Why did Melissa Villaseñor leave Saturday Night Live?

Why did Melissa Villaseñor leave Saturday Night Live prior to the start of the season? The longtime cast member’s exit was one of many surprises prior to the start of the season, especially in terms of its timing. The announcement did not come at the same time as Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, or many other familiar faces this spring. Instead, it came relatively close to the news that Chris Redd, Aristotle Athari, and Alex Moffat were also not coming back.

So what went into Melissa’s exit? Speaking on The Daily Beast’s Last Laugh podcast, she made it clear that it was a personal choice she made rather than being forced out over budgetary or creative reasons:

“It was my decision … I gave myself a lot of time in the summer to think on it and kind of play out in my head if I go back. At the end of the day it was about my mental health. Last season, I had a couple of panic attacks. I think it was just…I was struggling. I always felt like I was on the edge of a cliff every week. And I was like, I don’t want to be doing that to myself anymore. And it’s not like the show was mean toward me or anyone. It was just how I handle things.”

She went on to have nothing short of praise for SNL boss Lorne Michaels and many other people in production. In the end, this is just a really hard show to do. It takes a lot of time during the week to put together, and that means often really long hours. Melissa still got a chance to do something that was a lifelong dream and now, she can carry that over into some other things.

Meanwhile, there is a new episode of SNL this weekend, featuring its revamped cast and host/musical guest Jack Harlow. To learn more about it, go ahead and visit the link here.

Do you miss Melissa Villaseñor on Saturday Night Live?

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