Devon Walkerset the record straight about his exit fromSaturday Night Liveahead of season 51. "To be frank, I guess the best way I put it is like me and the show kind of looked at each other and we decided together that it was time to go our separate ways," Walker, 34, toldRolling Stonein an interview published on Saturday, August 30. "I think I felt ready to leave the show, and I think the show felt ready to leave me. I was just ready to do something else. We both felt like it was time. This was such a big time commitment, and life commitment. There's been a lot of life stuff that I feel like I've had to miss out on. And I felt ready to do a different version of my life. I think that me and the show are both ready to turn the page." Walker surprisedSNLfans when he announced on Monday, August 25, that he wasleaving the NBC sketch showafter three seasons. His announcement was the first in a string of exits that would also seeMichael Longfellow,Emil WakimandHeidi GardneralldepartingSaturday Night Live. In his announcement, Walker seemed to suggest he'd had a complicated experience working onSaturday Night Live, admitting that "sometimes it was really cool [and] sometimes it was toxic as hell." 'Saturday Night Live' Season 51: Premiere Date, Cast Exits and Everything You Need to Know "We made the most of what it was, even amidst all the dysfunction," he wrote. "We made a f***ed up lil family." Speaking toRolling Stone, Walker noticeably downplayed any insinuation that there was bad blood between himself andSNL. "I got to work at the show in my first two seasons with two of my best friends in the world — [writers]Gary RichardsonandAlex English," he pointed. "To me, that really felt like family. And you spend so much time together, we're seeing each other way more than we're seeing our families. Being able to be in that environment, in the foxhole with two people who are so close to me — I feel really grateful for that." The actor went on, "And even people who I didn't know before, likeJames Austin Johnson. I never met him a day in my life before I got started atSNL, and that man really looked out for me in ways that he really didn't have to. There are people there who, even if you didn't know each other before, you forge a bond with." Walker mentioned that he loved the "fraternity" environment ofSNLthat allowed him to interact with legendary cast members at February's 50th anniversary special. "I might see, like,Adam Sandler, you know, and he's talking about how there's a shorthand," the comic said. "Even though he went through the show 30 years before I ever got there, we know what it is. There's just an understanding that anybody who's ever worked there will always share." As for the future, Walker insisted that he was "genuinely very excited" about whatever comes next in his career. 9 Moments From Saturday Night Live's Milestone 50th Season "I think when somebody leavesSNL, people's impulse is to be like, 'Oh, I'm really sorry," he acknowledged. "But to me, getting onSNLwas such a blessing. I was never even training to do that thing. That's just like a God thing, a fortunate happenstance that I ended up getting to be on that show. I'm proud of a lot of the work that I did on there, but wait till people get to see the stuff that I really want to do." Fans — and even formerSNLcast members — have been buzzing about what other changes could take place behind the scenes before season 51 kicks off. FormerSNLstarPunkie Johnson— who exited the show after four years in 2024 — perfectlycaptured the whiplash effectmany fans have been feeling. Reacting to an Instagram post announcing Longfellow's departure, Johnson, 40, wrote: "WTF is happening… This is likeThe Departed… My sexy handsome work husband… I love you so much…I'll call you… Welcome back outside baby…. I'll see you out here soon." Saturday Night Livereturns this fall on NBC.