As Saturday Night Live approaches its 51st season, the iconic sketch comedy show is undergoing a wave of significant cast departures.
Why It Matters
While changes in SNL‘s sizable cast have been a common occurrence over the course of its 50-year history, this year’s turnover is one of the largest preseason shake-ups in recent memory, and comes as creator Lorne Michaels acknowledges feeling pressure to reinvent the series.
Which Cast Members Are Leaving ‘SNL’ This Season?
On the heels of its milestone half-century anniversary earlier this year, A total of four cast members will be absent from SNL‘s 51st season.
Heidi Gardner
Gardner joined the show in 2017 and was promoted to the main cast in 2019. She became known for her character Angel, a distressed boxer’s girlfriend, and teen film critic Bailey Gismert. Gardner also played Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in last season’s White Potus sketch.
The 42-year-old Gardner is the longest tenured cast member of this year’s departees, but has not yet commented publicly on her exit. Newsweek contacted Gardner’s representatives via email on Friday for comment.
Michael Longfellow
Longfellow joined the cast in 2022, and his exit has been viewed as a surprise by some. LateNighter reported last week, citing an anonymous source with knowledge of the matter, that Longfellow was being considered as a potential co-host of SNL‘s Weekend Update.
Longfellow made the announcement via Instagram on Thursday, writing: “Will not be returning for a 4th season at SNL. Wish I was but, so it goes. It was the best three years of my life so far. I feel nothing but gratitude for the experience and everyone there. Lorne, you gave me the greatest job in the world and changed my life.”
Devon Walker
Walker joined SNL alongside Longfellow in 2022, and said his departure was a mutual decision with the show’s organizers. The 34-year-old comedian told Rolling Stone: “We decided together that it was time to go our separate ways.”
“Me and the show did three years together,” Walker wrote in a farewell letter on Instagram. “And sometimes it was really cool. Sometimes it was toxic as hell.”
Emil Wakim
The 27-year-old Wakim joined SNL last season, making appearances on Weekend Update while also occasionally performing stand-up sets as part of the show.
“I won’t be returning to SNL next year,” Wakim posted to Instagram. “It was a gut punch of a call to get, but I’m so grateful for my time there.”
“Every time I scanned into the building, I would think how insane it is to get to work there,” the post continued. “It was the most terrifying, thrilling, and rewarding experience of my life and I will miss it dearly and all the brilliant people that work there that made it feel like a home.”
What People Are Saying
Devon Walker posted to Instagram: “To me, jobs in this industry feel like a bunch of little marriages. Some of ’em last for a long time if we’re lucky, but most of them are fleeting. Permanent until they’re not. That’s the deal. You know what it is when you sign up.”
Michael Longfellow posted to Instagram: “I’ll miss it all, but I’ll miss the friends I made and seeing them every day the most. Excited for the future and things to come.”
Emil Wakim posted to Instagram: “I was so lucky to bring some of myself in there and say things I believed in and I’m excited for whatever chapter comes next. Here’s to making more art without compromise.”
What Happens Next?
The next season of SNL is scheduled to debut on October 4 on NBC and Peacock.
Despite these departures, many aspects of SNL will remain unchanged. Lorne Michaels confirmed in an interview with Puck that James Austin Johnson will be reprising his role as President Donald Trump in the upcoming season.
The post ‘SNL’ Cast Member Changes Revealed for New Season appeared first on Newsweek.
