Entertainment TV Aidy Bryant Would Have Left 'SNL' 'a Few Years Earlier' If COVID Hadn't Happened Bryant departed Saturday Night Live in May after 10 years on the sketch show By Kelly Wynne Kelly Wynne Kelly Wynne has been a TV writer at PEOPLE digital since 2021. Her work has been seen in Newsweek, where she acted as a reality TV and true-crime writer, Atwood Magazine and her mental health blog, The Chronically. People Editorial Guidelines Published on June 22, 2022 01:27PM EDT Aidy Bryant. Photo: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Aidy Bryant had an exit plan from Saturday Night Live years ago. The 35-year-old Shrill star, who joined on SNL in 2012, was ready to leave the NBC sketch comedy show before COVID-19 pandemic halted her plans for a career change. "If it weren't for COVID, I probably would have left a few years earlier. But it was such a huge change," she told Variety. "When COVID hit, it was so jarring that we were all like, 'I'm definitely going to come back next year.'" Aidy Bryant Gets SNL Sendoff with Kisses from Bowen Yang and Michael Che: '10 Nice Years' Getty Bryant's other jobs got in the way of her time on SNL, too, meaning she missed some episodes from her final seasons. "And then I had to shoot Shrill for half of last season, and so I missed a lot. And then it was like, 'Well, now I should go back one more.'" she added. "I kept trying to seek one last normal year." A month after she said goodbye to the long-running series, Bryant admits, "This year wasn't the normal year that I hoped for, but it was closer to that. It was like, 'OK, it's really time now.' And 10 felt like a nice, solid round number." Kim Kardashian Performs in Pop Group with Aidy Bryant and Bowen Yang in Unaired SNL Sketch Bryant also revealed that she put in notice this spring, months before her final episode on May 21. She approached Lorne Michaels with her decision to leave in March or April. "I went to his office and was like, 'I gotta talk to you,'" she recalled. "I was scared because I feel close to him and so grateful to him. I didn't want it to come off like I was leaving angrily. I am leaving with so much love." Michales, 77, was receptive. "He was like, 'I understand, and it makes sense for you,'" shared Bryant. Bryant wasn't the only SNL cast member to leave at the end of season 47. Kate McKinnon, Kyle Mooney and Pete Davidson also took their final bow on May 21.