Punkie Johnson Leaving 'Saturday Night Live' Staff, 8/1/2024 Punkie Johnson announces her departure from "Saturday Night Live," confirming the news at a Brooklyn comedy show and via Instagram. Known for her impressions and various sketches, Johnson joined "SNL" in 2020 and was recently in the spotlight as Kamala Harris. What’s next for the talented comedian? Explore more. Johnson reportedly broke the news to an audience at a stand-up comedy show at Brooklyn's Union Hall on July 31. Fellow "SNL" cast members Molly Kearny, Devon Walker and Michael Longfellow were also on the lineup.
Johnson confirmed the news in a video posted to Instagram on Thursday.
Neither a spokesperson for "SNL," nor Johnson's agents and managers, could be reached for comment.
Johnson's announcement came just hours after reports circulated that Maya Rudolph would return to the NBC sketch comedy series to play Vice President Kamala Harris through the 2024 election. Johnson herself had played the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate on "SNL" and had previously retweeted posts on X that read, "I want to see more @Punkiejohnson as Kamala #SNL" and "If Lorne [Michaels] has the foresight, he would give @Punkiejohnson the Kamala Harris role permanently. Maybe have Maya do a one-off where she visits Punkie Kamala in a dream like the 2 Hillarys... and that's it."
Johnson joined "Saturday Night Live" as a featured player in 2020 for its 46th season. Ahead of the 48th season in 2022, she was promoted to repertory status. Throughout her time on the series, she appeared in various sketches and "Weekend Update" segments, and showed off her impressions of Queen Latifah, Ice Spice, Angel Reese, Sunny Hostin, Gayle King, Wanda Sykes, Mary J. Blige and more.
Outside of "SNL," Johnson has appeared in TV series including "Space Force," "A Black Lady Sketch Show," "Corporate" and "Adam Ruins Everything."