Saturday Night Live overhaul hits comedy trio Please Don't Destroy as 1 joins as new cast member,...

Ben Marshall, John Higgins, and Martin Herlihy have made digital videos at &34;SNL&34; since season 47. Saturday Night Live overhaul hits comedy trio Please Don

Ben Marshall, John Higgins, and Martin Herlihy have made digital videos at "SNL" since season 47.

Saturday Night Live overhaul hits comedy trio Please Don't Destroy as 1 joins as new cast member, another leaves

Ben Marshall, John Higgins, and Martin Herlihy have made digital videos at "SNL" since season 47.

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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September 2, 2025 3:34 p.m. ET

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Ben Marshall, Martin Herlihy, and John Higgins of Please Don't Destroy on 'The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon'. Credit:

Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty

The members of comedy group Please Don't Destroy are not immune to the *Saturday Night Live* cast overhaul ahead of the upcoming season.

On Tuesday, *SNL* announced that one member of the trio, Ben Marshall, will be joining the cast as a featured player at the start of season 51. Meanwhile, John Higgins announced on Instagram that he is leaving *SNL* entirely to pursue acting opportunities, and ** has learned that Martin Herlihy will stay on with the show as a member of the writing staff.

This means fans will not be getting new Please Don't Destroy pretaped sketches when the Emmy-winning show returns on Saturday, Oct. 4.**

"I can't believe how lucky I was to be a part of this show. It was my dream and I got to live it. And to do it with my two best friends and my dad was an unbelievable experience," Higgins wrote, referring to his father, longtime *SNL* writer and producer Steve Higgins, who also serves as the on-air announcer of *The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon*.

He continued, "Thank you to everyone who made my time there so special, it made this decision that much harder. But for now, I'm excited to pursue acting opportunities that I'll announce soon but today I'm just grateful for everything we got to do. As that fat lil bear Winnie the Pooh once said, 'How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.'"**

"Love you forever brother. PDD and Rami's assistant 4 life," Marshall commented on the post, a reference to the group's first short to feature a host, "Rami Wants a Treat," starring Rami Malek from the Oct. 16, 2021, episode.

Herlihy also joined in the love fest for his pal, writing, "Love u so much my guy ♥️♥️♥️ That being said, it's not ok to fat shame Winnie the Pooh. Not in 2025, not ever. Period. I'm with him right now and he's super upset. Dude, not cool. Got Piglet calling me and s‑‑‑… Man. Not cool. Call me IMMEDIATELY."

Here's who's leaving 'SNL' cast and who's new or returning for season 51

Devon Walker says 'SNL' exit was mutual decision between him and show: 'We both felt like it was time'

Marshall, Higgins, and Herlihy formed Please Don't Destroy in 2017 after meeting as students at New York University. The troupe was added to *SNL*'s season 47 roster to produce and star in video sketches, akin to the Lonely Island.

Many of their digital shorts, usually involving episode hosts and/or musical guests, have garnered millions of views on the *SNL* YouTube account, including "Roast" with Dakota Johnson, "Road Trip" with Jenna Ortega, and "First Class" featuring Bad Bunny and Scarlett Johansson from the season 50 finale.

Higgins' *SNL* family ties don't end with his dad. His cousin Abby Elliott (*The Bear*) and uncle Chris Elliott (*Schitt's Creek*) are both previous cast members. Meanwhile, Herlihy is the son of Tim Herlihy, who wrote for *SNL* from 1994 to 1999 and went on to collaborate with Adam Sandler on numerous movies, including *Billy Madison*, *The Wedding Singer*, *The Waterboy*, *Mr. Deeds*, and *Happy Gilmore* and its recent sequel, among others.**

Ben Marshall, John Higgins, Ego Nwodim, and Martin Herlihy in a Please Don't Destroy sketch on 'SNL'.

Caro Scarimbolo/NBC via Getty

The longtime comedy collaborators also wrote and starred in the Peacock feature *Please Don't Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain*, which debuted in 2023.

***Sign up for **'s free daily newsletter* *to get breaking news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.***

The news comes amid a notable overhaul at the NBC sketch show, which celebrated its milestone 50th season earlier this year. *SNL* boss Lorne Michaels teased cast turnover to follow, and four performers have since announced they will not return for the upcoming season: longtime cast member Heidi Gardner, Devon Walker, Michael Longfellow, and featured player Emil Wakim.

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

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