It's been a big year for Saturday Night Live. With the 2016 Presidential Election and Presidency of Donald Trump providing plenty of fodder for the sketch show, SNL saw a resurgence in viewership and pop culture relevance. Last night's finale hosted by The Rock featured hilarious cameos from Tom Hanks and Scarlett Johansson, but it also marked the final show for two of the show's long standing cast members. It was previously announced that Bobby Moynihan was leaving the show, and now it turns out that Vanessa Bayer is donezo with SNL as well.
This news (via EW) came just before Saturday Night Live aired it season finale. Vanessa Bayer was a starring cast member on the comedy series for the past seven seasons, and now we'll just have to go without her many signature characters and adorable giant smile in future episodes.
While I respect Vanessa Bayer's choice to make new moves and choices with her burgeoning career, I'm definitely going to miss some of her consistent and hilarious characters. Some of the many standouts that come to mind are Jacob the Bar Mitzvah Boy and the always delightful (and sometimes uncomfortable) Totino Lady.
And her celebrity impressions are similarly strong. I loved her recurring skit as Miley Cyrus in The Miley Cyrus Show, as well as her truly uncanny take on Jennifer Aniston's Rachel from Friends. Seriously, close your eyes and you might thinks its Rachel Green in the flesh.
While I'm sad to see Vanessa Bayer depart from Saturday Night Live, I'm interested to see where her career goes from here. As she gained popularity on the sketch show, Bayer began booking roles in movies and scripted TV. She played a supporting role in Trainwreck as Amy Schumer's work friend, and was part of the large ensemble of the poorly received Office Christmas Party. On the small screen, you may have caught Bayer in guest roles for Modern Family, Drunk History, and Fred Armisen's Portlandia. With her schedule now significantly lighter, hopefully she'll be able to book some more acting roles in the near future.
With both Vanessa Bayer and Bobby Moynihan departing Saturday Night Live, we should expect some new faces to join the regular cast. While Lorne Michaels often promotes from within the tertiary cast, we'll be sure to update you on any updates as they become public.
Not sure what to watch now that SNL is done for the year? We've got you covered. Check out our summer premiere list and plan your next binge watch.
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