Melissa Villaseñor left ‘SNL’ for mental health reasons after having panic attacks
Melissa Villaseñor left ‘SNL’ for mental health reasons after having panic attacks, the New York Times reported Wednesday.
After the series’ final episode aired in February, Villaseñor decided to leave the show after having a panic attack that left her in the hospital for several days, according to the report.
Now, she’s reportedly seeking treatment with a new doctor, who, according to the report, is “anesthetizing patients.”
The Times reported that Melissa Villaseñor’s doctor told her she had a blood disorder called thrombocytopenia. It’s a type of blood disorder in which platelets, which keep blood flowing, don’t work properly, according to the report.
The doctor said he’d never seen it before and suspected the patient was a “bad actress,” the Times reported.
The doctor’s name wasn’t given in the Times article.
Melissa Villaseñor’s manager, Brian A. Schallert, told Fox 5 New York via phone on Wednesday that the patient has been “off the radar” since her departure.
“She’s out of the loop,” Schallert said.
In March, Melissa Villaseñor signed a contract extension with ‘SNL,’ her agent told the New York Times.
In the new contract, Villaseñor won’t have to meet her salary. The ‘SNL’ series finale made Villaseñor $11 million, NBC announced in February. And she will receive $10 million over three years on the ‘SNL’ reruns, she told the Times.
Villaseñor recently revealed a new doctor in what are said to be “mixed results.”
The New York Times
Villaseñor has had seizures since being hospitalized for panic attacks as a teenager, and her new doctor is anesthetizing patients, according to the Times.
But on Thursday, the Times reported that Villaseñor is “back on the grid” at ‘SNL,’ where she has taken on a new role and become one of ‘SNL”s most popular performers in recent years.