as some might say), and a big part of that can be credited to Andy Samberg. He and his “Lonely Island” crew, made up of Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone, brought the show into the digital age. They made digital shorts a cornerstone of modern “SNL,” and they’ve cursed the new “Please Don’t Destroy” trio to forever live in their shadow.
While Samberg was most famous for his digital material, he still showed up constantly in live sketches throughout his tenure. My personal favorite is his Larry the Goose, a “Weekend Update” recurring character who doesn’t think the Miracle on the Hudson in 2009 was a miracle at all:
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But despite Samberg being such an important cast member during his seven seasons on the show, in 2012 he officially called it quits. He departed at the end of season 37, a year after his fellow “Lonely Island” members Schaffer and Taccone left the show. “Saturday Night Live” fans may have missed his Mark Wahlberg impressions and his Laser Cats escapades, but ultimately they couldn’t blame him for leaving. Seven seasons is a respectable tenure for any “SNL” cast members. Outside of Kenan Thompson, most cast members don’t stick around that long.
But Samberg’s departure had less to do with tradition and more to do with his mental health: “For me, it was like I can’t actually endure it anymore,” Samberg explained in a 2024 interview. “Physically and emotionally. I was falling apart in my life. … It’s basically like four days a week you’re not sleeping, for seven years. I just kind of fell apart physically.”
