After seven seasons on “Saturday Night Live,” Ego Nwodim has chosen to leave the show, she announced on social media on Friday. She is the fifth cast member whose departure has been announced this summer.
“The hardest part of a great party is knowing when to say goodnight,” Nwodim wrote. She added: “I am immensely grateful to Lorne for the opportunity, to my castmates, the writers, and the crew for their brilliance, support, and friendship. Week after week on that stage taught me more than I could have ever imagined, and I will carry those memories (and that laughter) with me always.”
Nwodim, 37, was known for many characters on the NBC sketch show, including her impersonation of Dionne Warwick; Veronda, the “rich auntie with no kids”; and her signature character, Lisa From Temecula.
“I love playing characters who are strong and wrong, who are disruptive and indignant about it,” Nwodim told NBC last year. “Lisa was a perfect dream for me.”
During a call-and-response bit in a “Weekend Update” segment in April, the audience responded with an expletive when her character Miss Eggy asked, “’Cause these men ain’t what?” There was concern the Federal Communications Commission would fine the show but it did not, possibly because of the show’s late air time.
“It is wild that it didn’t occur to any of us,” Nwodim said in June. “I was sincerely stunned.”
Season 51 of “Saturday Night Live” begins on Oct. 4 with five new cast members: Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Ben Marshall, Kam Patterson and Veronika Slowikowska.
They are joining the show as others depart, including Heidi Gardner, a veteran of eight seasons and the longest-tenured female cast member last season; Michael Longfellow and Devon Walker, who both joined in Season 48; and Emil Wakim, who had been with “S.N.L.” for one season.
Maya Salam is an editor and reporter, focusing primarily on pop culture across genres.
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