&34;SNL&34; will look a lot different when it returns in October. Saturday Night Live cast shakeup: Here's who's leaving and who's returning for season 51

"SNL" will look a lot different when it returns in October.

*Saturday Night Live *cast shakeup: Here's who's leaving and who's returning for season 51

"SNL" will look a lot different when it returns in October.

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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August 29, 2025 11:32 a.m. ET

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'Saturday Night Live' season 50 cast. Credit:

Mary Ellen Matthews/NBC via Getty

- Several *Saturday Night Live *stars and writers will not return for the new season.

- Longtime cast member Heidi Gardner and Devon Walker are amongst those who won't be back at Studio 8H.

- *SNL *season 51 premieres Saturday, Oct. 4.

A major *Saturday Night Live* cast shakeup is underway ahead of the legendary NBC sketch show's upcoming season 51.

Although cast turnover has been a given at *SNL* since the early days, the last couple seasons have been fairly steady as the Emmy-winning show geared up for its celebratory 50th anniversary season, including not a single departure during or immediately following its May finale, bucking fan expectation.**

So when numerous cast members suddenly started announcing their exits this week, even former *SNL* star Punkie Johnson expressed surprise over the turn of events. But the changes are in alignment with *SNL* head Lorne Michaels' previous promise that major cast changes would come ahead of the new season, only guaranteeing the safety of one cast member by name.

Michaels answered in the affirmative when asked by Puck if he planned to "shake things up" with a new cast, explaining that he hadn't wanted "those kind of disruptions" to "take the focus off" the celebratory 50th season.

Follow along below as we round up who is confirmed to be leaving the cast, who is for sure sticking around, and whose future is still anyone's guess.

Heidi Gardner is leaving 'SNL' after 8 seasons

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Are *SNL *cast members being fired or quitting?

Cast members leaving *Saturday Night Live* ahead of season 51 are a mix of people whose contract options were not picked up and those choosing to leave. NBC is generally gracious enough to let departing performers announce themselves before sending out a press release announcing the full cast closer to the season premiere, though some choose to stay mum.

First a note about the apparent inner workings at Studio 8H. Although there are exceptions over the years, *typically* a cast member is hired under a seven-year contract and spends their first two years as a featured player. The show can promote them earlier than that, as was the case with people like Bill Hader, Andy Samberg, Kristen Wiig, and Cecily Strong in the past, or let them go after just one year, as has happened with season 50 hire Emil Wakim, and past single-season cast members like Jenny Slate, Sarah Silverman, Rob Riggle, and more recently Chloe Troast and Aristotle Athari.

'SNL' cast members Bowen Yang, Ego Nwodim, Kenan Thompson, Heidi Gardner, Marcello Hernandez, and Sarah Sherman.

Will Heath/NBC via Getty

More often, a featured player is given two years to essentially prove themselves on the show before being let go or promoted to the main — a.k.a. repertory — cast. From there, they are locked in for another five years, although the show still has the choice to not pick up their option each year — meaning they cannot leave on their own, but they could get cut ahead of any new season.

Some cast members who are desperate to leave early can try to work it out with the show to not have their option picked up, while some folks also negotiate new contracts after their initial seven years are up, as has been the case with many stars in recent years. But those behind-the-scenes decisions and negotiations are not made public, so fans don't always know the circumstances around someone's departure. Heck, sometimes even the cast member is not clear on what happened as is the case with Chris Parnell, who was fired and rehired in the early aughts.**

Who's leaving *SNL *ahead of season 51?

So far, four cast members are known to not be returning for season 51.**

Heidi Gardner (8 seasons)

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty

EW confirmed longtime cast member Heidi Gardner will not be back after eight seasons. Gardner joined the show for season 43 in 2017 and was the longest-serving female cast member on season 50.

Gardner was a solid utility player in sketches, who also played a variety of memorable "Weekend Update" characters, including Angel, a.k.a. Every Boxer's Girlfriend From Every Movie About Boxing Ever, teen film critic Bailey Gismert, and Goop employee Baskin Johns. She was also a driving force in getting Travis Kelce to host the show in in 2023.**

Devon Walker (3 seasons)

Taylor Hill/FilmMagic

Devon Walker revealed on Aug. 25 that he would not be returning after three seasons on *SNL. *Walker joined the cast in 2022 for season 48.

"Me and the show did three years together, and sometimes it was really cool. Sometimes it was toxic as hell," he wrote on Instagram. "But we did what we made the most of what it was, even amidst all of the dysfunction. We made a f‑‑‑ed up lil family."**

Michael Longfellow (3 seasons)

Michael Longfellow.

Taylor Hill/FilmMagic

The day after Walker's announcement, Michael Longfellow opened up about not being asked back for season 51. Like Walker, Longfellow was hired for season 48 in 2022.

"Will not be returning for a 4th season at SNL. Wish I was but, so it goes," he wrote on Instagram. "It was the best three years of my life so far. I feel nothing but gratitude for the experience and everyone there."**

Emil Wakim (1 season)

Taylor Hill/FilmMagic

Featured player Emil Wakim announced on Aug. 27 that he'd been let go. Wakim, *SNL'*s first Lebanese American cast member, was hired just last year at the start of season 50.

"It was a gut punch of a call to get but i'm so grateful for my time there," he posted on social media. "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."

Which *SNL *cast members will be back for the new season?

The only cast member Michaels confirmed would return to Studio 8H is James Austin Johnson, who will continue impersonating President Donald Trump, according to the show boss.**

Who might still leave SNL?

Performers whose season 51 statuses have not yet been revealed include featured players Ashley Padilla and Jane Wickline, repertory cast members Mikey Day, Andrew Dismukes, Chloe Fineman, Marcello Hernández, Ego Nwodim, Sarah Sherman, Bowen Yang, and the show's longest-serving cast member, Kenan Thompson, plus longtime "Weekend Update" anchors Michael Che and Colin Jost.

It is also not yet known if unofficial cast members Please Don't Destroy — made up of comedy trio Ben Marshall, John Higgins, and Martin Herlihy — will return to create and star in digital videos as they have since season 47.

Speaking to EW* *back in May, Yang played coy when asked about his display of emotion at the season 50 finale, in which he and Sherman could be seen hugging closely, both on the verge of tears.

"Every finale at goodnights something leaves my body because I'm just relieved from all that happened in that season and this was a big one," the six-season cast member said. "We went through a lot, so many fun memories. I think that was probably what was registering. I was just like, oh, I need to savor these moments before I don't have them anymore."

When asked directly if that meant he would not be not coming back for season 51, Yang dodged the question directly. "No, we're not doing that," he laughed.

Although it is rare for cast to officially announce their return for a new season, given the current unrest, it wouldn't be surprising to see some stars at least hint at it on social media in the coming weeks. Until then, we wait...**

Colin Jost and Michael Che on 'Weekend Update'.

Will Heath/NBC via Getty

Which *SNL *writers are leaving?

Two Emmy-nominated *SNL *writers will also be missing from the new season.

Celest Yim was the first staffer to officially announce their exit after Michaels' turnover remarks when they revealed their departure on Sunday, Aug. 24. Yim, who was hired at the beginning of season 46 in 2020, was the first out nonbinary member of the *SNL *writing staff,

Rosebud Baker, who joined the show in 2022 during season 47, announced in an Instagram Story that she would not be back.

Who is leaving the SNL cast despite not being on it?

Amid the flood of headlines about stars exiting the show, *Brooklyn Nine-Nine* star Chelsea Peretti, who has previously written for *Saturday Night Live, *hilariously announced on Thursday that she too was leaving the cast, with an Instagram post declaring: "CHELSEA PERETTI TO EXIT SNL AND 'WASN'T EVEN A CAST MEMBER'."**

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

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