After seven years at SNL, Ego Nwodim announced last Friday that she is leaving the show. And while cast members rarely get a chance to say goodbye to their fans from the SNL stage, Nwodim got her flowers at the Fast Company Innovation Festival, where the audience gave her wild applause.

Nwodim joined SNL in 2018 and quickly became a standout performer. She’s had many viral sketches. Nwodim was memorable as “Lisa From Temecula,” making Pedro Pascal laugh so much he could barely continue the sketch. There was also the “Mid-Day News” sketch, in which newscasters split up along racial lines, keeping score about which communities commit more crimes.

It takes time for cast members to get their groove, Nwodim says. They go through an adjustment period when they blend their personal brand of hum

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