Yet another “Saturday Night Live” cast member won’t be returning to the show for its upcoming season.
Emil Wakim, a featured player during the show’s 50th season, announced his departure from the show via Instagram on Wednesday.
“I won’t be returning to ‘SNL’ next year,” is how the Lebanese-American comedian began the post. “It was a gut punch of a call to get, but I’m so grateful for my time there.”
Wakim said he learned he was canned while at Six Flags Amusement Park celebrating his friend’s 36th birthday and reacted to the news by going on “a really emotional walk through Bugs Bunny Park and stared out across Daffy Duck Lake thinking about life.”
He then related how he felt every time he entered the NBC building, thinking, “how insane it is to get to work there.”
Wakim said working on “SNL” was “the most terrifying, thrilling, and rewarding experience of my life and I will miss it dearly and all the brilliant people that work there that made it feel like a home.”
He then thanked the show’s producers for “taking a chance on me and changing my life.”
You can see the complete post below.
Current “SNL” cast member Chloe Fineman commented on Wakim’s post, saying she’d miss “sitting next to the best dressed man at table read!!!”
Former cast members chimed in as well.
Punkie Johnson told Wakim, “I’m glad you are focusing on the good and are proud of yourself and the work you put in,” while Chris Redd said, “Congrats! You made it to the other side!”
Wakim’s departure comes a couple of days after fellow cast member Devon Walker announced he was leaving the show as well.
He described his three seasons on the show as really cool at times, but “sometimes it was toxic as hell.”
“SNL” producer Lorne Michaels told Puck last week that there’s going to be a “significant shake-up,” and he is expecting “several” cast members to leave.