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- "The Bear" Star Abby Elliott Says Getting Fired from "SNL" Was the 'Worst' Thing 'That Could Happen'</p>
<p>Victoria EdelJuly 1, 2025 at 12:43 AM</p>
<p>Dana Edelson/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty; David Jon/Getty</p>
<p>Abby Elliott as Rachel Maddow on 'Saturday Night Live' in 2012 (left); Abby Elliott in June 2025 (right)</p>
<p>Abby Elliott spoke about her Saturday Night Live tenure — and firing — in a new interview</p>
<p>Elliott appeared on the sketch series from 2008 to 2012, beginning when she was 21 years old</p>
<p>Elliott said there was a "looming threat of getting fired" and she knew it was the "worst that could happen"</p>
<p>Abby Elliott has some thoughts about her Saturday Night Live tenure.</p>
<p>In an interview published on June 28 in The Independent, Elliott, 38, reflected on her time on SNL. She appeared on the series from 2008 to 2012. She was cast at just 21 years old, making her still the youngest-ever female cast member.</p>
<p>Elliott told the outlet she first got into comedy because of her dad Chris Elliott, himself an SNL alumnus and now known for shows like Schitt's Creek and Everybody Loves Raymond. "My dad was like, 'You're funny, you know? Why don't you try improv?' " she remembered.</p>
<p>When she got cast on SNL, her niche was impersonating A-list actresses, including Angelina Jolie and Meryl Streep. But she didn't enjoy doing them anymore. "I guess because it feels like I was beating a dead horse for so long," she explained.</p>
<p>Thos Robinson/Getty</p>
<p>Chris Elliott (left) and Abby Elliott in 2010</p>
<p>She also felt the intense pressure of SNL and working for legendary producer Lorne Michaels. "Every week was a new week, and your happiness would depend on whether you got something on air or not, and if three weeks went by without a sketch, you'd think, 'Uh-oh, am I going to be fired?' " Elliott said. "There was always that looming threat of getting fired. That was the worst that could happen. And then, I kind of did."</p>
<p>Elliott told the outlet she asked Michaels, now 80, if she could leave, but then changed her mind. "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,' " she remembered.</p>
<p>Ultimately, leaving the show was the right choice.</p>
<p>"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," she explained. "Also, I had learnt the lessons I was going to learn ... and so I left and, you know, the water was warm." She went on to appear on How I Met Your Mother and Bravo's Odd Mom Out. Then in 2022, she joined The Bear as Natalie, the older sister of Jeremy Allen White's Carmy.</p>
<p>Elliott's dad Chris, 65, had an even shorter SNL tenure than his daughter, appearing on the show during the 1994 to 1995 season. He did not enjoy it, telling Salon in 2012, "I had a terrible time. I always have to preface this by saying that all the cast, they really liked me, they were all really nice. I think I just went there when I was too old."</p>
<p>Abby Elliott in 'The Bear' season 4 in 2025</p>
<p>Earlier this June, Elliott also revealed that she's related to Steve Higgins, who's worked as an SNL writer and as the announcer and sidekick on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. "I mean, it's wild," Elliott said on SiriusXM's The Julia Cunningham Show. "Yes. [Higgins is] my mom's sister's husband," she explained. "I mean, something in the Niedert women. I mean, they must just like funny men."</p>
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<p>Abby's cousin John Higgins, Steve's son, also works on the sketch series as part of the Please Don't Destroy comedy trio.</p>
<p>on People</p>
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