Ego Nwodim seemingly took a jab at Saturday Night Live as she commented on the show’s lack of diversity following her own exit from the sketch comedy series.
The 37-year-old comedian – who recently broke silence on SNL’s ‘challenging’ workplace – opened up about the topic and her time on the series on Wednesday’s episode of Sherri Shepherd’s talk show.
The star revealed back in September that she would not be returning for season 51 in a statement on Instagram but expressed gratitude to creator Lorne Michaels for her seven seasons on the series.
It came amid the show’s firing bloodbath and cast exodus – which included Michael Longfellow, Devon Walker and Emil Wakim. Heidi Gardner also departed following an eight-season run.
‘I am a huge fan of SNL,’ the host said. ‘But I know – it’s tough not seeing any Black women in the cast so did you feel the weight of all of that representation when you were on the show?’
Nwodim replied, ‘I don’t know that I would call it weight. I felt honored to be the seventh Black woman in that cast. I hope that there will be more Black women.’
Daily Mail has reached out to SNL’s reps for comment but did not immediately hear back.
Ego Nwodim, 37, seemingly took a jab at Saturday Night Live as she commented on the show’s lack of diversity following her own exit from the sketch comedy series
The star revealed back in September that she would not be returning for season 51 in a statement on Instagram but expressed gratitude to creator Lorne Michaels for her time on the show
The actress added, ‘Punkie Johnson came on the show after me. Who knows who else they’ll find as they explore and seek out other talents?’
Johnson had been another former cast member who appeared on the series from 2020 until exiting last year in 2024.
Nwodim continued, ‘I do believe I represented a myriad of characters, different types of characters.
‘Some people didn’t always catch that nuance, but I do feel like I got the chance to represent and that was really important to me.’
The comedian first joined SNL in 2018 as a featured player and then became a part of the main cast in 2020.
She further discussed her own departure from the sketch comedy series and explained to Shepherd, ‘It’s like being in a marriage. I’ve never done it before, but that show was my longest relationship ever.
‘I’m not a commitment-phobe, but I heard when you’re married, you get the seven-year itch,’ Nwodim said before jokingly adding, ‘And it’s like, I wanna date other people. I wanna see some other privates!’
The star also expressed, ‘I’m like, I want to explore other opportunities. And so, I started to get the seven-year itch. I’m like, we don’t have kids. I’m going to see other people!’
Nwodim replied, ‘I don’t know that I would call it weight. I felt honored to be the seventh Black woman in that cast. I hope that there will be more Black women’
The actress added, ‘Punkie Johnson came on the show after me. Who knows who else they’ll find as they explore and seek out other talents?’
She further discussed her own departure from the sketch comedy series and explained to Shepherd, ‘It’s like being in a marriage. I’ve never done it before, but that show was my longest relationship ever’
Nwodim said that she ‘learned so much’ from her time on SNL and ‘had so much fun’ as a cast member.
‘I miss my colleagues, but it felt like the time to make space for something else for me.’
Back in September, the star took to Instagram to announce that she will be leaving the series and will not appear during SNL’s season 51.
‘The hardest part of a great party is knowing when to say goodnight,’ she shared to Instagram at the time. ‘But after seven unforgettable seasons, I have decided to leave SNL.
‘I am immensely grateful to Lorne for the opportunity, to my castmates, the writers, and the crew for their brilliance, support and friendship.’
Nwodim added, ‘Week after week on that stage taught me more than I could have ever imagined, and I will carry those memories (and that laughter) with me always. Now invite me to your weddings please!!!’
Last month during an episode of her Thanks Dad podcast, Nwodim was joined by Gardner as the pair emotionally reflected on their time on the sketch comedy series.
‘I am so honored that we worked so hard there, and then we also worked on our friendship so hard, which wasn’t hard, by the way,’ Gardner expressed.
Back in September, the star took to Instagram to announce that she will be leaving the series and will not appear during SNL’s season 51
Last month during an episode of her Thanks Dad podcast, Nwodim was joined by Gardner as the pair emotionally reflected on their time on the sketch comedy series; the pair seen in 2019 in NYC
‘I just mean… we’re humans, so we have egos, we want things for ourselves, we want to succeed, and there weren’t a lot of times when we were able to succeed in the way we wanted at the exact same time.’
The star stated that she was ‘being really vulnerable’ while opening up on the topic – but applauded Nwodim’s ‘moment of the year.’
Gardner recalled her ‘hero’ Jack Black hosting in April 2024 and admitted to feeling jealous over Nwodim.
‘There’s a part of me, like if I think about it, I’m like, wait, but I should want that for me. But you had it and it was f**king awesome.’
Nwodim replied, ‘It’s so easy to be caught up with your own stuff at SNL, and what you’re getting on and what you’re not getting on, and how you’re succeeding and how you wish you were doing better, or how I want what that person has.
‘I remember so many times being like, why can’t we be able to be winning together at the same time, so it could feel like full celebration and not one of us mourning or frustrated and one of us like on cloud nine.’
Nwodim further told Gardner, ‘The sketches, they come, they go, they’re really fun. They can be hard, they can be things you’re not into, whatever.
Despite her SNL exit, Nwodim has been keeping busy and it was announced she has been cast in Mindy Kaling’s upcoming Hulu series Not Suitable For Work, Deadline reported on Wednesday; seen earlier this month in NYC
‘But I’m like, if you can leave – in a place where it can get so competitive and you can become so self involved, if you can leave and be still remarkably lovely and such a light and still pouring into other people like you, I think you succeeded.’
Nwodim gushed to her former castmate, ‘You were just such a light in what can be such a challenging place’ while also adding it was ‘not the easiest place’ to work.
Despite her SNL exit, Nwodim has been keeping busy and it was announced she has been cast in Mindy Kaling’s upcoming Hulu series Not Suitable For Work, Deadline reported on Wednesday.
The setting takes place in NYC with the comedian taking on the role of Kate Woodson – the Assistant Head of School at an exclusive, all-girls private school.
