A number of cast members have left Saturday Night Live following the conclusion of its 42nd season. After nine seasons, Bobby Moynihan announced his departure from the show, but he was glad that he had waited one more year to do it. Season 42 was a big one for the long running sketch show, as it served as a hub of mockery for the 2016 election and events that would follow. That year was so intense, in fact, that Moynihan says that it was almost like being on an entirely different show.
I felt like I was on one show for eight years and another show for one year. It was a completely different machine last year. ... There were times where they were rewriting cold opens or brand new cold opens on Saturday morning. We'd come in, and [Donald Trump] had done something the night before or that, you know, it was a whole new ballgame. But I'm so thankful that I was there for that year.
SNL always experiences an uptick in viewers during an election, but the show had a noteworthy increase in ratings thanks to its coverage of the 2016 election. News and big headlines came in at a fast pace, meaning SNL had no shortage of content. This is what caused the show to become an entirely different beast, according to Bobby Moynihan. Rewrites and changes are a fixture of SNL's process, but Moynihan reflected to EW that so much news was coming in on a daily basis that they would be changing cold opens on Saturday morning. If there was any year of SNL to not miss, it was that one, and Moynihan was happy he stuck around for one more year.
Saturday Night Live had a number of high profile sketches for its 42nd season, the political landscape giving it an extra kick in the pants. Impressions of political figures were the big ticket item, with Alec Baldwin's Donald Trump, Kate McKinnon's Hillary Clinton, and Melissa McCarthy's Sean Spicer to name just a few. SNL's Weekend Update also received a bump to the point where the segment has come back early for a four-week special airing throughout August.
Bobby Moynihan also discussed EW about his decision to leave SNL and how it felt. SNL isn't exactly the easiest show around to be a cast member on. Being on SNL is like auditioning for SNL; every week, you have to prove that you deserve to be there.
The day you get SNL, you start worrying about your exit from SNL. You're auditioning for the show every week for nine years. You think, 'Oh no, I have to keep going. This is my life's dream. What do I do after this?'
It's safe to say that Moynihan successfully proved he was a valuable member of the team. He's been in some seriously funny sketches over the years -- not to mention his many Weekend Update characters. It's hard to pick just one to highlight, but for some reason, this American Ninja Warrior clip came to mind.
While SNL is still on break, you can stay up to date with the news thanks to Weekend Update Summer Edition, which airs on Thursday nights at 9 p.m. EST on NBC.
