Comedian Chris Redd announced his departure from NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” on Monday – following the steps of seven other SNL cast members who also dropped out of the show’s 48th season.
Redd, who joined the cast in 2017, was popular for impersonating New York City mayor Eric Adams and rapper Kanye West on the comedy show. He became a repertory player in 2019.
In a statement, Redd called his time on SNL “the experience of a lifetime.”
“Five years ago, I walked into 30 Rock knowing that this was an amazing opportunity for growth,” Redd said in a statement. “Now, with friends who have become family and memories I will cherish forever, I’m grateful to [creator] Lorne Michaels and to the entire SNL organization.”
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“From the bottom of my heart, I can’t thank you all enough,” the comedian added.
Cast members Alex Moffat, Melissa Villaseñor and Aristotle Athari also left the show after the departure of long-time producer Lindsay Shookus in August. The six-time Emmy Award winner worked for SNL for 20 years.
Cast members Pete Davidson, Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant and Kyle Mooney also left the show at the end of SNL’s 47th season.
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The late-night variety show, which was created by Lorne Michaels in 1975, has been enjoyed by multiple generations of Americans. But many critics claim the show’s increasingly left-leaning stance has taken away its comedic value.
Former cast member Rob Schneider criticized the sketch show’s decision to have Kate McKinnon play Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” while dressed as Hillary Clinton after the 2016 presidential election.
“I literally prayed, ‘Please have a joke at the end,'” Schneider told Glenn Beck in August. “Don’t do this. Please don’t go down there.’ And there was no joke at the end, and I went, ‘It’s over. It’s over. It’s not gonna come back.'”
Fox News Digital reached out to NBCUniversal for comment but did not receive a response.
