There has been a shake up at Saturday Night Live , with the shocking news that SNL favorites like Taran Killam and Jay Pharoah have been fired. According to Variety , Pharoah and Killam did not have their SNL contracts renewed after six years with the NBC show. As a result of the SNL firings, folks on Twitter and Instagram are reacting with shock at the fact that Saturday Night Live would let two of the show’s most popular comedians go.
A big thank you for all the Love from my fans. Lorne was kind enough to understand I needed more time to dedicate to my undefeated @RamsNFL
— Taran Killam (@TaranKillam) August 9, 2016
On Twitter, Taran thanked all of his SNL fans for their love. Killam also joked about Lorne Michaels giving him more time to cheer for his favorite team, the Los Angeles Rams.
On Instagram, Pharoah is also receiving plenty of love and comments from fans who are currently writing about how much Jay will be missed on SNL. Meanwhile, some of Jay’s latest Twitter and Instagram updates show that Pharoah was stuck in the airport on Monday due to the delay of Delta Air Lines flights.
As of this writing, Jay has not responded to the news of being let go from SNL .
According to Variety , Taran made it clear that he was preparing to leave SNL , but perhaps not so soon. Killam said that he thought the new season of SNL might have been his last season.
“I had sort of had it in my head I would make this upcoming year my last year, but then heard they weren’t going to pick up my contract. I was never given a reason why, really.”
Now the fates of Pharoah and Killam are up in the air. Taran’s IMDB page shows plenty of 2017 and 2016 acting projects — like Why We’re Killing Gunther , Brother Nature , The Runaround and Casual Encounters .
Jay’s IMDB page lists recent projects like The Adventures of Drunky , Sing , and The Best Man Wedding .
Therefore, both men could be poised to move on to the type of success that other SNL alum have found with TV shows and films in the wake of leaving SNL , such as Eddie Murphy’s illustrious comedic film career — or folks like Bill Murray, Steve Martin and Julia Louis Dreyfus.
Jay’s impressions of famous rappers are what put Pharoah on the SNLmap — and distinguished him from the other SNLin-house African-American comedian, Michael Che. No word yet on whether Michael will take on Jay’s role of President Obama on SNLbefore Mr. Obama leaves the White House. On Instagram, Che posted information about his recent comedy venue. Che previously deleted his Twitter due to controversy, as reported by Boston.com .
Pharoah and Killam could be undergoing a positive change that allows them access to other projects that the Saturday Night Live head Lorne has in the works. Therefore, instead of Michaels in effect firing the duo, it could be more akin to a mother bird pushing her baby birds out of the nest in order to nurture their careers even further. Watching them take flight should be fun — with or without Lorne.
On social media, both Taran and Jay are receiving feedback about their SNL departures like some of the following comments.
“You were great! You made SNL funny again… #stayblessed ”
“You will be missed!”
“Saddened that you’re no longer on SNL. Here’s wishing for better things coming your way.”
“Best of luck!”
“Man don’t leave.”
“Thanks for the laughs, Jay. I’ll miss you on SNL .”
“ @jaypharoah We all are going to truly miss you on SNL .”
“You did great. Their loss.”
In the top photo above, Pharoah wore a red nose for NBC’s Red Nose Day in New York.
[Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP Images]