Before Saturday Night Live’s 51st season began in 2025, Lorne Michaels signaled that the show would change after its anniversary year. Four cast members publicly confirmed they were leaving: Devon Walker, Emil Wakim, Michael Longfellow and Ego Nwodim. Heidi Gardner’s exit was reported by news outlets, but she and NBC had not publicly confirmed it at the time. Five featured players joined the Season 51 cast.
What Lorne Michaels said about a cast shake-up
In an August 29, 2025 report, NPR quoted Michaels from an interview with Puck explaining why he had wanted performers to return for the show’s 50th season: “I wanted people coming back and being part [of the 50th season].” Asked whether he felt pressure to reinvent the following season, Michaels replied, “Yeah, for sure.” NPR reproduced the remarks from the Puck interview; the original interview was not independently reviewed for this account.
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The Associated Press reported that Michaels answered “yes” when asked by Puck whether he expected to “shake things up.” He also identified James Austin Johnson as returning. Those comments signaled anticipated change, but they were not an announcement that specific cast members had been dismissed. The departures became clear through performers’ own announcements and subsequent reporting.
Who left the SNL cast before Season 51?
In its 2025 coverage, the Associated Press said four performers had confirmed their departures in social media posts. Their statements gave different details about their time on the show:
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| Performer | Status and detail reported |
|---|---|
| Devon Walker | Confirmed he was leaving; he described his three years on the show in mixed terms. |
| Emil Wakim | Indicated he had been let go after his season as a featured player. |
| Michael Longfellow | Confirmed he was leaving after three seasons, which he called “the best three years of my life so far.” |
| Ego Nwodim | Confirmed she was leaving after seven seasons, writing, “But after seven unforgettable seasons, I have decided to leave SNL.” |
The AP report quoted Nwodim’s post and summarized the other performers’ announcements. Read the Associated Press report.
Heidi Gardner’s reported exit
On September 2, 2025, the Los Angeles Times reported, citing a source familiar with the casting changes, that Gardner was exiting after eight seasons. She had not publicly commented. The AP likewise said multiple outlets had reported her departure and noted that neither Gardner nor NBC had publicly confirmed it as of the AP report. Her status should therefore be distinguished from the four departures those performers had announced themselves. The Los Angeles Times reported Gardner’s departure.
Who joined SNL for Season 51?
NBC announced five new featured players for the 2025–26 season: Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Ben Marshall, Kam Patterson and Veronika Slowikowska. The AP identified Marshall as an existing SNL writer and a member of Please Don’t Destroy. The Los Angeles Times described Brennan and Patterson as stand-up comedians, and Culhane and Slowikowska as performers known for online comedy; Slowikowska had also appeared on television. The AP covered the five additions, and the Los Angeles Times described their backgrounds.
Cast departures were not the same as writer departures
NPR’s August 29, 2025 report also discussed writers leaving the show, including Celeste Yim, Rosebud Baker and John Higgins. They were staff changes, not cast departures, so they should not be counted among the performers who left. NPR’s report covered the broader changes.
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Season 51 is now part of SNL’s history
The departures and additions were reported in 2025, ahead of Season 51. NBCUniversal’s September 16, 2026 update was already looking ahead to Season 52, naming Saidah Belo-Osagie and Grace Reiter as new cast members. It also said SNL streams live on NBC and Peacock and that every season is available on Peacock. See NBCUniversal’s Season 52 update.
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