. It’s like complaining about how much you get hit in pro boxing.
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u/AutumnMarie5002 Aug 01 '24
I always felt like she had a lot of potential that the show didn’t work with, but there were a lot of moments where she was pretty funny. I hope whatever she does next works well for her!
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u/Weeksy77 Aug 01 '24
Hate to sound cynical, but I'm genuinely curious if she "quit" or her contract wasn't extended. I've got a sneaky suspicion it was the latter.
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u/smurfsm00 Aug 01 '24
I’m not sure anyone’s ever quit SNL. I could be wrong.
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u/TimeFourChanges Aug 01 '24
Well, Larry David did...kinda...but didn't really... so I'm not sure if that counts.
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u/Scheme84 Aug 01 '24
Yea but didn't he go back on Monday like it never happened?
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u/grumpypantaloon Aug 01 '24
you mean to say Samber, Hader, Strong..were fired? :)
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u/smurfsm00 Aug 01 '24
Oh duh I’m so stupid - yes of course people leave when they’ve moved on to “bigger and better” things. I guess I was thinking of everyone else but yes duh so many have left. Haha I’m tired, didn’t sleep well. Don’t mind me 🫠
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u/GertonX Aug 01 '24
When Kenan finally leaves I imagine that will be a quit.
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u/cSpotRun Aug 01 '24
Nah, he'll go when he finally looks like a 40-year-old acting with a bunch of people in their late 20s. Hasn't happened but it will.
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u/James_2584 Aug 01 '24
I mean, most veterans who leave the show do so of their own accord. But it's not so much quitting as recognizing that they've contributed all they can to the show and wanting to move on to the next phase of their career.
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u/Sullyville Aug 01 '24 edited Aug 01 '24
This sub got its wish.
https://en.reddit.com/r/LiveFromNewYork/comments/12l266p/does_anyone_else_find_punky_not_funny/
https://en.reddit.com/r/LiveFromNewYork/comments/1198wpy/why_keep_punkie/
https://en.reddit.com/r/LiveFromNewYork/comments/qv1rt0/punkie_johnson_thoughts/
https://en.reddit.com/r/LiveFromNewYork/comments/q9t6nx/its_seriously_time_to_let_punkie_go/
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u/ArcusIgnium Aug 01 '24
Feel like she had a good season this year
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u/Cognonymous Aug 01 '24
Definitely her best so far. Though she wasn't really breaking out into anything big yet.
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u/gizmo1492 Aug 01 '24
Her cameo in Bottoms was pretty funny, but that film seems to be building cult classic vibes just based on its current following.
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u/Snackxually_active Aug 01 '24
Saw her on Sam Jay’s show “Pause” & was neat to see her vibing with others on their level, hope something more comes from that group
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u/James_2584 Aug 01 '24
Yeah the first half of this season especially felt like she was finally getting properly used and her comedic voice was breaking through. Sadly, it didn't last and she went back to being virtually invisible all throughout the 2nd half (with the exception of showing her breasts in the Jacob Elordi episode).
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u/maximumtesticle Aug 01 '24
Right? I feel like this was the first season she actually started showing variety and memorable characters.
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u/Darkmania2 Aug 01 '24
I hope she was treated respectfully, however she wasn't that funny.
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u/Cognonymous Aug 01 '24
Yeah this is kind of my thought. I don't like that they treated her poorly, although, like this is what actors get all the time. The body is your instrument and those details do get scrutinized. I think her dreads were just like normal long hair past the shoulder length? I mean Tim Meadows had locks and did fine.
Whatever the case may be, I never felt like SNL was the perfect fit for Punkie. She's definitely more of a standup performer than sketch. Her best bits were the ones that essentially turned her act into sketch, which is common (like Finesse Mitchell's best early bits were WU pieces that turned his standup act into characters). She's got a bright future ahead of her and I look forward to seeing what other gig she can land in TV comedy etc.
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u/History-of-Tomorrow Aug 01 '24 edited Aug 01 '24
We don’t really know anything. She was performing and telling stores of her experience and we get someone else’s tweet giving a TL:DR. Before speculation and theories take over, probably be best to wait for Punkie to make a statement somewhere (probably a podcast).
I’ll be honest, I never really knew her role on the show. I guess I thought she was a writer with a performer option. She always had a sweet comedy presence and wish her well with whatever she does next
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u/Sleeze_ Aug 01 '24
The dreads thing will be scrutinized and rightfully so given the history of how minorities have been treated in showbusiness - but I do, sort of see where SNL might have been coming from. It would be a challenege for hair/wardrope to work around her hair, like what if she needed to wear a bald cap? I don't think she'd be able to. She is within her right to not cut them but I udnerstand why they would wan't her to. It's why no guys have beards on the show (not equating beards to dreads from a cultural persepctive just comparing hair to hair), guys need to be clean shaven so they can be more adaptable to costumes/prosthetics
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u/Cognonymous Aug 01 '24
Yeah I agree with you on all those points. To elaborate a little more of what I said above, her dreads weren't like waist length and an inch thick, they seemed comparable to shoulder-ish length hair a lot of actresses on the show have had so I'm not sure why her dreads would have been such an issue. She was able to pull off wigs perfectly fine imo. She played Queen Latifah in one of the most viral sketches in recent memory and the wig looked fine. In all the attention that sketch got I never once saw someone mention any problems with her hair or the wig.
Tim Meadows had shorter locks for a while on the show and he was still a great performer and lasted for 10 seasons. He wore a wig for his Ladies Man character with no issue, he even wore a smaller wig if that matters in that sketch where they were doing tryouts for the next guy to play Clinton after he got elected and it looked fine.
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u/naberz09 Aug 01 '24
Yeah, the "oh they aren't good to their poc and queer cast members" while Bowen and Ego have been given tons of opportunities to shine and kill it every time.
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u/hyperjengirl Aug 01 '24
TBF you don't know what goes on behind the scenes there either, and who's willing to play along with it and who isn't. Screentime isn't the only way the producers can show respect.
Either way this is a secondhand account and we have no idea if she actually made this statement about SNL's treatment of its queer and POC cast members or if that's an editorial from the person tweeting it based on one fact she mentioned.
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u/Numerous-Stranger-81 Aug 01 '24 edited Aug 01 '24
FOUR years she's had and this is her takeaway...
This reeks of someone who underperformed, was given countless opportunities to get up to snuff, still accomplished nothing, and has now decided to dip because they can't handle being the weakest link.
The whole "I have dreadlocks, and I'm too buff" feels like high grade copium. If you were good enough, they would cope. Instead, she isn't, so she is upset with the staff trying to make her more generic so that they can find more use for her.
Seriously, it feels like being anti-punkie has been crazy unpopular around here. She was given soooo much time to get her shit together, Lorne didn't have to do that and had proved as much with his fires.
She just never hit, she knows it, and she is sick of hearing from everyone else who knows it too so now her only next choice is to run away and cry discrimination.
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u/nocautiontaken Aug 01 '24
This feels like u made up some context to just go against her reasoning for leaving. Bitter and lashing out? This is a second hand tweet that does not showcase any of the tone Punkie may have had when saying it.
You don’t think she’s funny and that’s fine, but why does her reason have to be a cop out to cope and not just just her reason/experience? You’re just gonna rule out the idea that she may have felt discriminated against (words that, as far as we know, she does not use) or limited because of her appearance on the show completely?
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u/DeLaVegaStyle Aug 01 '24
Exactly. SNL is a tough gig. Even the people that have moved on and loved their time there, also hated their time there due to the stress, competition, anxiety, crazy hours, pressure, etc. Punkie wasn't able to make it work. There is a long list of ex cast members that never were able to break out either. But her blaming it on racism, homophobia, and sexism is just tired.
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u/MasterOffice9986 Aug 01 '24
Lol could you imagine if every cast member was just fucking jacked as shit
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u/NalynH1 Dont buy stuff you cannot afford Aug 01 '24
Welp, forget about ALL of what I said about me wanting her to be Kamala. But to be honest, she should do what’s best for her and what makes her happy and if leaving the show does that for her, then great for her. I hope she has a good future in comedy 👍.
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u/djc8 Aug 01 '24
I agree with everything you said after the first sentence but tbh I feel like her doing Kamala would have been really bad for everyone
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u/ejs6c6 Aug 01 '24
Kenan’s the longest running cast member by many years and has the most diverse cast in its history. She also quit and wasn’t fired, by her own admission, so it doesn’t seem like they were forcing her out but trying to work her into more sketches. Obviously I wasn’t there so it’s just an idiots observation of limited information.
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u/Terrible-House-9852 Aug 01 '24
Mikey Day and her had real chemistry. I bet he’s saddest of all
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u/BigAlReviews Aug 01 '24
That bit on Update when she doesn't know celebrity names was pretty gold
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u/Hikerius Aug 01 '24
SNL is a super prestigious gig for actors to get into and they can launch their careers off of that, but from everything I’ve heard it sounds like an absolutely miserable job, toxic/cutthroat environment, and everyone who leaves seems to be really happy when they do
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u/-Badger3- Aug 01 '24
I feel like dreads is an interesting choice when you work on a show where everyone else is expected to wear wigs as to play a variety of characters.
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u/rockclimber02 Aug 01 '24
This was my thought. I’m rewatching a ton of old episodes right now and it really occurred to me that they require a blank canvas to work from due to the variety of characters that are needed. I think having to work around Pete’s tattoos is a good example of this.
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u/tokoraki23 Aug 01 '24
A couple months ago there was a post asking who you’d kick off SNL if you had to make room and most of the top posts listed Punkie. Let’s not pretend it was a great fit now that she’s gone.
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u/connorgrs Aug 01 '24
“Ugh, you young people think space is like “Saturday Night Live. “ You see it every day, so you dream of being in it, but it dreams of removing all the air from your body and making you float around it for eternity as a flash-mummified corpse, which is also what space wants, so get back in the car.”
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u/NoneOfThisMatters_XO Aug 01 '24
Oh bummer, I always really liked her. It’s sad that still in this day & age the show is so concerned with appearance. What’s wrong with dreads and muscle?
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u/Weekly-Batman Aug 01 '24
I don’t know if a cast member going out smearing has ever worked. Punkie seems smarter than that.
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u/EitherPermission2369 Aug 01 '24
Memories of Melissa shading SNL over Instagram to get more lines the next week, then flubbing the ones she did get
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u/Snackxually_active Aug 01 '24
I would also point out how MV has been busier on her own since leaving? Touring, Did a TED talk, hella animated movie voice work, could be a lucrative step up for Punkie as well!
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u/ArcusIgnium Aug 01 '24
I mean if she was genuinely experiencing oppression for her looks and style is that “smearing”?
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u/strangway Aug 01 '24
Since when is speaking the truth smearing?
Saying “SNL was terrible.” is smearing. That’s an opinion.
Johnson just said SNL told her to stop getting buff and lose the dreads; we can form our own opinion if that’s good or bad.
If I said “It rains a lot in Seattle.” I’m not slandering. You can form your own opinion.
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u/JesusofAzkaban Aug 01 '24
Saying “SNL was terrible.” is smearing. That’s an opinion.
It's also no secret that SNL is one of the most grueling jobs in the comedy world. Cast members regularly talk about working insane hours during each season, which is why they need to take such a long break to recharge between seasons. Andy Samberg very candidly described his experience as:
"Physically, it was taking a heavy toll on me, and I got to a place where I hadn't slept in seven years, basically. We were writing stuff for the live show Tuesday night all night, the table read Wednesday, then being told, 'Now come up with a digital short,' so write all Thursday, all Thursday night, don’t sleep, get up, shoot Friday, edit all night Friday night and into Saturday, so it’s basically, like, four days a week you’re not sleeping, for seven years. So I just kinda fell apart physically.”
Kate McKinnon likewise said that the working hours are horrible, even though the team and the rewards are great:
“Leaving was in the back of my mind for a while, because it’s just a grueling schedule,” McKinnon explained. “I mean, I could do it for the rest of my life, happily, if the schedule were not so grueling and if I was not naturally a person who liked to wake up at 8 a.m. and go to bed at midnight.”
Hosts have likewise attested to the exhausting week that goes into each episode, which is why hosts that double as the musical guest are held in such high esteem - they're preparing for two performances. Although she was 88 when she hosted, Betty White was still a veteran of entertainment, allegedly loathed her experience while hosting. According to Amy Poehler, Paul Giamatti, much younger than Betty White, described the hosting gig as "a fucking nightmare", and even Seth Meyers, a former SNL star, said that it's extremely difficult for hosts to keep up with everything that's expected of them:
“Then when I hosted,” Meyers confessed, “there were a few times where I realized what I was thinking was ‘I don’t understand what I’m supposed to do in this sketch.’”
So I agree with you, saying that the stress and strain from SNL is not a career killer. If she badmouthed the people or said that it was a waste of her time, that's another story, but it doesn't seem like she's saying anything that hasn't been said before.
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u/Yara__Flor Aug 01 '24
It’s been that way since when rich assholes had the ability to phone other rich assholes and tell them not to hire their former employee because they’ll air dirty laundry out to everyone.
Lorne calls his pals in Hollywood “that punkie was always difficult to work with in set.” That’s a death knell in the industry. If Michael’s’ has any sort of ego, someone insinuating he’s a racist would trigger that reaction.
Sometimes it’s best not to even talk the truth about your former employer. Especially ones who have a long reach in your industry.
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u/Used-Flan-4514 Aug 01 '24
I can't say I'm surprised. Punkie is a naturally funny person that the show just couldn't figure out how to use. She's better off and I'm happy to hear that she's happy. Sounds like it was for the best.
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u/oanazaks Aug 01 '24
No offense to Punkie but I’m guessing the request was less “stop getting buff” and more “stop flexing in so many sketches”
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u/ThomasBay Aug 01 '24
She was horrible on that show. Never understood how she was on the show for so many years.
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u/SparxIzLyfe Aug 01 '24
Yeah, it's been odd watching her on the show. She came out strong with a lot of queer talk and jokes, and more and more, each time I see her, she's playing a mild straight woman.
It's clear she had been told or made to tone it down. I can't imagine why SNL is still that squeamish after all these years.
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Aug 01 '24 edited Aug 10 '24
[deleted]
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u/FarAd6557 Aug 01 '24
Yup. Heaven forbid you tell somehow on to appear on THEIR show - but if you say anything and they’re in the minority it’s some sort of phobia or ism
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u/DaySoc98 Aug 01 '24
I mean, it’s not like SNL is an office job. It’s a sketch comedy television show and people generally need to have a fairly neutral look to play a wide range of characters.
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u/disicking oohlala, that's a fancy meal Aug 01 '24
We won't ever know what went on during writers nights, or table reads, or every Friday night beforehand, but I think it's safe to say that the show that had to have secret auditions to bring in Sasheer Zamata might not have been the most accommodating for a black, butch lesbian. It might not have been the best platform either, yet. I like to imagine more queer voices resonating with people someday in a way where they're allowed to take risks for the sake of not-ready-for-prime-time humor even more. Because this show has always been about taking risks. Bowen has obviously found his place, but we should encourage building off his influence, not limiting it.
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u/RockettRaccoon Aug 01 '24
Punkie strikes me as one of those cast members who will have a great career and people will forget that she got her break from SNL. Kinda like Tim Robinson or Casey Wilson.
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u/James_2584 Aug 01 '24
Sad news, but not altogether unsurprising given how invisible she was for much of her tenure. I wish her the best in all her future endeavors!
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u/freshprince860 Aug 01 '24
Don’t think she got used that much anyways, never felt like she was the funny part of any good sketches. She wasn’t bad by any means but just not a standout, probably better off for both parties to move on
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u/HealthyQuestion3788 Aug 01 '24
“Punkie B Curious” during Michael B Jordan’s monologue is an all time favorite of hers
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u/magikarpcatcher Aug 01 '24
SNL never knows what to do with more than one black female cast member. Ego didn't get to shine till Leslie left.
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u/AverageApuEnthusiast Aug 01 '24
I was under the understanding she was let go? Is she framing it as quitting? Which one is it?
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u/EntropicPoppet Aug 01 '24
I can't speak to how they're treated off-stage of course but Bowen and Ego get plenty of screentime. Of course, they're both conventionally attractive people, and Punkie breaks the mold.
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u/CostcoSampleBoy Aug 01 '24
I’ve heard she’s the funniest cast member off stage and behind the scenes but when it doesn’t work it doesn’t work 🤷🏻♂️
I wonder what the context of the dreads comment is. Maybe that she’d be easier to cast in sketches without them? Sad that she was never able to break through, always sucks to see a funny person go.
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u/frigginelvis Tony Randall! Aug 01 '24
The men all have to shave their faces for the sake of makeup. Maybe it's pretty difficult to put a wig on dreads.
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u/SplattAttackTack Aug 01 '24
Not maybe, definitely. Most of the women on SNL wear bald caps for the show so they can easily change wigs throughout the night. Her very large dreads are a logistical issue with a show of this nature. Also, many actors are asked to change their appearance for certain roles. Seems like she'd rather be a standup comic than a sketch player. Good for her for recognizing and choosing that for herself.
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u/Cognonymous Aug 01 '24
That's interesting about her being funnier off stage etc. I can totally see that, her stand up act etc. makes her seem like she'd EASILY be the funniest person in the room if you were hanging out with friends etc.
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u/Historical_Driver314 Aug 01 '24
Yea a random tweet from a random twitter handle is 100% a source to believe
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u/SNL1996 Aug 01 '24
it’s true, i had friends at the show (including the OP of the tweet!) & can confirm she shared this news
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u/DrFluffieeee Aug 01 '24
I loved her in the PleaseDon'tDestroy sketch that required digital editing filling in for Emma Stone
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u/EitherPermission2369 Aug 01 '24
I feel really terrible that SNL and NBC made her feel unwelcome and tokenized as the sole black queer member of the cast. I personally felt like her characters were never really that distinctive and her update pieces never hit especially well for me either. I'm curious to see how other cast and crew might react to this publicly, and what kind of backlash we might see.
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u/NottDisgruntled Aug 01 '24
I don’t think that’s the issue so much as it sounds like you don’t have a lot of sketches for a yoked woman who hasn’t exactly separated herself from the herd and stood out. For that matter sketch comedy always kinda needs people who are kinda a blank slate that can be molded to fit the needs of different roles without any wild distinguishing characteristics where they could play a lot of different roles.
You don’t see a bunch of jacked dude performers either.
She doesn’t seem like it was ever really a great fit. She wasn’t very malleable to be able to take on a bunch of different types of characters.
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u/Numerous-Stranger-81 Aug 01 '24
Honestly, if she was good enough they would have made room for her. Lesbian humor wasn't exactly at the top of everyone's list a decade or so ago, but McKinnon came in, ripped the roof off the place, and made her impression all while elevating gay humor.
Punkie just isn't that good.
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u/Fun_Kaleidoscope9515 Aug 01 '24
I mean, it's been a long time coming. I feel like my main feelings when seeing Punkie have mostly been feeling sorry for her because she hasn't been on a sketch. Big Boy was amazing, but I can't really think of anything else where she was the focus and killed it.
I wish her all the best doing something that actually suits her and let's her shine.