Bobby Moynihan leaving Saturday Night Live after nine seasons
Now, it’s official. According to Deadline, this weekend’s season finale hosted by Dwayne Johnson is going to be the last episode of the season. Two seasons ago, he signed an extension that was to keep him to the end of season 42 on the show. This is why he went out for pilot season this year and found a new role; if a show landed, the intention was to move on. Eventually, this just happens — sooner or later, many people want to move on and try other things, even if being a part of the SNL family is a gift probably one of the best times of any performer’s life.
Moynihan will depart the show with a roster of many wonderful characters under his belt, including Riblet, Drunk Uncle, Chris Christie, and many more. It’s been said before on the site, but in some ways one of the strengths of Bobby as a performer was that he could make any moment something special. If he had one line, he would come out and deliver the heck out of that one line. He’s excellent at physical comedy, playing off-the-wall roles, and making any scene partner feel like home. It’s hard to rank favorite cast members, but routinely he’s probably the one we’ve loved the most over the past five or six years in terms of consistently offering some laughs.
In order to accommodate his new show, Moynihan is planning to relocate to Los Angeles. Maybe he could come back and host again at some point down the line? After he leaves, he’ll quickly rise up to the top of the list with Jason Sudeikis as alumni we want to see back on the show to host. (Also, could Bill Hader pop up again at some point? We know he’s hosted already, but still…)
This weekend’s finale is going to be hosted by Dwayne Johnson. If you do want to see a preview for that now, be sure to head over here.
What is your reaction to Moynihan leaving Saturday Night Live? Even if he’s had a long and incredible run on the show, are you going to miss him? Share in the comments! (Photo: NBC.)