Emil Wakim exits “Saturday Night Live ”after 1 season: 'A gut punch of a call to get'

Emil Wakim will not be returning to Saturday Night Live when the NBC sketch show comes back for season 51.

The comedian announced the news in an Instagram post shared with his followers on Wednesday. "I won't be returning to snl next year," Wakim's caption began. "It was a gut punch of a call to get but i'm so grateful for my time there. I was at six flags celebrating my friends 36th birthday and went on a really emotional walk through bugs bunny park and stared out across daffy duck lake thinking about life."

The caption, paired with several photos from Wakim's brief time on SNL, continued, "Every time I scanned into the building I would think how insane it is to get to work there. It was the most terrifying, thrilling, and rewarding experience of my life and I will miss it dearly and all the brilliant people that work there that made it feel like a home."

"Thank u to Lorne [Michaels] for taking a chance on me and changing my life," Wakim concluded his message. "I was so lucky to bring some of myself in there and say things I believed in and I'm excited for whatever chapter comes next. Here's to making more art without compromise."

The comedian signed off the note with "onwards and upwards," and shared a final message of love to his fans.

Wakim was one of three new featured players added the the season 50 cast, along with Ashley Padilla and Jane Wickline.

During his short time on the show, Wakim performed a comedy bit on American Patriotism as himself on "Weekend Update" and did an impression of Luigi Mangeone, the alleged UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter.

Wakim was the first Lebanese American cast member and one of only a few of Middle Eastern descent. He joined SNL after making a splash doing stand-up comedy on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and opening for the likes of Nikki Glaser and Hasan Minhaj.

Generally new cast members are added as featured players under a two-year contract before being promoted to the repertory cast for five more years. However, this process does not guarantee their continued place on the cast. Although it is generally expected a featured player will get a second season to prove themselves, there are several examples of single season cast members like Jenny Slate, Sarah Silverman, Rob Riggle, Janeane Garafalo, and, more recently, Chloe Troast and Aristotle Athari.

The announcement comes on the heels of show boss Lorne Michaels confirming there would be some turnover at the show ahead of the new season, only assuring that cast member James Austin Johnson will continue to play Donald Trump for the foreseeable future.

The legendary sketch show just celebrated its landmark 50th season, including a three-hour live primetime special in February that saw the return of SNL alums from all five decades of the show's history.

Saturday Night Live returns for season 51 on Saturday, Oct. 4 at 11:30 p.m. ET/8:30 p.m. PT on NBC and Peacock.

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Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly