Amidst the summer-long “SNL” cast’s mass exodus, one of the most unexpected was Melissa Villaseor, the show’s ace celebrity impersonator and most credible laughter during its 2016-2022 stint. was one of
Other than the announcement of his departure, no further details were provided, leaving fans wondering why he bolted. but In a new interview with The Daily Beast’s “Last Laughs” podcastVillaseor revealed that her exit was amicable—and her choice—she had started suffering panic attacks due to stress, and stepped in to focus on “my mental health.”
“Yeah, it was my decision. I gave myself a lot of time to think over it over the summer and if I go back I have games in my head,” Villaseor told The Daily Beast. “At the end of the day it was all about my mental health. I had panic attacks twice last season. I think it was just… I was struggling. I always felt like I was doing it every week. I’m on the edge of a cliff. And I was like, I don’t want to do that to myself anymore.:”
She clarified that she was never abused by anyone on the show, “How do I handle things. I guess I’m an introvert. When I’m in a big group of so many wonderful people, and everyone’s talking about everyone, I feel like I’m small. I get nervous, like, where can I fit in? What should I do? That’s how I was in high school. And so I guess that’s the reason. And I was like, I think I’m fine. I guess there’s nothing more that I’m like, oh, I need to share this, I want to do it on the show. I think I’m ready. Was just telling me something, I guess I may be different. ,
Villaseor said that thanks to the pandemic and how it affected the show, “that quarantine year in 2020 was really tough.”
She wished the new cast and her friends on “Saturday Night Live”, adding that she will “remember that magical feeling of, ‘I’m going to be with something I love, and I’m proud and excited’. to play.’ That magical feeling, ‘I can’t believe I’m on this show’ that every time I go out there and the Weekend Update piece.
But, she said she would not miss the “action schedule”. And the pressure of trying to come up with something every week and share it with a writer and be like, ‘Hey, what do you think of this?’ And that feeling, ‘I don’t have time to help you like this,’ or ‘Someone is already writing so you can’t write it.’ That feeling, ‘Okay, what else? what could I do?'”
You can read his full conversation with The Daily Beeas he is,