For Ego Nwodim, leaving "Saturday Night Live" after seven seasons was like ending a marriage.

The comedian, 37, opened up about her surprise decision to exit "SNL" during a Nov. 5 appearance on Sherri Shepherd's talk show, explaining why she felt now was the right time to move on.

"It's like being in a marriage," Nwodim said. "I've never done it before, but that show was my longest relationship ever. I'm not a commitment-phobe, but I heard when you're married, you get the seven year itch. It's like, 'I want to date other people.' ... I want to explore other opportunities. I started to get the seven year itch. I'm like, 'We don't have kids. I'm going to see other people.'"

She added, "I truly did learn so much there, and I had so much fun. I miss my colleagues. But it felt like the time to make space for something else for me."

The comedian also addressed that her "SNL" exit now means there are no longer any Black women featured in the cast. She told Shepherd that she "felt honored to represent" Black women on the show and hopes "there will be more Black women" on the comedy sketch show going forward.

Shepherd previously urged "SNL" to hire a Black woman in the wake of Nwodim's departure, saying on her show in October, "This is a break glass in case of an emergency. It is an emergency. It's so important. We gotta have representation on that show."

Nwodim joined the "SNL" cast in 2018 and announced her exit in an Instagram post on Sept. 12, weeks before the Season 51 premiere. "The hardest part of a great party is knowing when to say goodnight," she wrote. Nwodim's announcement came after a wave of "SNL" exits, including Heidi Gardner, who joined the show's cast in 2017.

Nwodim recently reunited with Gardner, with whom she became close friends on "SNL," on her "Thanks Dad" podcast. In the Oct. 28 episode, Nwodim told Gardner that "SNL" is "not the easiest place to work" but that she was "such a huge gift" to work with. Nwodim also described Gardner as "such a light in what can be such a challenging place."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ego Nwodim reveals why she left 'SNL' after 7 seasons

Reporting by Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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