Devon Walker has announced his departure from Saturday Night Live after three seasons on the long-running NBC sketch series.
The comedian revealed the news in an Instagram post Monday, where he shared a mix of behind-the-scenes photos, a screenshot of him texting “I’m out” with a party hat emoji, and even a picture of President Joe Biden appearing to stumble on a staircase in the rain. His caption summed it up simply: “me and baby broke up.”
In the post, Walker reflected candidly on his time at SNL:
“To me, jobs in this industry feel like a bunch of little marriages. Some of em last for a long time if we’re lucky, but most of them are fleeting. Permanent until they’re not. That’s the deal. You know what it is it when you sign up.
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 fucked up lil family.
More than anything, I’m just really happy I got to do it with Gary and Alex. N—– really went from running a bar show to working together at 30 rock! It’s a beautiful thing. Also I look caked up in that picture and I feel like it’s important for people to know what I got going on.
Anyway, I’m bout to go to Japan. When I get back I’m tryna be in a prestige drama. Ideally something with Julianne Moore. Hope y’all staying hydrated and getting some money today.”
The note was humorously titled “wait..did he quit or did he get fired?” — a playful nod to the uncertainty around his departure.
Walker first joined SNL as a featured player in Season 48 (2022–23) and was promoted to the repertory cast for Seasons 49 and 50. Before his tenure on the show, he wrote for Netflix’s Big Mouth and Freeform’s Everything’s Trash. His additional credits include a half-hour stand-up special on Hulu and co-hosting the podcast My Favorite Lyrics.
In a follow-up Instagram Story, Walker clarified that leaving the show was a positive step: “Just to be clear, this is good news! It was just time for me to do something different. Please don’t be hitting me with the ‘I’m so sorry’ — we not on that at ALL. Sometimes mom and dad just don’t see things eye to eye.”
As SNL heads into its 51st season, Walker’s exit is one of several changes expected in the cast. Executive producer Lorne Michaels recently hinted that more adjustments could be on the way, though he confirmed that James Austin Johnson will continue portraying Donald Trump.