Andy Samberg Reflects on Walking Away From ‘SNL’: “It Was Taking a Heavy Toll on Me”
Andy Samberg Reflects on Walking Away From ‘SNL’: “It Was Taking a Heavy Toll on Me”
On Kevin Hart's Peacock interview series 'Hart to Heart,' the comedian recalled why he exited the hit NBC sketch series after seven seasons.
You're viewing a single thread.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
After seven years, his contract was up and he decided not to return after the 2011-2012 season wrapped, officially announcing his decision weeks after the finale.
Though he dreamt of being on SNL since he was 8 years old, Samberg explained to Hart how things started to change when his longtime friends and Lonely Island collaborators, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone, left when their writing contracts were up — Schaffer and Taccone both went on to direct films The Watch and MacGruber, respectively.
The trio’s The Lonely Island’s digital shorts were a viral success and became historical SNL sketches including “I’m on a Boat” and the Emmy-winning “Dick in a Box” with Justin Timberlake.
Samberg also recalled the busy schedule he had with being on the show and over time it began taking a toll on him physically and emotionally.
When doing a guest spot on Parks and Recreation at the time, he said he was able to “see that life” with Poehler telling him “It’s pretty comfortable Samberg” given there was an easier schedule.
Samberg reiterated that he had projects lined up before leaving, including another upcoming The Lonely Island album and he had filmed a movie with Adam Sandler.
The original article contains 684 words, the summary contains 196 words. Saved 71%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!
Damn. I guess they were a long time ago (and way before I saw Brooklyn Nine Nine to really be into him as a character), but I definitely couldn't have told you "dick in a box" or "I'm on a boat" were him.
That’s funny, those are the first things I think of when I hear his name
They've discovered a lot of great cast members, and there are definitely some great clips, but I'm generally not a big fan of skit comedy, so I don't really do SNL. I like longer formats with character development over time. B-99 is where I really noticed him.