Jason Sudeikis is Leaving ‘Saturday Night Live’

24 Jul, 2013

Longtime “Saturday Night Live” cast member Jason Sudeikis said on Wednesday he has left the NBC late-night sketch comedy show, joining fellow comedians Bill Hader and Fred Armisen out the door after the show finished its 38th season in May.

Sudeikis, who has worked on the show for 10 years, made the announcement during a taping of CBS late-night talk show “Late Show with David Letterman.”

“Yeah, I’m going to leave. Yeah, I’m not coming back next fall,” Sudeikis said, according to a transcript distributed by CBS before the show airs on Wednesday night.

Sudeikis, 37, who portrayed former Republican U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney on the show last year, is the latest in a recent stream of top talent to depart SNL, which will begin its 39th season in September.

Hader announced his departure in May and Armisen confirmed last month that he had also left the show. Popular mainstays Kristen Wiig and Andy Samberg departed in 2012 to focus on film.

Series head writer Seth Meyers, anchor of the show’s “Weekend Update” news segment, will also leave the show after the end of the year to be the new host of Comcast Corp-owned NBC’s late-night talk show in 2014, “Late Night with Seth Meyers.”

Currently, comedian and SNL alum Jimmy Fallon hosts the late-night slot, but he will be taking over from Jay Leno on “The Tonight Show” next year.

Leaving the New York-taped “Saturday Night Live,” whose latest season scored 15 Emmy nominations last week, has been a rite of passage into Hollywood for many of the show’s former stars, including Chevy Chase, Tina Fey and Mike Myers.

Retuers

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