Upcoming plans for at least one of Saturday Night Live’s departed cast members has been revealed.
John Higgins, one third of Please Don’t Destroy, the comedy trio behind the show’s signature behind-the-scenes sketches, will join Cameron Diaz on the cast of the Netflix action comedy Bad Day, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Higgins, the son of longtime SNL and Tonight Show producer Steve Higgins, was one of several people who left SNL ahead of its 51st season.
Regular players Heidi Gardner, Michael Longfellow, and Devon Walker are each not returning, and neither is first-year featured player Emil Wakim.
Ego Nwodim announced that she made the decision to leave the show after seven seasons just days after being publicly confirmed as part of the returning cast. While Nwodim’s voluntary exit was a shock, it was the alleged non-renewal of Gardner’s contract that sparked the most fan outcry, as she was one of the show’s stalwarts and a fan favorite cast member after eight seasons. The exits mark the most the show has seen since eight members left the show in 2022.
The show garnered anticipation for its upcoming season by casting five new cast members, most of whom built their fan bases with social media: Veronika Slowikowska, Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, and Kam Patterson. Patterson will be the first SNL player to have publicly declared his support for Donald Trump ahead of the 2024 election.
Patterson is also notably a protégé of MAGA comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who sparked outrage with his comments during Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally in October. The hiring of Patterson potentially marks a shift for the show as boss Lorne Michaels tries to angle the show’s political commentary down the middle.
Michaels told Entertainment Tonight that the new cast members are reflective of the show’s fan base. “Our audience always stayed relatively young, and more so now with TikTok. Change is good and the people we’re bringing in, I’m really excited about,” he told the site on the Emmys red carpet.
Higgins’ exit from SNL breaks up Please Don’t Destroy’s presence on the show. The other members of the trio will remain on staff. Ben Marshall was promoted to featured player and Martin Herlihy is staying on as part of the show’s writing team. When announcing his departure earlier this month, Higgins’ wrote that being on SNL “was my dream and I got to live it. And to do it with my two best friends and my dad was an unbelievable experience.” He then hinted at the “acting opportunities” he was excited to pursue.
The remaining cast and new additions will return when Season 51 kicks off on October 4. On Thursday, the show announced the first three hosts as Bad Bunny, Amy Poehler, and Sabrina Carpenter.
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