NBC cuts Killam, Phoenix from SNL cast
LOS ANGELES — Longtime Saturday Night Live cast member Taran Killam says he “was never given a reason why” he was being let go after six seasons on the NBC program.
Killam and fellow cast member Jay Pharoah won’t be back when SNL returns this fall for its 42nd season, the network said.
Killam told Uproxx in an interview published Monday that he was planning on making the upcoming season of SNL his final one before being told that his contract wasn’t being picked up.
“I was never given a reason why, really. I can assume until the cows come home,” he said.
Killam speculated that the production schedule of a film he’s directing and starring in, Why We’re Killing Gunther, may have played a part, because two months of post-production work on the movie would have coincided with SNL’s production schedule.
Whatever the reason for his departure, Killam said he has “no gripes” about his time as part of the comedy institution.
“I set out to be on SNL and I got to do that and I did very well. And I love and adore and will forever have close ties and tight bonds with the brilliant, smartest, funniest people I’ve ever met in my life,” he told Uproxx.
Killam performed several celebrity impressions on the show, including Brad Pitt and Donald Trump — although the Trump role went to SNL announcer and former star Darrell Hammond during the past season.
Pharoah was also on the program for six seasons and had the coveted role of impersonating President Barack Obama.
He was also known for his send-ups of Kanye West, Jay Z, Shaquille O’Neal and others.
SNL is famous for its revolving-door cast, with Tina Fey, Jimmy Fallon and Eddie Murphy among its successful alumni.