Kate McKinnon recently revealed why she left Saturday Night Live. McKinnon first joined the long-running sketch comedy show for season 37 in 2012 and was promoted to repertory status for season 39 the following year. During her eleven years on the series, the comedian was nominated for ten Emmy Awards, winning two for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. On May 21, McKinnon departed the show in the season 47 finale along with costars Aidy Bryant, Kyle Mooney, and Pete Davidson.
Following her introduction to the show, McKinnon proved herself to be one of the more versatile cast members in years. During her tenure, McKinnon impersonated dozens of well-known celebrities such as Justin Bieber, Ellen DeGeneres, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, and Rudy Giuliani. The actor also created a number of new characters for the show including the down-trodden Olya Povlatsky, the drunken barfly Sheila Sovage, and the eccentric Colleen Rafferty, who repeatedly recounts ordeals with what she believes are alien beings in wild and overtly sexual encounters. McKinnon played Rafferty one last time on her final show during its cold open where she boarded an alien spacecraft in an emotional sendoff.
In an interview on Live with Kelly and Ryan, McKinnon revealed the reason why she left Saturday Night Live. According to the star, she claims that she felt worn out by the show and her "body was tired." Although McKinnon says she thoroughly enjoyed her time on the show, she felt that it was the right time to leave Saturday Night Live. The actor admits that she does not think that she can currently watch the show as she is still emotional about her time there. Read what McKinnon said about her departure below.
"I thought about it for a very long time, and it was very, very hard. All I ever wanted to do in my whole life was be on Saturday Night Live. So, I did, I loved it, I had the best decade, and then I was just like, my body was tired, and I felt like it was time."
"I don't know what I will do. I don't know that I can watch the show yet because it's too emo because I miss everyone so much. It's my family...It's too emo. So, I think I'm just going to take The Bachelorette and watch it."
Due to the live nature of the sketch comedy show, the preparation, production, and airing of Saturday Night Live is a daunting task. McKinnon, who both writes and acts on the show, works from Monday to Saturday writing, rehearsing, and then performing the show live on air. Such a process would be taxing on anybody involved. And with McKinnon's Hollywood career taking off with such films as Rough Night, Ghostbusters, Office Christmas Party, and Bombshell, the star would likely have little room to recuperate before her next job.
Saturday Night Live has a notably rigorous schedule that encompasses six out of the seven days of a production week. The cast is expected to pitch their sketches on Monday, write them on Tuesday, read through them on Wednesday, rewrite and develop them on Thursday, and rehearse them on Friday and Saturday. With such a strenuous and tight timetable butting up against McKinnon and her blossoming career in film and narrative television, the actor had to make a choice for the health of both herself and her profession. Audiences can next see McKinnon in the limited Peacock series, Joe vs. Carole, as Carole Baskin, as well as the film Barbie based on the popular line of Mattel toys.
Source: Live with Ryan and Kelly