It's the end of an era for Andy Samberg, as the Lonely Island frontman has finally confirmed his exit from "Saturday Night Live."

Samberg spoke with The New York Times on Friday (June 1) and described the decision to depart "SNL" as "an incredibly emotional and strange moment in my life." He added, "Obviously it's not a huge shock, but I did officially decide not to come back."

No, it isn't a huge shock -- Samberg's final Digital Short, a sequel to "Lazy Sunday," strongly suggested his impending exit -- but it's nonetheless "one of the hardest decisions I've ever made," according to Samberg. In elaborating on his reasons for leaving the show after seven seasons, Samberg echoed the philosophy of fellow castmember [article id="1685472"]Kristen Wiig, who also just concluded her "SNL" run[/article].

"She kept saying it just feels like it's her time," he said. "I connect with that. Something about it just feels like it's the moment. My contract's up, and I did so much more than I ever thought I would ever even do."

Samberg's decision to walk away from the New York City-based variety show comes shortly after comments he made during his MTV Sneak Peek Week appearance for "That's My Boy" this past Wednesday. At the time, Samberg told MTV News that his mind had not yet been made up regarding his future with the show.

"You know, I've just been focusing on the movie and all this stuff," the onetime MTV Movie Awards host said. "I haven't talked to Lorne about it yet. Something will get decided over the summer. We'll see. No matter what, it's been a dream come true working there for me."

Head over to MovieAwards.MTV.com to vote for your favorite flicks now! The 21st annual MTV Movie Awards air live this Sunday, June 3, at 9 p.m. ET.