When compared to other late-night television programs, "Saturday Night Live" has a complicated history. From switch-ups of producers, questionable musical guests, and mysterious casting decisions, SNL has made a name for itself as a very temperamental, complicated business, an enigma yet to be cracked completely. Saturated in 42 years worth of lore and questions, the topic of SNL's casting etiquette - or lack thereof - has reached the spotlight once again as veteran cast members, Jay Pharoah and Taran Killam, have been let go from the production ahead of the end of their seven-year contracts.
SNL's resident President Obama impersonator in a CollegeHumor music video with First Lady Michelle Obama. #FLOTUSonthetrack
Pharoah and Killam have been favorites of mine ever since I began watching SNL in middle school; I often find myself returning to Pharoah's portrayals of Ben Carson and Kanye West, as well as Killam's wonderfully cynical 1860s newspaper critic Jebidiah Atkinson, whenever I have a bad day. With one year left on their contracts with SNL, having both appeared on the show since 2010, both comedians were hastily let go of last week. This is far from new for the sketch comedy series. A number of former cast members have come forward claiming they were canned from the production and left with little to no explanation from the show.
RIP, Jebidiah. Michael Che and I will miss you.
Along with featured player Jon Rudnitsky, Pharoah and Killam won’t be returning for this fall for the show’s 42nd season, a spokeswoman with NBC confirmed to The Washington Post. This departure signals the end for the show's President Obama impersonator and the Trump that is actually a part of the current cast (sorry, Darrell Hammond).
Killam expressed his surprise at the news, stating that he didn't “know fully” the reasons behind it. “I honestly don’t know what happened on the other side,” he said with genuine confusion. Pharoah then took to Twitter, commenting on how much he will miss his SNL family, carefully stepping around the touchiness of the fact that his contract was not renewed for the show's 42nd season. Not being told the reason - and not being told directly, period - are common experiences for cast members.
Now a household name, comedian Sarah Silverman, who worked as a writer and a featured player during the 1993-1994 season, was fired via fax. (Yes, it was the early 90s, but seriously?) Adam Sandler had two years left on his contract before he was let go in 1995, as recounted in “Live From New York: The Complete, Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live.” He discussed the difficult situation he, as well as many other cast members, have been put through over the years, stating that “See, I don’t even know if I was fired. I don’t know how it was handled." Sandler added, “I just remember feeling like, ‘Did I quit, or did I get fired? I have no idea.’ But all of a sudden I wasn’t on the show anymore.”
What's Sarah Silverman up to these days? You know, just speaking at the Democratic National Convention with SNL alumnus and senator Al Franken. Shall I fax Lorne about that?
Chris Parnell, known best for his and Andy Samberg's digital short 'Lazy Sunday,' was actually fired not once, but twice, from SNL, the first before his fourth season. Having been given no reason for his forced departure, Parnell was left "stunned," he remembered in an interview. Halfway through the season, however, SNL creator and producer Lorne Michaels contacted him to re-hire the promising cast member, later citing the decision as a mistake. Parnell was let go a second time in 2006 due to budget cuts, along with fan favorites Rachel Dratch and Horatio Sanz.
Chris Parnell with Andy Samberg in their 2005 digital short Lazy Sunday. Don't blame me for the pixelation, blame 2005.
The most recent of these strange cast switch-ups occurred after the 2009-2010 season, during which featured player Jenny Slate dropped an expletive on live television. Slate waited the entire summer after her debut to be fired, but weeks went on sans word from SNL. One day, Slate left a therapy session and checked her phone, only to see the news on Deadline Hollywood. She called her agent, saying “I just read I got fired, but nobody called me.” Her agent had not been told either, but later confirmed the news. “I started crying. I feel like somebody just put me in a hole,” Slate remembers. “I feel so embarrassed. And then it was just a huge sense of relief.”
Slate went on to voice main characters in popular animated films Zootopia and The Secret Life of Pets, and make appearances on Parks and Recreation, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Girls. She's also dating Captain America, so...she's doing pretty okay.
This is weird, right? Here we are, discussing an iconic, wicked long-running sketch comedy series, and yet in their 42-year history, the show's producers have shown a severe lack of confrontational skills. I understand if you feel the need to fire someone, but at least let him or her know before the press! Give him or her a reason if they've dedicated six years of their lives to the production. It's just common courtesy. 'Well, that's show business' doesn't erase the inhumanity of these practices. Something here needs to change, and hopefully, the amount of press this current cast shake-up is obtaining will be a step towards that.
All negatives aside, don't worry, SNL fans, we'll be seeing more of Killam and Pharoah very soon. Pharoah has just nabbed the lead role in Jamie Foxx's upcoming Showtime comedy "White Famous," while Killam will star in Jason Katims's "Mating." Killam is also in the midst of directing Why We're Killing Gunther, a spy comedy starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. They'll be back.
