Who Is Leaving ‘SNL’? Inside the Shocking Cast Shakeups for Season 51

Saturday Night Live will look a little different next season. 

Four cast members and two writers have announced that they will not be returning to the iconic sketch comedy series. Devon Walker was the first to break the news of his departure on Aug. 25, followed two days later by Emil Wakim. 

On Aug. 28, both Michael Longfellow and Heidi Gardner confirmed that they would be leaving the show. 

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

The week before news of the departures broke, SNL creator Lorne Michaels teased that after a nostalgic, star-studded 50th season, fans could expect some changes.

“I wanted people coming back and being part of [the 50th season],” he told Puck News. “So, when Kate [McKinnon] hosted, Kristen [Wiig] and Maya [Rudolph] came back for it. And that meant there couldn’t be those kind of disruptions or anything that was going to take the focus off [the 50th season].”

So, who is leaving Saturday Night Live? Here’s everything to know about which cast members won’t be returning to the show’s 51st season — and why. 

Which cast members are leaving SNL?

Gardner, Longfellow, Wakim and Walker have all confirmed that they are leaving SNL. 

While Walker and Longfellow enjoyed a three-season run on the series, Wakim was let go after just one. The comedian shared on Instagram that “it was a gut punch of a call to get” but that he was “so grateful” for the short time he was there.

“every time i scanned into the building i would think how insane it is to get to work there,” Wakim captioned his post. “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.”

Gardner, who joined the show in 2017, was the longest-tenured cast member not to return.

Why are cast members leaving SNL?

Some cast members have shared more than others on the reasons that led to their SNL exits. On Instagram, Walker likened entertainment jobs to “little marriages” and wrote that “most of them are fleeting.” 

“Me and the show did three years together and sometimes it was really cool” the comedian continued. “Sometimes it was toxic as hell. But we did what we made the most of what it was, even amidst all of the dysfunction. We made a f—– up lil family.”

Though Wakim and Longfellow also reflected on their SNL experiences online, Gardner has yet to comment on her exit. However, in a February 2025 interview with Craig Ferguson, the comedian shared that she had started to get “sketch fatigue” after eight seasons on the show.  

“At this point, after doing Groundlings and SNL for so long, I’m like, ‘I’ve written a lot of sketches,’ ” Gardner said. “You just get scared and it does happen some weeks where I’m like ‘I do not have an idea for a sketch, a game or a character.’ ”

She added, “Luckily, we have amazing writers at the show that will be like, ‘But I have an idea for you.’ That’s the only thing that has gotten a little tough.” 

Which writers are leaving SNL?

After five years on the show, Celeste Yim, who was the show’s first openly trans writer, announced on Instagram that they were leaving SNL.

According to Deadline, the writer was responsible for sketches like “L’Eggs” and “We’re Trying.” 

“After five seasons, I’m leaving my job at Saturday Night Live,” Yim captioned their post. “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 BUT my friends helped me with everything BUT I got yelled at by random famous men BUT some famous girls too BUT I loved it and I laughed every day and it’s where I grew up.”

Another writer, Rosebud Baker, also announced on Instagram that she would not be returning. She first joined the show in 2022.

What has Lorne Michaels said about the SNL shakeups?

Though Michaels hasn’t weighed in on individual cast departures, he did speak with Puck News about the pressure to keep the show fresh and said that “more people are involved in the choices and in the decisions” than in previous seasons. 

“That’s already been happening [in] the past year or so,” said Michaels, who created the show in 1975. “There’s a lot of people in that room with a lot of opinions. I make the final decision, obviously. But it’s not as if people don’t let me know how strongly they feel.”

Are Colin Jost and Michael Che leaving SNL?

Amid the exit announcements, fans have voiced their concern that Weekend Update hosts Michael Che and Colin Jost may also not return to SNL for season 51. Though neither of the hosts have confirmed (or denied) the rumor, Che did make comments about his future on the show during a stand-up set in February 2025.

“I’m not coming back, don’t worry,” the comedian allegedly said during a show at the University of Rochester, per the New York Post. “I’m done, it’s over for me. It’s been so much fun. It’s a little emotional, it’s bittersweet.”

In the wake of the other cast exits, Che has kept fans guessing on Instagram about his return to SNL. According to Cracked, he joked that he was going to become a barista.