Devon Walker — one of several “Saturday Night Live” cast members departing ahead of the upcoming season — has opened up about why he called the NBC comedy sketch show “toxic as hell” on his way out, telling Variety that the program could benefit from a “measure of humanity.”
Walker — who spent two seasons as a featured player and another as a cast member — told the magazine that people at the show “are left hanging with big life decisions” in the summer after the season ends, but “SNL” doesn’t inform them whether they’ll bring them back or not.
“The show won’t tell them all summer and then will ultimately end up firing them when there’s been months of them trying to work their situation out,” said Walker, who noted that he didn’t experience this himself during his departure.
He continued, “I understand it’s show business and it’s cutthroat, but people have lives, and people deserve to know the status of their job at a reasonable juncture. Most people are told they’re coming back to work in a week.”
Walker — who has described his departure as a mutual decision and “good news” as he can explore different things in his career — said the show doesn’t need to be toxic and those who are “knowledgeable” about the program can certainly pick up on things that are toxic about it.”
His comments arrive just days after The Daily Beast reported that “SNL” creator Lorne Michaels didn’t call cast member Michael Longfellow to let him know he wasn’t coming back to the show for its 51st season, which kicks off next month.
Michaels occasionally calls cast members and writers to inform them that they’re joining the show, per TDB, but comedians “more often than not” find out about such hirings from one of his subordinates or “in some rare cases” learn of firings from agents/the media.
HuffPost has reached out to “SNL” for comment.
Walker is one of the cast members and writers saying goodbye to “SNL” ahead of next season, including Heidi Gardner, the longest-serving female member of the most recent cast.
The departures come after Michaels promised a “significant shake-up” at the show in an interview with Puck last month.
On Tuesday, “SNL” announced that it had promoted Ben Marshall — known for his work on the show with the “Please Don’t Destroy” comedy trio — to a featured player. Fellow “Please Don’t Destroy” comedian John Higgins will not be returning, whereas Martin Herlihy is set to stick around as a writer.
Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Kam Patterson and Veronika Slowikowska are also among the new featured players on the show.