Andy Samberg leaving 'SNL'

Entertainment Tonight, Friday, June 1, 2012, 4:40pm (PDT)

Entertainment Tonight.

It looks like "Lazy Sundays," "Laser Cats" and other digital short favorites will go by the wayside on "Saturday Night Live," as Andy Samberg has confirmed to The New York Times that he is indeed leaving the live NBC sketch show that launched his career.

"It's an incredibly emotional and strange moment in my life," Samberg told the Times on Friday. "Obviously it's not a huge shock, but I did officially decide not to come back." He adds that leaving the show was "one of the hardest decisions I've ever made."

Next to the end-of-season departure of Kristen Wiig, Samberg's "SNL" reign lasted seven seasons and was highlighted by his many digital shorts that featured such stars as Justin Timberlake, Steven Spielberg and Natalie Portman singing and getting silly, not to mention the comedic hip-hop group the Lonely Island with Samberg's frequent collaborators Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer.

Still, Samberg hopes he can make occasional contributions to the show: "That's the kind of thing that I really do hope happens," he said.

Samberg will next be seen on the big screen opposite Adam Sandler in the comedy "That's My Boy" as well as "Celeste and Jesse Forever."

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