Cecily Strong Explains Why She Kept Her SNL Exit a Secret

Cecily Strong did things her way until the very end. 

On the Dec. 17 episode of Saturday Night Live, the comedian said goodbye to the storied sketch show after 11 seasons. 

Though rumored since the start of the season, Cecily’s departure wasn’t officially announced until hours before her final episode in an Instagram post from the SNL account, which read: “Tonight we send off one of the best to ever do it. We’ll miss you, Cecily!”

Now, Cecily has opened up about why she wanted to keep her decision private until the last minute.

“I’m sorry I’ve been a little quiet about it publicly,” she wrote on Instagram Dec. 19. “I didn’t want the extra pressure on something already so emotional for me.”

Cecily wrote that her “heart was bursting” in the overwhelming support following her SNL swan song, but she assured fans that she knew her time was up.

“I am ready to go, but I’ll always know home is here,” she continued. “I’ve had the time of my life working with the greatest people on earth.”