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The late-night live sketch comedy show, Saturday Night Live, is seeing several of its cast members and writers depart ahead of the new season. Season 51 of the show is scheduled to premiere on Saturday, October 4, 2025.
Departing cast members include Heidi Gardner, Emil Wakim, Devon Walker, and Rosebud Baker, among others. After the 50th season of the show, the cast shake-up is seen as a planned reinvention, with a mix of voluntary exits and strategic cuts.
SNL began back in October 1975, on NBC, and was created by Lorne Michaels.
Complete rundown of recent Saturday Night Live Exits (so far)
Following is the list of recent cast members and writers who are exiting the SNL
Heidi Gardner
She was the cast member of the show for eight seasons. Gardner had joined back in 2017, during the show's season 43. In an interview on a podcast with Craig Ferguson, Heidi hinted at ''sketch fatigue'' and spoke about wanting to explore new projects outside Saturday Night Live. Some of her best roles from the show include Angel, Every Boxer’s Girlfriend From Every Movie About Boxing Ever, and Bailey Gismert.
2. Michael Longfellow
The comedian and actor joined SNL as a featured player in its 48th season (2022) and was promoted to repertory player by season 50. However, he is also departing the show, as per Deadline. As per reports, despite the promotion, his screen time notably decreased. He also joked about it on Weekend Update that he ''works like 12 hours a week.'' His impression of Timothée Chalamet is one of the most memorable moments on SNL.
3. Emil Wakim
Another cast member who won't be returning for the next season of the show. Emil joined SNL for its 50th season and is now a part of the shakeup. He shared the news via his Instagram handle, where he said that he “won’t be returning to Saturday Night Live next year”, describing the news as “a gut punch of a call to get.” He worked on the Weekend Update segments, where he spoke about cultural and political issues.
4. Devon Walker
The actor, known for his work on the Netflix comedy Big Mouth, was also a part of SNL. However, he is also among the cast members who won't be continuing to work on the show. Devon joined SNL in 2022 and was promoted to repertory cast status. His departure comes amid a wider post-50th anniversary shake-up. He announced his departure on his Instagram, where he spoke about his time on the show as a blend of highs and lows. On SNL, he was known for delivering funny observational commentary as a guest at the Update desk.
5. Celeste Yim
The Korean-Canadian comedian and writer is among the members leaving SNL. Yim was hired by SNL in 2020, and by season 48 of the show, Yim became a writing supervisor for the show. In an Instagram announcement, Celeste shared that although the job was a dream come true, it was also gruelling. Yim was Saturday Night Live’s first non-binary writer.
6. Rosebud Baker
The last on this list is also a writer and actress, Rosebud, who is departing from SNL. She joined the show back in 2022 during Season 47. She was writing for the Weekend Update segment at the start of season 50. Baker had recently released a Netflix special titled The Mother Lode, and her exit from the show suggests she may be shifting focus to her solo work.
These are the recent cast and writers confirmed to be leaving Saturday Night Live ahead of its 51st season.
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