SNL announces cast for Season 51 following last week’s departure announcements and this week’s Emmy wins.
Saturday Night Live finalized the full cast of Season 51 on Monday morning. Following exit announcements from cast members last week, fans were left uncertain about which key players would return to their positions.
Previous cast members Devon Walker, Michael Longfellow, Emil Wakim, and Heidi Gardner announced last week that they would not be returning to SNL this coming season. Many of whom expressed regret and left fans curious as to whether they had decided to leave. Fans also wondered when the full list of the new cast would be announced.
Following the announcement of four cast members departing the show on September 2nd, it was revealed that five new cast members would be joining. Newcomers Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Ben Marshall, Kam Patterson, and Veronika Slowikowska have been added as featured cast members for the 51st season.
Some of the new members already have large social media followings where they share their comedy.
Fans also may recognize new cast member Ben Marshall as a member of the previous SNL comedy group “Please Don’t Destroy.” Fellow member, Martin Herlihy, has been hired as a writer for the show, and their third member, John Higgins, will be leaving the show altogether.
With the “Please Don’t Destroy” members’ new positions, they have announced via Instagram that while they will no longer be a trio on SNL, they will continue to collaborate outside the show.
Good news for Weekend Update Fans— duo Colin Jost and Michael Che will be returning to SNL. Jost’s wife, Scarlett Johansson, confirmed to Entertainment Weekly at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival that “he’s going back to work.”
The cast list later confirmed that Che would be returning as well.
Jost and Che won’t be the only long-standing cast members returning; it has also been confirmed that Kenan Thompson will return for his record-breaking 23rd season, as well as fan favorites Bowen Yang, Chloe Fineman, and Marcello Hernández among others.
The cast isn’t the only thing changing with this new season, with the writer’s room experiencing shake-ups as well. While Herlihy will be added to the writers’ staff, Celeste Yim and Rosebud Baker have announced they will not be returning for season 51.
Yim, who made history by being the first out transgender writer for the show, is departing after five years.
These new cast and writing announcements have been made amidst the Creative Emmy Awards Sunday night, where “SNL 50: The Anniversary Special” won eleven awards, including honors for writing, hairstyling, and editing, among other categories.
Season 51 is set to premiere on October 4th on NBC.
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