She couldn’t bear it.
“The Bear” star Abby Elliott was on “Saturday Night Live” before joining the hit Hulu drama, and in an interview with the Independent, she opened up about getting fired from the iconic sketch comedy series.
“Every week was a new week, and your happiness would depend on whether you got something on air or not,” Elliott told the outlet.
Abby Elliott on “The Bear.” HULU
Fred Armisen, Elliott and Bill Hader on a 2011 episode of “Saturday Night Live.” NBCUniversal via Getty ImagesElliott, who was on “SNL” between 2008 and 2012, is the daughter of actor/comedian Chris Elliott, who also was on “SNL” from 1994 to 1995.
She continued, “And if three weeks went by without a sketch, you’d think, ‘Uh-oh, am I going to be fired?’… There was always that looming threat of getting fired. That was the worst that could happen. And then, I kind of did.”
During her time on the show, Elliott did various celeb impersonations, including Rachel Maddow and Angelina Jolie. When she asked “SNL” boss Lorne Michaels if she could leave, she recalled, “I went back to him with my tail between my legs, asking to stay … but after that season, Lorne said, ‘No, I’m going to cut you loose.’ “
Kenan Thompson, Elliott and Jay Pharoah on a 2012 episode of “Saturday Night Live.” NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty ImagesShe left at the same time as former “SNL” legend Andy Samberg.
The Golden Globe-nominated actress moved on to “The Bear,” which is currently streaming Season 4 on Hulu.
The show follows Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White), as he takes over his late brother’s (Jon Bernthal) Chicago restaurant and wrangles the kitchen staff into giving it a fine-dining makeover, including Syd (Ayo Edebiri), his volatile cousin Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), Tina (Liza Colon-Zayas) pastry chef Marcus (Lionel Boyce), and handyman Neil Fak (Matty Matheson).
Ayo Edebiri, Elliott and Jeremy Allen White in “The Bear.” ©FX Networks/Courtesy Everett Collection
White, Elliot and Jon Bernthal in “The Bear.” ©FX Networks/Courtesy Everett Collection
James Franco, Elliott, Armisen and Kristen Wiig in a 2009 episode of “Saturday Night Live.” © NBC Universal, Inc.Elliott plays Carmy’s sister, Natalie. During a Season 4 episode, she got into a fight with guest star Brie Larson (and it was implied that the two hooked up in the past).
“As much as I enjoyed being on that show, sketch comedy wasn’t going to be it for me. It’s not why I started, and it’s not how I wanted to end,” Elliott concluded about her time on “SNL.”
She added, “Also, I had learnt the lessons I was going to learn … and so I left and, you know, the water was warm.”
