Curious about who is leaving Saturday Night Live (SNL) ahead of Season 51? For decades, the show has been a stage for actors, artists, and comedians to perform skits based on current affairs and offbeat topics. Over its many seasons, SNL has seen several departures and fresh arrivals. Now, as the show heads into its 51st season, here is a look at the stars bidding farewell to the iconic sketch comedy series.
List of all cast members and writers who are leaving SNL
Devon Walker:
On August 25, Walker announced his departure through an Instagram post. He expressed his gratitude for the opportunity of getting to work with amazing colleagues. Clarifying the reason for his exit on a follow-up Instagram story, he said, “Just to be clear, this is good news!! It was just time for me to do something different.”
Rosebud Baker
She announced her exit on the Saturday Night Network podcast, where she also discussed the stressful environment of the show. She said, “It’s like training yourself to be a sociopath or a psychopath. You just read these horrible, horrific headlines and you’re like, what’s funny [or] hilarious about this?”
Celeste Yim
Yim was hired as a writer for SNL and was later promoted to a writing supervisor position. They took to Instagram on August 25 to reveal that they are exiting the show. “After five seasons, I’m leaving my job at Saturday Night Live. Lorne hired me over the phone when I was 23, and the job literally made all of my dreams come true BUT it was also grueling and I slept in my office every week,” Yim wrote in his Instagram post.
Emil Wakim
Wakim shared a lengthy caption on Instagram, detailing his SNL experience and announcing that he’ll no longer be a part of the show. Although he didn’t provide a concrete reason for his exit, he did express his gratitude for the opportunity. “I won’t be returning to SNL next year. It was a gut punch of a call to get but I’m so grateful for my time there,” he added.
Heidi Gardner
She joined the SNL cast as a featured player in Season 43 and was promoted to repertory cast in 2019. Her departure comes in light of the cast shake-ups at NBC ahead of the new season.
Michael Longfellow
A Deadline report reveals that Longfellow, who has been a part of the show for three years, is departing. The reasons for his exit remain publicly undisclosed. His exit came as a shock among many, given an earlier report claimed that he screen-tested for a potential replacement for Michael Che and Colin Jost for Weekend Update.