Chloe Fineman details bizarre Lorne Michaels phone call
Chloe Fineman details bizarre timing around her exit call with Lorne Michaels: the "SNL" boss was at a World Cup semifinal when she phoned to say she was leaving after seven seasons. He asked to call back mid-game, then they had a "really lovely chat," she told Variety.
Key Takeaways
- Fineman reached Michaels during England vs. Argentina at the World Cup semifinals.
- The "SNL" creator asked to call her back because he was at the game.
- Once they spoke again, Fineman said the conversation about her exit was lovely.
- She announced her departure after seven seasons in an Instagram post last Thursday.
- Page Six reported she quit hours after a Netflix "Myron Bolitar" role offer.
What did Chloe Fineman say about the Lorne Michaels call?
Speaking to Variety at Apple TV's "The Dink" premiere in Los Angeles on Monday, Fineman described how the conversation unfolded. Michaels, 81, answered and told her, "I'll call you back, I'm at the game."
"I was like, the soccer game?" the 38-year-old comedian recalled. She joked that she assumed he was rooting for England "because you're energetically very British."
Fineman said Michaels was "in classic form" watching England vs. Argentina. "He was doing, like, the coolest thing in the world with the coolest people, but we had a lovely talk," she added. After he called back, they "had a really lovely chat" about her decision to leave.
Why is Chloe Fineman leaving Saturday Night Live?
Fineman announced the move on Instagram on Thursday. "After 7 wonderful seasons at 'SNL' I have decided it's time for my next chapter," she wrote. "It's cliche to say this but working at 'SNL' has been the greatest privilege of my life. I still can't really believe I got to be a part of it."
She joined the NBC sketch series for Season 45 in 2019. Leaving is "hard," she said, but she believes it is "the right time." "I'm going to miss it a lot," she shared. "But the people who work there are my family and that place is my home, and I know I'll never be too far away."
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Did a Netflix role drive her shocking SNL exit?
According to Page Six, Fineman quit hours after she was offered a part in David E. Kelley's new Netflix drama series "Myron Bolitar."
"It happened very quickly," an insider told the outlet. "Chloe went back and forth, but it was a smart move — she knew she couldn't say no."
Some sources also claimed tension with other "SNL" cast members allegedly played a role. One insider said Fineman "could rub people the wrong way at times" and that "not everyone clicked with her." A second source close to the show pushed back, telling Page Six, "There's no truth to this."
Fineman's public focus remains gratitude for seven seasons and excitement for what comes next, while her Variety remarks put a warm, unexpected spotlight on that World Cup phone call with Michaels.