After a historic 50th season, “SNL,” led by executive producer Lorne Michaels, seems to be moving into a new era. For the first time since Season 39, the iconic live sketch comedy show has hired five brand-new cast members as featured players. However, they will also be losing five cast members, some by choice and some by force, to maintain a total of 17 people for Season 51.
The most shocking departures from the show are Heidi Gardner and Ego Nwodim, who have been on the show for eight and seven years, respectively. Gardner, who was the longest-tenured female cast member last season, hinted at her departure in a podcast episode with comedian Scott Ferguson in Feb. 2025, saying, “I will say the only thing that I’ve started to feel a little bit is just sketch fatigue, or idea fatigue. At this point, after doing … SNL for so long, I’m like, ‘I’ve written a lot of sketches.’” Gardner now looks to a bright future in movies and television, following her stardom in the Adam Sandler basketball movie “Hustle” and current recurring role on the hit show “Shrinking” alongside Harrison Ford and Jason Segel.
Ego Nwodim was yet another heartbreaking loss from the show’s cast, cited to be leaving the show to find more directing, writing, and acting opportunities outside of “SNL” by Today. However, she looks back on her seven seasons extremely positively, writing on her Instagram, “Week after week on that stage taught me more than I could have ever imagined, and I will carry those memories (and that laughter) with me always.”
Also leaving “SNL” willingly is Devon Walker, who after three seasons, stated on his Instagram that his relationship with the show was both “really cool” and “toxic as hell,” and that they made the most out of the dysfunction. On the other hand, three-year cast member Michael Longfellow and rookie featured player Emil Wakim were both let go from the show for unknown reasons, but they still showed their great appreciation on their Instagrams for Lorne Michaels, the cast, and crew for giving them the experiences and memories of a lifetime.
The most notable of the show’s additions is 30-year-old Ben Marshall, who has already been writing for “SNL” since 2021 and acts in digital video shorts as a member of the comedy trio Please Don’t Destroy. Marshall will join the show, but the trio will no longer be working together. While Martin Herlihy will remain as a writer, John Higgins (writer) is leaving the show entirely.
Another highly anticipated hire is Veronika Slowikowska, a 29-year-old comic who has starred in comedy shows “Tires” and “What We Do in the Shadows,” and holds nearly 2 million followers across Instagram and TikTok. She is also the first Canadian cast member on “SNL” since 1994 and the first Canadian female cast member since 1981.
“SNL” has also hired 33-year-old comedian Jeremy Culhane, 32-year-old stand-up comic Tommy Brennan, and 26-year-old stand-up comedian Kam Patterson, who have starred on various comedy specials, game shows, podcasts, and shows. Brennan has even been featured on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”
These shakeups may seem unexpected right after Season 50, a momentous season that racked up 7.7 billion views across social media platforms and an average of 8.1 million viewers per show, a 12% increase in viewership to Season 49 (Variety). Yet, Lorne Michaels believes that “change is good,” and that now is the time to bring in a new generation of viewers.
“The show has always brought people in from different ages and different generations, and it’s how it revives itself,” Michaels told Entertainment Tonight. He specifically noticed that the show’s audience continues to get younger, especially with a surge of popularity coming from TikTok. All in all, if these new cast members can bring in fresh energy, new identities, unique senses of humor, and continue to hook younger audiences from TikTok and Instagram, we should be in store for a smooth transition into the next generation of “SNL.”
If you still want to see the magic from Season 50, have no fear, because returning to the show are 23-year veteran Kenan Thompson, Colin Jost and Michael Che on “Weekend Update,” seven-year stars Bowen Yang and Chloe Fineman, young icon Marcello Hernandez, Mikey Day, Sarah Sherman, Andrew Dismukes, second-year featured players Ashley Padilla and Jane Wickline, and James Austin Johnson reprising his role as Donald Trump.
“SNL” has also announced that Bad Bunny will host and Doja Cat will be the musical guest for the season premiere on Oct. 4, the latter of whom will make her musical debut on the show. The next week, former eight-year “SNL” veteran Amy Poehler will host alongside musical guest Role Model on Oct. 11, with Sabrina Carpenter following as a first-time host and returning musical guest Oct. 18.
Personally, coming off of Season 50, I have nothing but high hopes for the future of this show as they continue to find new ways to connect with younger audiences, and these additions only emphasize that point. It is heartbreaking to see icons like Heidi Gardner and Ego Nwodim go, and it is hard to know what these new additions will add to the show, but there is a wealth of content to discuss in this country right now, and I cannot wait to see how they capitalize on its comedic potential. I will especially be looking out for Veronika Slowikowska and Kam Patterson, as their energy and lively humor have the potential to especially appeal to young audiences and line up exactly with where the show is going.
With that said, be sure to tune in to the “Saturday Night Live” Season 51 premiere Oct. 4, live on NBC and streaming on Peacock.
