Amid recent cast shakeups, Saturday Night Live has added five new members to its ever-evolving roster for the upcoming Season 51.
Following the exits of Heidi Gardner, Michael Longfellow, Devon Walker, and Emil Wakim, who will take the stage next in the iconic sketch comedy show?
Who are the New Cast of Saturday Night Live Season 51?
SNL has promoted Marshall to featured player for Season 51, joining newcomers Veronika Slowikowska, Jeremy Culhane, Kam Patterson, and Tommy Brennan.
Marshall, one-third of the comedy trio Please Don’t Destroy, will return for his fifth season. While John Higgins is departing and Martin Herlihy remains on staff as a writer, Marshall will now step further into the spotlight.
Slowikowska, known for her viral comedy sketches on Instagram and TikTok with audiences ranging from hundreds of thousands to over a million followers, has already appeared in Shane Gillis’ Netflix comedy Tires and FX’s What We Do in the Shadows.
Culhane, another rising comedy voice, is a familiar face on Dropout TV and frequently performs with the Upright Citizens Brigade in Los Angeles.
Patterson, a stand-up comedian often featured on Tony Hinchcliffe’s podcast Kill Tony, will also star in Kevin Hart’s upcoming Netflix film 72 Hours.
Rounding out the new lineup, Brennan, named one of Just for Laughs’ “New Faces of Comedy” in 2023, has performed stand-up on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
Who Have Left Saturday Night Live Before Season 51?
The arrival of five new featured players comes alongside the exits of both fresh faces and longtime cast members.
Michael Longfellow, Emil Wakim, and Devon Walker confirmed last week that they will not return for SNL’s 51st season.
Longfellow, who spent three years on the show, called his time there “the best of my life so far.”
He thanked creator and producer Lorne Michaels in an Instagram post, writing, “Lorne, you gave me the greatest job in the world and changed my life. You even put my mom on TV. Thank you doesn’t begin to cover it, but thank you.”
Wakim, who joined the cast last season, described his departure as “difficult,” reflecting on SNL as “the most terrifying, thrilling, and rewarding experience of my life, and I will miss it dearly.”
Meanwhile, Walker looked back on his three years with mixed feelings, calling it “sometimes really cool, sometimes toxic as hell” in his Instagram post.
Interestingly, he hinted at uncertainty over his exit by titling the post, “wait ... did he quit or did he get fired?”
Behind the scenes, SNL’s writing staff is also undergoing a shake-up. Celeste Yim, the show’s first openly nonbinary writer, announced their departure after five seasons.
Rosebud Baker, a key part of the Weekend Update team, also left after four years, while John Higgins—one-third of the Please Don’t Destroy trio—confirmed his exit as well.
With these changes, fans may be in for an all-new SNL when Season 51 premieres on October 4 at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
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