"I Wasn’t Very Free There”: Leslie Jones Does Not Regret Leaving 'SNL'

"I don't miss it. At all."

Though it was her breakout platform, Leslie Jones does not regret parting ways with Saturday Night Live.

In a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, Jones revealed her tenure with the late-night institution was largely untenable, charging the program with being "restrictive," claiming she "wasn't very free there." Jones didn't go into details, but did flatly state, "I don't miss it. At all." While she clearly feels some type of way about SNL and doesn't really want to get into it, Jones did admit to missing her former co-star, Kenan Thompson, "so much."

The comedian's departure from the show was sudden. After serving as a writer and recurring player on SNL for five seasons, Jones announced she was leaving in September of 2019 without much of an explanation. Announcing her decision in a series of lengthy tweets, Jones kept it cool and grateful in the reveal. "I know you will be as excited as I am when you see some of the amazing projects and adventures that I have coming up very soon," she wrote. Flash forward to the present, the teased project turned out to be a hosting gig on the revived Supermarket Sweep game show, for which she once auditioned to be a contestant.

And while she's not looking back on her time with SNL with much fondness these days, the show certainly broadened the playing field for the comedian. Since 2014, Jones has starred in a number of films, including, Trainwreck, Ghostbusters, and Chris Rock's directorial debut, Top Five. She's also slated to appear in the much-anticipated sequel to Eddie Murphy's Coming to America, alongside Tracy Morgan, Jermaine Fowler, Wesley Snipes, and the vast majority of the original cast.

The Coming to America sequel is reportedly dodging the ailing theater circuit and heading straight to Amazon Prime on December 18th.