Following the major success of Saturday Night Live’s 50th season, everyone has been wondering: Who will be part of the cast for SNL season 51? The past few weeks have seen the exit of five season 50 cast members—including longtime players Ego Nwodim and Heidi Gardner—and the introduction of five new cast members, but at long last, we finally have our full SNL season 51 cast, which includes 10 main cast members and seven featured players.
Ready to meet ’em? Let’s get into what we know about the cast of SNL 51 so far. But first:
When does Saturday Night Live season 51 premiere?
SNL 51 premieres on Oct. 4 at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC, and it will be available to stream on Peacock the next day.
Who is set to host/perform?
The first batch of hosts and musical guests for Saturday Night Live season 51 has been announced! For the premiere episode on Oct. 4, Bad Bunny is serving as host, with Doja Cat acting as the musical guest.
The following week on Oct. 11, the episode will be hosted by SNL alum Amy Poehler with musical guest Role Model.
And on Oct. 18, Sabrina Carpenter is pulling double duty as both host and musical guest.
Who has been added to the cast for Saturday Night Live season 51?
We’ve got some newcomers! Please Don’t Destroy’s Ben Marshall has been upped to the featured cast, while other new featured players include Veronika Slowikowska, Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, and Kam Patterson.
Which Saturday Night Live cast members have exited ahead of season 51?
Lorne promised big changes for this season, and we’ve got several of ’em.
Ego Nwodim
In a truly shocking move, Ego Nwodim announced that she would not be returning to SNL for season 51. “The hardest part of a great party is knowing when to say goodnight,” she wrote in part on Instagram. “But after seven unforgettable seasons, I have decided to leave SNL.”
What makes Ego's departure so surprising is that she was previously believed to be part of the returning cast. The reason for her departure is unclear, but Variety reported that “circumstances changed” for the comedian, prompting her to leave the show to pursue other opportunities.
Heidi Gardner
On August 29, it was announced that core cast member Heidi Gardner would be leaving SNL after eight seasons, per multiple sources.
Michael Longfellow
On August 28, fans learned that Michael would be exiting after a three-season run. He later confirmed the news himself on Instagram.
“Will not be returning for a 4th season at SNL,” his caption began. “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.”
Emil Wakim
Next to announce his exit was featured player Emil, who shared on August 27 that he’d been fired after just one season.
“I won’t be returning to SNL next year,” he captioned his post, adding, “It was a gut punch of a call to get, but I’m so grateful for my time there.”
Devon Walker
Devon was the first season 50 member to announce his exit on August 25, telling his Instagram followers that he would not be returning for a fourth season.
“Me and the show did three years together, and sometimes it was really cool. Sometimes it was toxic as hell,” he wrote, in part. “But we did what we made the most of what it was, even amidst all of the dysfunction. We made a fucked up lil family.”
Which Saturday Night Live cast members are returning for season 51?
James Austin Johnson was the first season 50 cast member confirmed for this season, with Lorne telling Puck News back in August that James would continue impersonating President Donald Trump in the upcoming season.
And at last long, on September 7, Deadline revealed the fates of the other main cast members, confirming that Michael Che, Mikey Day, Andrew Dismukes, Chloe Fineman, Marcello Hernandez, Colin Jost, Sarah Sherman, Kenan Thompson, and Bowen Yang would all be returning.
Existing featured players Ashley Padilla and Jane Wickline are set to return to Studio 8H this fall as well.
Can’t wait for SNL 51 to kick off on October 4!
