CNN
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Damon Wayans has no hard feelings about being fired from “Saturday evening live” in season 11 – mainly because he wanted to be dropped from the sketch show.
The comedian recalled the incident that led to his firing on Peacock’s documentary series “SNL 50,” saying the moment that ultimately got him fired was the culmination of the frustrations he felt throughout the season 11 seeing his sketches being cut from the series before airing.
After one of his sketches was cut again, “I broke down,” Wayans said.
In a sketch entitled “Mr. Monopoly,” which starred Jon Lovitz as the title character, Wayans decided to play his role differently for the broadcast than in rehearsals, taking his scene partners and others by surprise.
“I didn’t care,” Wayans said.
Wayans added that he “did this deliberately because I wanted (Lorne Michaels) fired.”
It worked. Wayans was fired almost immediately after the series ended, a decision that Michaels said in the doc “was really, really difficult” but “had to be made.”
“Live From New York” author James Andrew Miller also weighed in, saying Damon “broke the ultimate golden rule, which is no surprise.”
After “SNL,” things went well for Wayans.
He later became a successful comedic actor, starring in five seasons of “In Living Color” in the ’90s and “My Wife and Kids” in the ’90s. He also starred in popular ’90s films, including “Major Payne,” “Mo’ Money,” and “The Last Boy Scout.”
Proving there’s no bad blood, Wayans returned to “SNL” to perform stand-up in the final episode of season 11, which ran from 1985 to 1986.
“Lorne is a very forgiving man,” Wayans said in the document. “And I think he just wanted to let me know that he believed in me.”