‘WTF Is Happening.’ SNL Alum Punkie Johnson Is Commenting On All The Exits, And Please Pass Me The Popcorn

There’s something of a bloodbath taking place over at 30 Rock right now. We’ve seen multiple departures from Saturday Night Live announced in just the last few days. While it’s certainly not uncommon to see some cast members leave between seasons, and not all of them voluntarily, this week appears to have been rougher than most. Now, former SNL cast member Punkie Johnson is commenting on all the departures.

Punkie Johnson, who was let go from the show a year ago, has been dropping comments on Instagram following the announcements of the departures of Devon Walker, Emil Wakim, Michael Longfellow, and, most recently, Heidi Gardner. Let's just say, she's making things interesting.

She’s clearly trying to frame leaving SNL as not the end of the world, as she assures everybody that everything is good “outside.” Following the Instagram announcement of Devon Walker’s departure, Johnson said…

Saturday Night Live producer Lorne Michaels had previously confirmed there would be a cast shake-up ahead of Season 51. There is almost always some sort of cast shift between seasons as soon as stars leave and new cast members are hired, but the size of that shift varies. This one is quite significant.

Emil Wakim had only been on Saturday Night Live for a single season, which, on the one hand, makes him less entrenched on the show, but there’s also an argument that we barely had a chance to see what he could do. Wakim certainly had a unique perspective that the show will be missing without him.

Punkie Johnson’s tenure on the show didn’t even overlap with Wakim’s, but on his post, she said…

While the first two departures are certainly unfortunate, the other two qualify as shocking. Following rumors that Michael Longfellow might have been eyeing the Weedend Update desk, it was instead reported that he’ll be leaving the show entirely.

Fan support was clearly with Longfellow, as they seemed quite surprised that he was gone. Punkie Johnson was as shocked as anybody, saying…

But the most surprising departure from SNL so far has to be that of Heidi Gardner. While the other three were relative newcomers, Gardner had been on the show for eight seasons, making her a core member of the cast.

It’s certainly possible that Gardner's departure is voluntary. After eight years, it's possible she has accomplished all she can at SNL and is now looking elsewhere, as many successful cast members eventually do. But it’s still not something anybody seemed to be expecting. Johnson’s response to this one was…

It’s far from clear if the bloodbath is quite over yet. There may still be some departures left. One imagines Punkie Johnson will have something to say when it happens.

Then, after this time of change is over, Saturday Night Live will return to the 2025 TV schedule on October 4.