Taran Killam, ‘Hamilton’ Star And ‘SNL’ Alum, Pays Tribute To Vanessa Bayer, Bobby Moynihan As Season Ends
Saturday Night Live alum and current Hamilton actor Taran Killam paid tribute to his former co-stars Vanessa Bayer and Bobby Moynihan as they finished their final seasons with the sketch comedy show this weekend.
Killam shared heartfelt messages and sincere expressions of gratitude for Vanessa and Bobby with individual posts on Instagram on Saturday.
With his tribute to Vanessa Bayer, he shared a photo where they were both side-by-side dressed in costume.
“[Vanessa Bayer], my work wife and my sister. It’s grosser than it sounds. I never would have survived without you. You are a genius. And you never give up. I wish I could be more like you. I’ll never forget holding your hand and watching our intros for the first time. Congratulations. What a ride.”
Vanessa Bayer first joined the Saturday Night Live cast in September 2010 – nearly two years before she was promoted to a regular cast member. In addition to her brilliant impersonations of Miley Cyrus and Jennifer Aniston as Rachel from Friends, Bayer was able to breathe life into a number of original characters that became memorable and lovable aspects of the “Weekend Update” segment.
In recent years, Vanessa has been able to expand her acting resume to include a number of big-screen acting roles in successful hit movies – creating a brand new path for her to showcase her talents.
Tonight's #SNL marks the final appearance for both @BibbyMoynihan and @VanessaBayer. https://t.co/IkX7W3fhdf pic.twitter.com/C7IRgqIA0R
— Variety (@Variety) May 20, 2017
With Taran Killam’s tribute to Bobby Moynihan, the shared photo featured Bobby in costume smiling alongside his longtime friend and co-star.
“One of the best friends I’ll ever have. One of the funniest people I’ve ever known. One of the greatest performers ever on the show. Congrats [Bobby Moynihan], I love you. #SmellsLikePeppa”
Bobby Moynihan started on Saturday Night Live in 2008 and quickly became a fan favorite with his solid impersonations, hilarious supporting roles sketch after sketch, and the memorable characters he played during the “Weekend Update” segments.
Long before the news of Bobby’s decision to leave SNL behind was confirmed, reports of his new CBS sitcom in development raised concerns of the actor finally walking away from Studio 8H no longer as a regular cast member.
Bobby Moynihan is departing “Saturday Night Live” for a new CBS sitcom https://t.co/YWvbPUvo5k pic.twitter.com/rabxEDLHAP
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) May 18, 2017
Bobby had already been on SNL for nearly two seasons before Taran Killam came along. Actually, a substantial number of the cast members on the show did not join until after Bobby and Vanessa were already onboard.
Further reports claim that a relatively new addition to the SNL cast – Sasheer Zamata – also wrapped up her time with the show after only four seasons as the show’s 42nd season came to a close.
Sasheer Zamata is also leaving Saturday Night Live https://t.co/l3xEtjawL9 pic.twitter.com/ZZxX8OKdlC
— The A.V. Club (@TheAVClub) May 21, 2017
Kenan Thompson, who joined the Saturday Night Live cast in 2003, is currently the veteran cast member with the most seasons under his belt. With the exits of Jay Pharoah and Taran Killam along with the recent farewells offered by Bobby Moynihan and Vanessa Bayer, it will be interesting to see what will happen with the SNL cast as they work on developing the show’s 43rd season.
Taran Killam’s decision to pay tribute to his former co-stars at least shines a positive light on the friendships and close bonds formed behind the scenes of Saturday Night Live by many of the writers, cast and crew members.
[Featured Image by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images]
