The night before Saturday Night Live’s season 51 premiere, the show’s old cast united at a farewell party for the members from season 50 who wouldn’t be returning. Former stars, Heidi Gardner, Devon Walker, Michael Longfellow, Emil Wakim, John Higgins, Chloe Troast, Molly Kearneyand, and Punkie Johnson, were all present at the event.

Johnson, who left after season 49, hosted the party at the Riff Raff Club in Manhattan. Both she and Troast, who were both terminated by Saturday Night Live, discussed how rough it was to get fired from the show when PEOPLE interviewed them at the bash. Although the two admitted to feeling somewhat abandoned, they also had some good things to say about the comedy series, too.

Former Saturday Night Live Cast Members Speak Up About Leaving The Show

Johnson explained that after she left, she felt the weight of the world on her shoulders. The expectations that the people around her had for her were putting a significant amount of pressure on her. She stated, “Everybody always like, ‘Yo, what’s next? What’s next?’ So you feel like you have to go do the next big thing,”

She revealed that she thought Saturday Night Live was “a different monster” and “a different beast”. She further elaborated, “It’s very hard to understand a place like that. They just throw you in the water — you better know how to swim. They don’t give you no life jacket.” Despite the not-so-flattering comments, the actor also said that she still had some very good experiences while she was on the show.

Troast had similar sentiments. She told PEOPLE, “You don’t get a cushion when you fall,” And she explained how she was very lucky to have family and friends supporting her through that difficult time. However, like Johnson, she stated that she was still grateful for Saturday Night Live and that it was a life-changing experience.

Our Take On Johnson and Troast’s SNL Experiences

Most people can probably agree that getting laid off never leaves anyone with a good feeling. However, Johnson and Troast’s comments do reveal a lot about Saturday Night Live. While both were sad and had a rough time after getting fired (just like anyone else would), they still had good things to say about their time there.

This demonstrates that, like every workplace, Saturday Night Live has to make hard decisions. And, it is likely just as hard to let someone go as it is to be let go. The fact that both actors can still recall fond memories and say that the show did change their lives for the better to some extent implies that, despite it all, the cast members all cared about each other and touched their colleagues’ lives in some way, making it all worth it.

Release Date

October 11, 1975

Showrunner

Lorne Michaels

Directors

Dave Wilson, Don Roy King, Liz Patrick, Andy Warhol, Linda Lee Cadwell, Matthew Meshekoff, Paul Miller, Robert Altman, Robert Smigel

Writers

Will Forte, Bill Hader, Tina Fey, Kristen Wiig, Chris Parnell, Asa Taccone, John Lutz, Tom Schiller, Simon Rich, Michael Patrick O’Brien, Nicki Minaj, Herbert Sargent, Matt Piedmont, John Solomon, Chris Kelly, Alan Zweibel, Kent Sublette, Ari Katcher, Marika Sawyer, Sarah Schnedier, Scott Jung, Justin Franks, Jerrod Bettis, Rhiannon Bryan