The comedy trio Please Don’t Destroy is officially splitting at Saturday Night Live. John Higgins, who co-created the popular digital shorts with Ben Marshall and Martin Herlihy, announced today that he is leaving the show’s writing staff.
The news comes the same day that Marshall was promoted from writer to featured player for SNL’s upcoming 51st season, making him the first member of the trio to join the main cast.
In a just-posted Instagram message, Higgins reflected on his decision to step away. “I can’t believe how lucky I was to be a part of this show. It was my dream and I got to live it,” he wrote. “And to do it with my two best friends and my dad was an unbelievable experience.”
“Thank you to everyone who made my time there so special, it made this decision that much harder,” Higgins continued. “But for now, I’m excited to pursue acting opportunities that I’ll announce soon—but today I’m just grateful for everything we got to do.”
He closed with a quote from Winnie the Pooh: “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”
Higgins has deep ties to SNL beyond his own run. He is the son of longtime writer-producer Steve Higgins, who has been part of the show’s creative backbone for decades and also serves as Jimmy Fallon’s announcer on The Tonight Show.
Please Don’t Destroy joined SNL in 2021 and quickly became a fixture with their fast-paced, absurdist short films. While the trio’s future at SNL now appears to be evolving, Higgins indicated that he intends to focus on acting projects in the near term.
Ben Marshall and Martin Herlihy both shared supportive messages on Higgins’ Instagram post.
“Love you forever brother. PDD and Rami’s assistant 4 life,” wrote Marshall.
“Love u so much my guy,” responded Herlihy, who added “That being said, it’s not ok to fat shame Winnie the Pooh. Not in 2025, not ever. Period. I’m with him right now and he’s super upset. Dude, not cool. Got Piglet calling me and shit…. Man. Not cool. Call me IMMEDIATELY.”
It’s not clear whether Please Don’t Destroy will continue to perform together off Saturday Night Live. The trio are currently on tour with dates in Oregon, New Jersey, and Maryland over the coming two weeks.
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