Saturday Night Live fans were dealt a huge blow on Saturday when it was announced that series mainstay Cecily Strong would be departing.
The news broke just hours ahead of her final episode.
Strong, who joined the series as a featured player in 2012, took to social media the day after her final episode.
“My heart is bursting.” she shared Sunday.
“Ten and a half years ago I got my dream job. The first actual work day I tried to be very cool and make it look like I knew what I was doing and I was supposed to be there. I left that night around 11 after saying goodbye to everyone.”
“I got stuck wandering around the building because none of the elevators went to the first floor, and I was trying so hard to avoid having to go back upstairs to ask for help because I’d already said goodbye!”
“I think I went to every floor trying to figure out if there was another exit I was missing. I might have even gone into a stairwell,” the statement continues.
“I ended up going back upstairs and my soon-to-be great friend Colin Jost helped me out and walked me over to the secret night time elevator.”
“It felt as impossible to leave that night as it does now. And my great friend Colin Jost ended up helping me again, this time by getting Elvis to sing me off (thank you, Austin Butler, you absolute kind and generous dreamboat).”
Cecily went on to speak about keeping the news to herself for so long.
“I’m sorry I’ve been a little quiet about it publicly. I didn’t want the extra pressure on something already so emotional for me.”
“And I’m so grateful I got to have these wonderful past six shows to help me ease into it. and get to meet and laugh and probably overly hug Molly [Kearney], Marcello [Hernandez], Devon [Walker] and Michael [Longfellow], who I think are not only brilliantly funny, but really great humans.”
“I am ready to go, but I’ll always know home is here. I’ve had the time of my life working with the greatest people on earth.”
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Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.