It’s been just over a week since Devon Walker left “Saturday Night Live,” and he’s ready to talk about his three-year tenure on the show.
The comic and actor, best known for playing Eric Adams on the sketch comedy show, shared mixed feelings about “SNL” while announcing his departure, writing, “Sometimes it was really cool. Sometimes it was toxic as hell … We made the most of what it was, even amidst all of the dysfunction. We made a fucked up lil family.”
Strolling laps around Madison Square Park on Tuesday afternoon, Walker tells Variety in an interview, “I’m so grateful to have been at the show. I’ll be eternally grateful, for the good parts and the bad parts. I’m glad to have seen what that place is.”
He’s just come from recording an episode of his podcast, “My Favorite Lyrics,” an independent venture that Walker says is now courting distribution offers. In the past few days, he’s also had conversations with producers and streamers about his next move.
“I want to tell stories, and I want to tell mine. I want to make stuff that feels honest and true to me,” he says. “Sketch has never been the medium I’ve felt most drawn to, so I’m excited to get into film and TV projects where I can expand what I’ve been trying to do creatively.”
Your departure from “SNL” was met with a strong reaction from fans, to the point where you posted on X, “Y’all acting like we died lol we just getting different jobs.” What did you make of the outpouring of support?
I appreciate it, because if you’re sad about it, that means I made something that meant something to you, which is what’s most important to me. I do this, first, because I enjoy it, and, second, because any artist hopes the things they make resonate with people. I respect people being sad, but I think the level of sadness feels a little silly. I’m still here. I’m still going to make stuff. The show is, by its nature, a temporary job. The show is made to be left. I left it, but I’m not going anywhere.
You’ve said your exit was a mutual decision between you and the show. Do you feel satisfied with your time on “SNL”?
I do feel satisfied with my time on the show. I got to do this thing I wanted to do, which is make stuff with some of my friends. Life can be funny, because when I started in comedy, at no point was I ever like, “I gotta get on ‘SNL.’” If you’re not Tina Fey or if you weren’t on there for 10 years, there’s an inclination for people to be like, “He didn’t fulfill his potential” or whatever. But for me, the fact that I got on there at all and stayed around for a few years is beyond a success for me. It’s more than I ever hoped for. I have no qualms with the amount of time I did.
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For most people, getting in the audition room is a huge victory in itself.
Just getting to that stage is such a big thing. Plus, getting on that show as a stand-up, it feels like I was a really good high school golfer, and I wanted to get a scholarship. And a college is like, “We don’t really do golf here, but you’re good at swinging. Why don’t you play baseball?”
You “Happy Gilmore”-ed it.
You know what I’m saying! I learned how to do this brand new thing at this legendary institution, the highest level of sketch comedy. I beat the odds in a really crazy way. I feel very proud of myself to have been in the show at all.
In your post, you wrote that sometimes “SNL” was “toxic as hell.” Does the show need to be that way for it to be “SNL”?
No, I don’t think the show needs to be that way.
What about the show specifically is toxic?
If you read about the show, if you’re knowledgeable about it at all, you can certainly pick up on things that are toxic about it. The show hasn’t changed much in all the years they’ve been doing it. There are things that went down on the show that I wouldn’t talk about for free. There are a lot of things I’m still trying to find the right avenue to go into detail about.
I think… [long pause] there is a measure of humanity that the show could benefit from. What ends up happening over the summer is oftentimes people are left hanging with big life decisions — people trying to start families or buy homes — and there’s no word from the show about whether they have their job. The show won’t tell them all summer and then will ultimately end up firing them when there’s been months of them trying to work their situation out. That wasn’t my situation, but I’ve known of situations where that’s happened. If there’s one thing I hope for the future of the show, it’s that a sprinkle of humanity could be added into it. I understand it’s show business and it’s cutthroat, but people have lives, and people deserve to know the status of their job at a reasonable juncture. Most people are told they’re coming back to work in a week.
From an outsider’s point of view, it seems like the show requires a certain level of surrender. You have to give your entire self to the show, and I imagine that is difficult when it comes to planning your future or pursuing other projects.
Yes, that is true. Devoting yourself to the time commitment of the show is just part of it, and you’ve got to either get in line with that or not. But again, on the measure of transparency and clarity around people’s employment… We’re human beings. We’ve got food to put on the table. Some of us support other people in our lives, and we’re not making millions of dollars on the show. It’s not like we’re good indefinitely once we leave.
What was the most valuable lesson you learned on “SNL”?
To go with my gut instinct comedically. There are so many decisions you need to make and not a lot of time, and the show teaches you not to be precious and to trust your instincts. For a lot of us, our instincts are what got us on the show.
What are you most proud of from your time on the show?
The thing people talk to me about the most is the “Weekend Update” feature I did with James Austin Johnson called “Milly Pounds and Shirty,” who are these two lactose-intolerant British rappers. I got to do a “Weekend Update” as Draymond Green which we put together in less than 24 hours, and I heard Draymond saw it and liked it.
Will Heath/NBC via Getty Images
Did you ever hear from Eric Adams about your impression of the mayor?
Ha! No, I didn’t hear from Eric Adams. I think he’s got some bigger fish to fry right now. He’s been busy.
Did you ever try to get him on the show?
I didn’t, but I don’t get to make those types of decisions.
Over the years, several Black “SNL” alums have spoken out about feeling isolated or reduced to stereotypical roles while on the show. Some people believe “SNL” has, historically, not supported its POC cast members as well as their white co-stars. Does that notion resonate with you?
Here’s what I’ll say about that: Do your research. Do your research and come to your own conclusion. I don’t think it should be hard to find wherever you land on that.
Can you talk about your experience on Season 50? Not only was it a landmark anniversary for “SNL,” but it was also an election year. Was it hard to stand out among the barrage of A-list guest stars and anniversary celebrations?
That’s just part of the territory. You learn to put up with that. Is it hard? Yeah, the show is always hard. That added an extra layer to it. At least in recent history, there’s a precedent that the show is going to bring in guests who they think will attract eyeballs. If it’s between a cast member and X celebrity, I understand why the show chooses the celebrity.
In the past week, a handful of cast members left “SNL” and a handful have joined. Is there a piece of advice you would give somebody who is just now entering the beast?
Make the stuff that feels the truest to you. Make the stuff that feels as close to your sensibility as possible. There may be some aspects of your creativity that aren’t completely in line with what the show wants to do, but at “SNL” and in general, the closer you can be to your truth as an artist, the more fulfilled you will feel. Wouldn’t you rather swing and miss doing it your way than try to conform or fit into something that isn’t true to your voice?
I think about Tim Robinson, who sometimes struggled to get things on air at “SNL” and then left and created “I Think You Should Leave,” which is now considered its own sort of comedy institution.
There are a ton of examples of people who ended up not having the most illustrious careers on “SNL.” I’ve seen very talented people get buried at the show for one reason or another. Ultimately, the show is not the whole world. For some people, once you leave and do your next thing, you get to realize the best version of yourself. Julia Louis-Dreyfus is one of the great comedic actresses of our time, and famously “SNL” was not the place for her to show off what she could do. That obviously doesn’t mean she wasn’t capable or talented. There were just things at that specific place that didn’t line up. That’s the case for a lot of people. There are way more people who had Julia’s tenure on the show than there are Bill Haders. That’s the outlier.
Let’s talk about what you have planned next.
The cool thing now is everything is open. [Former “SNL” writer] Gary Richardson and I have a film project we wrote that we’re going to shoot in the next few weeks. Going on tour is always a possibility. I might do a spring tour.
You indicated that you were interested in pursuing dramatic projects. What draws you to that?
It’d be an interesting thing to experiment with. My buddy Jose Acevedo shot a short film called “Baquiné Friends Forever” and I played the main character. I enjoyed getting to tap into another side. Doing stand-up and sketch is all about getting the biggest laugh, which is something I enjoy, but it’s fun to explore the full range of human emotions. Apparently people read my Instagram post because I’m going to have some meetings with folks about entering the dramatic space. Netflix hit up my team and said, “We heard you Dev, let’s talk.”
You said earlier that there are aspects of your “SNL” experience that you wouldn’t talk about for free. Does that mean you plan to tell your “SNL” story in a stand-up hour?
Maybe. There’s a lot to that story. I don’t know how or when I’d decide to tell it all the way, but, yeah… it won’t be free when it comes.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
From Variety US