Andy Samberg on Leaving SNL for His Mental Health: "I Hadn't Slept in Seven Years"

In a chat on ‘Hart to Heart,’ Andy Samberg opened up about his departure from 'Saturday Night Live' (SNL) in 2012, sharing that it was crucial for his mental health. The comedian and 'Lonely Island' member sat down with Kevin Hart on the Peacock interview series, discussing how the demanding schedule at SNL took a severe toll on him.

While Samberg enjoyed great success on the show, creating memorable skits with his castmates and Lonely Island collaborators, he revealed that behind the scenes, he was struggling. "I was falling apart in my life and I couldn’t endure it anymore," he told Variety. "Physically, it was taking a heavy toll on me and I got to a place where I was like I hadn’t slept in seven years basically."

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Describing the relentless pace of working at SNL, Samberg said, "We were writing stuff for the live show Tuesday night all night, the table read Wednesday, then being told now come up with a digital short, so write all Thursday, all Thursday night, don’t sleep, get up, shoot Friday, edit all night Friday night and into Saturday. So it’s basically like four days a week you’re not sleeping, for seven years. So I just kinda fell apart physically."

In the interview, Samberg also touched on the beginnings of 'The Lonely Island' and their journey to SNL. He shared how different it was to produce and perform skits after his Lonely Island partners, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone, left the show. "I was basically left in charge of making the shorts, which I never pretended like I could do without them. We made stuff I’m really proud of in my last two years, but there’s something about the songs that I can only do with Akiva and Jorm. It’s just how it is, we’re just a band in that way."

Samberg reflected on the difficulty of his decision to leave SNL, noting the exhilarating nature of the work. "The craziest thing about working there is once you get going if you’re just in the shower and you have an idea, that can be on television in three days, which is the most intoxicating feeling."

However, he realised the need to prioritise his well-being. "They told me straight up, ‘We prefer you would stay,’ and I was like, ‘Oh, that makes it harder.’ But I just was like, I think to get back to a feeling of mental and physical health, I have to do it. So I did it and it was a very difficult choice."