Several cast members of NBC’s Saturday Night Live (SNL) are leaving ahead of the late-night sketch comedy show’s season 51 premiere on October 4.
Last week, SNL creator Lorne Michaels hinted in an interview with Puck about “shaking things up” in the comedy programme’s line-up following the show’s 50th-season finale.
“I wanted people coming back and being part of [the 50th season]. So when Kate [McKinnon] hosted, Kristen [Wiig] and Maya [Rudolph] came back for it,” Michaels said.
“And that meant there couldn’t be those kinds of disruptions [to the cast], or anything that was going to take the focus off [the 50th season]. And we had an election.”
SNL’s season 50 cast line-up boasted 17 people, including 14 full-time cast members and three featured players.
Here are the SNL actors who are reportedly leaving the show:
Devon Walker
Devon Walker announced his departure in an Instagram post on Tuesday with the caption “me and my baby broke up”.
Walker, who joined SNL in 2022 as a featured player and was promoted to full-time cast member during the show’s 50th season, wrote: “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.”
He further implied that there was some tension on the set, with him describing his time at SNL as sometimes “really cool” and sometimes “toxic as hell”.
“But we did what we made the most of what it was, even amidst all the dysfunction. We made a f***** up lil’ family,” Walker added.
In one of his photos, he shared a note titled “wait … did he quit or did he get fired?”, providing vague hints on his departure.
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Emil Wakim
A day after Walker’s announcement, Emil Wakim also said in an Instagram post that he would not be returning for SNL’s season 51.
The actor, who was one of season 50’s feature players alongside Ashley Padilla and Jane Wickline, hinted that it was not his decision to leave the show.
“It was a gut punch of a call to get, but I’m so grateful for my time there,” he said.
“Every time I scanned into the building, I would think how insane it is to get to work there. 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,” Wakim continued.
“Thank u to Lorne for taking a chance on me and changing my life.
“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.”
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Michael Longfellow
Deadline then reported on Thursday that Michael Longfellow will exit SNL after three years.
Longfellow, like Walker, joined the show as a featured player in season 48 and was later promoted to full-time cast member during his final season.
He confirmed the news on Instagram, saying that he would not be returning for a fourth 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,” Longfellow wrote.
“I’ll miss it all, but I’ll miss the friends I made and seeing them every day the most.”
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Heidi Gardner
Several media outlets, including People and Variety, have alleged that Heidi Gardner is also leaving SNL after eight seasons, potentially making her the longest-running cast member to exit so far.
Gardner made her SNL debut in 2017 as a featured player and was promoted to full-time cast in 2019.
She was the most tenured current female cast member in season 50 and the member with the most sketch appearances in season 49.
Gardner has not yet confirmed her exit.
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Adam Peaker