Actress and comedianEgo Nwodim has revealed why she’s no longer starring in the NBC sketch comedy series, Saturday Night Live.
Entertainment Weekly reported that Nwodim got candid about her recent SNL departure after being a cast member since 2018. During an appearance on the November 5 episode of Sherri, hosted by Sherri Shepherd, Nwodim shared she wanted to “explore other opportunities.”
“It’s like being in a marriage. I’ve never done it before but that show was my longest relationship ever. Seven years. I’m not a commitment-phobe, but I heard when you’re married, you get the seven-year itch. And it’s like, ‘I wanna date other people! I wanna see some other privates!'” quipped Nwodim, causing Shepherd to laugh during the interview.
Ego Nwodim Made Positive Comments About ‘SNL’
During the Sherri episode, Nwodim made positive comments about her seven SNL seasons.
“I truly did learn so much there and I had so much fun. I miss my colleagues, but it felt like the time to make space for something else for me,” said Nwodim during the interview, per Entertainment Weekly.
Nwodim made similar comments about SNL when she revealed she wasn’t remaining on the show’s cast in a social media upload. People magazine reported that Nwodim let her Instagram followers know on September 12 that “after seven unforgettable seasons, [she has] decided to leave SNL.” She also stated that she is “immensely grateful to” the show’s creator and producer, Lorne Michaels, as well as SNL‘s cast, crew, and writers.
“Week after week on that stage taught me more than I could have ever imagined, and I will carry those memories (and that laughter) with me always Now invite me to your weddings please!!!” concluded Nwodim.
According to People magazine, Nwodim isn’t the only SNL star who left the show following Season 50. The publication reported that Nwodim’s close friend, Heidi Gardner, Michael Longfellow, Devon Walker, and Emil Wakim also exited SNL prior to its 51st season, which began airing in October 2025.
Ego Nwodim Says She Was ‘Honored to be the 7th Black Woman’ on ‘SNL’
Entertainment Weekly reported that Shepherd referenced that the current SNL cast doesn’t feature Black women during the November 5 Sherri episode. Shepherd also inquired whether Nwodim “felt the weight of all that representation” while working on SNL.
“I felt honored to be the seventh Black woman in that cast. I hope that there will be more Black women. Punkie Johnson came on the show after me. Who knows who else they’ll find as they explore and seek out other talents, but I felt honored to represent for us,” replied Nwodim in the interview. “And I do believe I represented a myriad of characters, different types of characters, some people didn’t always catch that nuance, but I do feel like I got the chance to represent and that was really important to me.”
Johnson joined SNL in 2020, per IMDb. While speaking to People magazine in October 2025, Johnson discussed leaving SNL in 2024. Johnson said she felt “pressure” to “do the next big thing” after she departed the series.
“I had to figure out how to understand the difference between, all right, cool, you did something really great. And now it’s okay for you to just go through the motions and just no rush and figure out what’s next for you. It’s okay for you to figure that out,” said Johnson to People.
She also suggested SNL was a stressful environment.
“It’s very hard to understand a place like that. They just throw you in the water — you better know how to swim. They don’t give you no life jacket,” said Johnson in the People interview.
She clarified that she now feels prepared to “handle anything” in her career “because [she] handled every piece of adversity that went on in that building.”
This story was originally reported by Parade on Nov 5, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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