Devon Walker Bids Farewell To SNL After Three Seasons

After three rounds of delivering biting sketches and memorable impressions, comedian Devon Walker revealed that he was leaving Saturday Night Live in advance of the show's 51st season. The 34-year-old shared the news on Instagram on August 25, with a backstage photo captioned, "Me and baby broke up," in which he laid to rest his live-from-New York chapter.

Walker shared his reasons for leaving in an honest post, comparing his tenure at the NBC sketch show to a relationship. "Jobs in this industry feel like a bunch of little marriages," he wrote, thinking and writing about the transient nature of creative work. "Me and the show did three years together, and sometimes it was really cool. Sometimes it was toxic as hell. But we did what we made the most of what it was, even amidst all of the dysfunction. We made a f--ked up lil family."

Best known for his pointed caricatures, such as former New York Giants great Michael Strahan and New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Walker was a fixture on SNL, combining observational humor with sardonic takes on everything from politics and pop culture to daily life. His exit represents the close of a significant chapter for fans who've watched him grow from a breakout newbie to a fielded performer in that high-stakes arena of live television.

Read More: Lil Nas X Comes Out Of Jail After Facing 4 Felony Charges

Welker gave thanks to fellow comedians and writers such as Alex English and Gary Richardson in his farewell. He joked that the three had gone "running a bar show to working together at 30 rock!," an example of the sort of serendipitous turns careers in comedy often take. That nod to brotherhood reinforces the ecosystem of support he thrived in while a member of the SNL cast. The departure of Walker is also a reminder of the particular pressures of sketch comedy at an august institution such as SNL.

The show has made many comedians stars, but it's no secret that the show's live nature and grueling fast production schedule can be both exhilarating and enervating. Walker's reminiscence offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the peaks and valleys of life on the job, as well as an unvarnished account of belonging to the crew of television's longest-running sketch show. As the cast and writers prepare for the show's 51st season, Walker's departure creates a vacuum for new talent, even as his work becomes part of a lasting SNL legacy. His voice and comedy are expected to continue echoing in future projects, reassuring audiences that while this breakup may be bittersweet, it should not be regarded as the final act.