The comedian was added as a featured player for season 50. Emil Wakim exits Saturday Night Live after 1 season: 'A gut punch of a call to get'

The comedian was added as a featured player for season 50.

Emil Wakim exits *Saturday Night Live *after 1 season: 'A gut punch of a call to get'

The comedian was added as a featured player for season 50.

By Jillian Sederholm

Jillian Sederholm

Jillian Sederholm is 's news director and co-host of EW's 'BINGE' podcast covering every season of 'RuPaul's Drag Race.' Follow her on Twitter at @JillianSed to geek out over 'SNL,' guess every celeb on 'The Masked Singer,' or discuss Christian Bale's entire filmography in intricate detail (have you noticed all the dancing?)

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on August 27, 2025 11:38 a.m. ET

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Emil Wakim on 'Saturday Night Live' on Nov. 2, 2024. Credit:

Chinaza Ajuonuma/NBC via Getty

Emil Wakim will not be returning to* Saturday Night Live *when the NBC sketch show comes back for season 51.

The comedian announced the news in an Instagram post shared with his followers on Wednesday. "I won't be returning to snl next year," Wakim's caption began. "It was a gut punch of a call to get but i'm so grateful for my time there. I was at six flags celebrating my friends 36th birthday and went on a really emotional walk through bugs bunny park and stared out across daffy duck lake thinking about life."

The caption, paired with several photos from Wakim's brief time on *SNL*, continued, "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."

"Thank u to Lorne [Michaels] for taking a chance on me and changing my life," Wakim concluded his message. "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."

The comedian signed off the note with "onwards and upwards," and shared a final message of love to his fans.**

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Wakim was one of three new featured players added the the season 50 cast, along with Ashley Padilla and Jane Wickline.

During his short time on the show, Wakim performed a comedy bit on American Patriotism as himself on "Weekend Update" and did an impression of Luigi Mangeone, the alleged UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter.

Wakim was the first Lebanese American cast member and one of only a few of Middle Eastern descent. He joined *SNL* after making a splash doing stand-up comedy on* The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon* and opening for the likes of Nikki Glaser and Hasan Minhaj.**

Generally new cast members are added as featured players under a two-year contract before being promoted to the repertory cast for five more years. However, this process does not guarantee their continued place on the cast. Although it is generally expected a featured player will get a second season to prove themselves, there are several examples of single season cast members like Jenny Slate, Sarah Silverman, Rob Riggle, Janeane Garafalo, and, more recently, Chloe Troast and Aristotle Athari.

Ashley Padilla, Emil Wakim, Jane Wickline joined 'Saturday Night Live' as featured players for season 51.

Stephanie Nelson; Sam Cashell; Sio Hornbuckle

The announcement comes on the heels of show boss Lorne Michaels confirming there would be some turnover at the show ahead of the new season, only assuring that cast member James Austin Johnson will continue to play Donald Trump for the foreseeable future.

The legendary sketch show just celebrated its landmark 50th season, including a three-hour live primetime special in February that saw the return of *SNL *alums from all five decades of the show's history.

*Saturday Night Live* returns for season 51 on Saturday, Oct. 4 at 11:30 p.m. ET/8:30 p.m. PT on NBC and Peacock.**

Devon Walker

Devon Walker on 'Saturday Night Live'.

Will Heath/NBC via Getty

Devon Walker announced he wouldn't be returning to *SNL *on Aug. 25. "Me and baby broke up," the comedian posted on his Instagram account on Monday alongside a photo of himself at *SNL*, where he has worked for the last three seasons. Coming off writing stints on *Big Mouth* and* Everything's Trash*, Walker joined *SNL* in 2022 as a featured player for season 48, along with Marcello Hernández, Michael Longfellow, and Molly Kearney. This followed the previous season's mass exodus, which included stars like Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, Kyle Mooney, and Melissa Villaseñor. As is common practice, Walker was promoted to the repertory cast after two seasons as a featured player. He became a reliable sketch performer and showed off his stand-up skills on "Weekend Update."**

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