Former 'SNL' Star Reveals the 'Looming Threat' Behind the Scenes
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience.Generate Key TakeawaysGetting a spot on Saturday Night Live is a dream come true for many performers, but there's also a "looming threat" in the background, according to a former star.
Abby Elliott, who followed in her father, Chris Elliott's, footsteps as a cast member, was on the show from 2008 to 2012. She revealed to The Independent that she sweated behind the scenes even after she nabbed the coveted job.
"Every week was a new week, and your happiness would depend on whether you got something on air or not, and if three weeks went by without a sketch, you'd think, 'Uh-oh, am I going to be fired?'" She explained, "There was always that looming threat of getting fired. That was the worst that could happen. And then, I kind of did."
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE -- "Alec Baldwin" Episode 1599 -- Pictured: (l-r) Alec Baldwin, Abby Elliott NBC/Getty Images
At the end of the 2012 season, Elliott chose to depart the iconic sketch comedy series — and then attempted to regain her job with head honcho Lorne Michaels.
AdvertisementAdvertisement#«Rmekkr8lb2m7nfblbH1» iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R16ekkr8lb2m7nfblbH1» iframe"I went back to him with my tail between my legs, asking to stay, but after that season, Lorne said, 'No, I'm going to cut you loose,'" she admitted.
It turned out to be the best push out of the nest for her, though. In 2022, she nabbed the role of Natalie "Sugar" Berzatto in the critically acclaimed series, The Bear.It's a series she's loved working on for the past four seasons.
"As much as I enjoyed being on that show, sketch comedy wasn't going to be it for me," Elliott added. "It's not why I started, and it’s not how I wanted to end. Also, I had learnt the lessons I was going to learn...and so I left and, you know, the water was warm."
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Former 'SNL' Star Reveals the 'Looming Threat' Behind the Scenes first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 30, 2025
