There was no denying that Andy Samberg was a force on “Saturday Night Live” before leaving after seven seasons in 2012. But recently, the comedian and actor revealed that his exit from the show was something he had to do.
While a guest on Kevin Hart’s Peacock interview series, “Hart to Hart,” Samberg opened up about his exit from the show, which ended a run that started in 2005.
Samberg experienced a number of plateaus on the show, where he’s known for “SNL’s” most popular and viral segments, such as “Lazy Sunday” and “Natalie Rap.”
But despite those achievements, Samberg’s real life was no laughing matter.
“I was falling apart in my life,” Samberg said, and he confessed he couldn’t “endure it anymore.”
“Physically, it was taking a heavy toll on me and I got to a place where I was like I hadn’t slept in seven years basically,” Samberg said. “We were writing stuff for the live show Tuesday night all night, the table read Wednesday, then being told now come up with a digital short so write all Thursday, all Thursday night, don’t sleep, get up, shoot Friday, edit all night Friday night and into Saturday, so it’s basically like four days a week you’re not sleeping, for seven years. So I just kinda fell apart physically.”
When his longtime friends and Lonely Island collaborators Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer departed the show as writers, Samberg was left alone and was the only digital shorts creator for his final two years on the show.
“I was basically left in charge of making the shorts, which I never pretended like I could do without them,” the comedian said. “We made stuff I’m really proud of in my last two years, but there’s something about the songs that I can only do with Akiva and Jorm. It’s just how it is, we’re just a band in that way.”
When the “SNL” star contemplated on whether or not to continue with the show, he consulted with his former co-star Amy Poehler. He revealed he was worried about no longer having a creative outlet once he left the show.
“I was like, once I go, when I have an idea, I can’t just do it,” he shared. “The craziest thing about working there is once you get going, if you’re just in the shower and you have an idea that [expletive] can be on television in three days, which is the most intoxicating feeling.”
“They told me straight up, ‘We prefer you would stay,’ and I was like, ‘Oh, that makes it harder,’” he continued. “But I just was like, I think to get back to a feeling of like mental and physical health, I have to do it. So I did it and it was a very difficult choice.”
The “Brooklyn Nine Nine” star’s full interview with Hart is available to stream on Peacock.
Stories by EmilyAnn Jackman