Before Saturday Night Live Season 51 premiered in 2025, Ego Nwodim, Devon Walker, Emil Wakim and Michael Longfellow announced they were leaving. Heidi Gardner’s departure was also reported, but it had not been publicly confirmed by Gardner or NBC in the Associated Press’s September 2025 account. Five featured players joined the Season 51 cast. These are historical Season 51 changes, not the latest cast news: NBCUniversal announced two Season 52 additions in September 2026.
Who left Saturday Night Live ahead of Season 51?
Four departures were confirmed in announcements ahead of the 2025–26 season:
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- Ego Nwodim announced she was leaving after seven seasons. The Associated Press quoted her Instagram post: “But after seven unforgettable seasons, I have decided to leave SNL.”
- Devon Walker confirmed he was leaving.
- Emil Wakim confirmed he was leaving.
- Michael Longfellow confirmed he was leaving.
The Associated Press reported these changes in September 2025. Nwodim’s announcement came after reports that the Season 51 cast had been finalized with her still listed, making her later announcement an additional change to the lineup.
What was known about Heidi Gardner?
Gardner’s departure was reported by multiple outlets before the season, and later roster coverage listed her as out. However, the Associated Press noted on September 12, 2025, that neither Gardner nor NBC had publicly confirmed the departure at that time. That distinction matters: her eventual absence from the season roster is not the same as a public confirmation before the premiere.
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Five new featured players joined the Season 51 lineup:
- Ben Marshall
- Tommy Brennan
- Jeremy Culhane
- Kam Patterson
- Veronika Slowikowska
Marshall was already an SNL writer. The Associated Press described the other four as newcomers.
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How the Season 51 cast changes fit the timeline
The departure announcements and additions were part of the lineup change ahead of Season 51, which aired in 2025–26. The departures were not all announced in one single roster update: Walker, Wakim and Longfellow confirmed their exits, and Nwodim later announced hers. Gardner’s status carried the public-confirmation qualification described above.
Season 51 is no longer the current season. On September 16, 2026, NBCUniversal announced Saidah Belo-Osagie and Grace Reiter as cast additions for Season 52. Those later additions belong to a different season and should not be conflated with the Season 51 newcomers.
Where to watch Season 51
NBCUniversal says all Season 51 episodes are streaming on Peacock. Its announcement does not establish a current subscription price or compare available subscription tiers.
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