Why (and when) did Jimmy Fallon leave Saturday Night Live?

Jimmy Fallon's dream was to be on Saturday Night Live. He spent his childhood refining his comedic talents, and is, famously, one of the few cast members who made creator Lorne Michaels crack up during the cast auditions.

Fallon played a role in several iconic sketches during the late 1990s and early 2000s. The comedian eventually left thw show, however, and given his subsequent return to TV with The Tonight Show, as well as his close friendship with Michaels, some fans may curious as to why Fallon left SNL in the first place.

Jimmy Fallon wanted to break into movies

Jimmy Fallon joined Saturday Night Live in 1998, and remained a central cast member until 2004. His reasoning, ultimately, is that he wanted to try his talents elsewhere. SNL has a stellar track record of launching comedians into movie stardom, and Fallon felt he could follow a similar trajectory.

After sifting through multiple scripts, Fallon decided to quit the sketch show and roll the dice on two high profile films: the action-comedy Taxi and the romantic comedy Fever Pitch with Drew Barrymore. These films were released in 2004 and 2005, respectively, and had high expectations. Unfortunately, neither film performed well with fans or critics.

He credits Lorne Michaels with saving his career

The reception was so tepid to these films, in fact, that NBC was soured on Jimmy Fallon as a brand. The comedian recalls struggling to be taken seriously when the network was looking for a new host for The Tonight Show. His saving grace, according to the Strike Force Five podcast, was his friendship with Lorne Michaels.

"I think Lorne said, 'Look, I’ve worked with Jimmy. He’s a hard worker. He’s going to be great at this. Either you do this with Jimmy or I’m not involved.'"

The gambit worked and Fallon the failed movie star became Fallon the successful late night host. His career was rejuvenated, and he was even popular enough to return to Saturday Night Live as a host in 2011.