Amy Poehler Leaves SNL

Last weekend’s season debut of Saturday Night Live got its highest ratings since 2001, and we like to think that Burlington’s own Amy Poehler had a lot to do with its success.

Sure, everybody’s talking about Tina Fey’s dead-on impersonation of vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. But much like the presidential race itself, there wouldn’t be a Palin without Poehler’s Hillary Clinton.

And art continues to imitate life as Poehler has decided to drop out of the SNL cast.

Poehler, who is due to have to her first child later in the fall, says it’s hard to walk away from the show.

“It’s gonna be really hard — Boyz II Men hard — to say goodbye to yesterday,” Amy says in the new issue of Men’s Vogue. ” ‘SNL’ was dangerous, late-night, last-minute and star-studded, but like any good drug, you need to know when to put it down.”

It’s good news for the Boston College graduate. Once her maternity leave is over, she’ll be starring in a comedy series from the executive producers of The Office. The post-SNL sitcom gig has worked out pretty well for Fey.

This is bad news for the late-night comedy show, however. Poehler’s strength is her versatility, doing impressions that ranged from from Clinton to Michael Jackson. And aside from Darrell Hammond (who can still out-Clinton Bill Clinton) Andy Samberg (crazy delicious!), and Keenan Thompson (we loved Keenan and Kel), we have no idea who any of the cast members are. And we probably won’t stick around to find out, now that the familiar Poehler won’t be there.

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Photo from SNL website