Melissa Villaseñor Says She Left “SNL” For Her Mental Health: “I Almost Feel Reborn”

Melissa Villaseñor made a name for herself on “Saturday Night Life” thanks to her super-accurate celeb impressions (I’ll never forget her take on Gwen Stefani) and her status as the show’s first Latina cast member. So when Villaseñor departed the show after season 47, along with other mainstays like Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, Chris Redd, and Pete Davidson, fans were clamoring to know why. In a recent interview on The Daily Beast’s “The Last Laugh” podcast, Villaseñor opened up about why she left, specifically how her mental health played a role.

In the last of her six seasons on “SNL,” Villaseñor said she experienced “a couple of panic attacks” — episodes of intense fear or discomfort accompanied by symptoms like heart palpitations, chills, trembling, sweating, feelings of choking, or nausea. “I was struggling,” Villaseñor recalled. Even as a veteran on the show, the 35-year-old said she “always felt like I was on the edge of a cliff every week. And I was like, I don’t want to be doing that to myself anymore.” Villaseñor said her decision to leave was ultimately “about my mental health.”

“I think I’m an introvert,” she continued. “When I’m in a big group of a lot of amazing people, and everyone’s speaking over everyone else, I think I tend to get small. I get nervous, like, where do I fit? What am I supposed to do? That’s how I was in high school, too. And so I think that’s what caused it.” At the same time, Villaseñor felt “ready” to leave the show. “There was just something telling me, I think I could part ways.”

The comedian admitted it’s difficult to watch clips of the show now that she’s not on it, but overall she said she’s enjoying all her newfound free time. “I almost feel reborn or something,” Villaseñor said, explaining that she’s throwing herself into learning new things, like Spanish and the guitar. She also recently published a book (perfectly entitled “Whoops . . . I’m Awesome”) and has continued making art, which served as an emotional outlet while she was on “SNL.” “[D]rawing became that place where I could share anything that I’m feeling sensitive about or insecure about,” she explained.