Taran Killam Got Fired From SNL (& He Doesn't Know Why)

When Taran Killam was released from "Saturday Night Live" in 2016 he was actually in very good company, as several stars had been fired from the iconic sketch show over the years. Chris Rock, Sarah Silverman, and Robert Downey Jr. were just a few of the star-studded names that had a brief stint at "SNL" before being given their walking papers. Even Adam Sandler and Chris Farley, who were two fan favorites on the show, were dismissed in 1995. "We kind of quit at the same time as being fired," Adam explained to The Daily Beast in 2014, while speaking about leaving the show with Farley — his friend and frequent collaborator. "The fact that me and him got fired? Who knows," the "Billy Madison" star added. Both actors quickly found their footing in feature films.

After departing "SNL," Killam also had very little trouble finding his next project. In August 2016, Showtime announced that the comedian would be starring in the anthology series "Mating." Jay Pharaoh, who was dropped from "SNL" at the same as Killam, also signed on for a series at Showtime. The future seemed bright for them both. 

Despite the new show, Killam — who was on "SNL" for six seasons — felt bittersweet about moving on. "Not feeling great leaving means that you were where you were supposed to be. And not feeling great leaving also means you didn't overstay your welcome," he told Uproxx in 2016, not long after being fired. And what's worse, Killam was apparently unclear as to why he was not welcomed back.

When "Saturday Night Live" declined to pick up Taran Killam's contract for a seventh season, there was very little communication. "I don't know fully. I don't know the other side of it," he told Uproxx in 2016 when discussing why his contract was not renewed. "I was never given a reason why, really," Killam said, adding that he had planned on that year being his last on "SNL." Before being dropped, Killam had worked with producers to coordinate other projects including his Showtime series and directing the movie Killing Gunther" starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. "I honestly don't know what happened on the other side, but I do know we had expressed I have work on this film," Killam said.

A month after Killam and Jay Pharaoh were fired from the show, "SNL" honcho Lorne Michaels spoke about the decision. He praised the actors and painted them as casualties of a business decision. "Change is the lifeblood of the show," Michaels told USA Today in September 2016. "And you have to keep bringing new people in."

By 2018, Killam opened up more about his last days on "SNL" and how Michaels had become more difficult to work with. "When Seth Meyers left the show, the dynamic changed quite a bit," the "Single Parents" actor said on the "I Was There Too" podcast (via Vulture). Killam also revealed how Michaels had instructed writers to go easy on Donald Trump, which was a point of contention.

When Donald Trump made his run in the 2016 presidential election, Taran Killam was initially tapped to play him on "Saturday Night Live" in 2015. Eventually, Killam was replaced by "SNL" alum, Darryl Hammond, as Killam played Ted Cruz who was running against Trump. Lorne Michaels had given the staff instructions on how to write for and portray Trump during his 2015 presidential campaign. "Lorne was being so specific about what we could and couldn't say about him, and he was dictating a lot of the settings," Killam said on the "I Was There Too" podcast in 2018. "'You don't want to vilify him,'" Killam recalled Michaels saying.

Those directives came before it was announced that Trump would be hosting the show in late 2015. Killam admitted that he did not have fond memories of when the future president hosted. "It was rough. It was not enjoyable at the time and something that only grows more embarrassing and shameful as time goes on," he said on NPR's "It's Been a Minute" in 2017. "There was never any common ground."

While Killam was able to bounce back from being fired by "SNL," he still wished that, after six seasons on the show, he could have been given an on-air send-off. However, Killam felt he was given one "vicariously" when two castmates he was close with, Bobby Moynihan and Vanessa Bayer, were given theirs. "It genuinely made me happy," Killam told NPR.