Aidy Bryant’s ‘SNL’ Exit Interview: ‘I Was Worried I Was Going to Be Fully Crying’

variety.com:

Aidy Bryant spent a decade of her life as one of the more recognizable players on “Saturday Night Live.” But on a recent afternoon, as she’s being photographed in Bryant Park (get it?), she manages to stump a stranger.

This curious woman cranes her neck at Bryant, who is minding her own business, posing near the New York Public Library in a flowy black dress and silver pumps.“What are you in?” the woman asks, spotting a familiar face.Bryant, 35, is too polite to brush her away.

She stops mid-pose to drop the name of her most famous job. “I love saying my credits,” Bryant says when the woman is out of earshot.On “SNL,” Bryant became a household name by impersonating everyone from Adele to Rebel Wilson — and she had a special talent for playing polarizing political conservatives including Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Meghan McCain and (most hilarious of all) Ted Cruz.

But last month, Bryant left “Saturday Night Live,” bidding farewell to her fans and workplace home on the NBC sketch show. It was a decision she made on her own, though it came at a pivotal time in “SNL” history; her departure felt more like an exodus, as it coincided with resignations from Kate McKinnon, Pete Davidson and Kyle Mooney.“It hasn’t hit me yet,” says Bryant, who is a lot more mild-mannered than her more outrageous caricatures.Now, she is eager to prove — to herself and Hollywood — she’s more than just the relatable bestie you’d want to run into on the street.