EXCLUSIVE: It turns out the cast shake-up at Saturday Night Live isn’t over. Ego Nwodim has decided to leave the NBC show after seven seasons.
Deadline understands that Nwodim made the decision after it was thought that the cast for Season 51 was set and ready to go ahead of its October 4 return.
“The hardest part of a great party is knowing when to say goodnight. But after seven unforgettable seasons, I have decided to leave SNL. I am immensely grateful to Lorne for the opportunity, to my castmates, the writers, and the crew for their brilliance, support, and friendship. Week after week on that stage taught me more than I could have ever imagined, and I will carry those memories, and that laughter, with me always,” she said.
Nwodim will likely be in demand following her exit; she has increasingly been starring in series such as Peaock’s Poker Face and Mr. Throwback and Netflix film Little Brother, alongside John Cena, Eric André and Michelle Monaghan, in recent years. “Dream come true. I want my other dreams to come true. I want to be in films and I want to do more TV as well,” she told Deadline in 2023.
Nwodim was one of the most senior female cast members on the show and her departure comes after the news that Heidi Gardner, Emil Wakim, Michael Longfellow and Devon Walker were also not returning for Season 51.
Nwodim, a pre-med student who was part of UCB, joined the show in 2018, ahead of Season 44, the sole new face joining that year. She was promoted to repertory player ahead of Season 46.
It’s somewhat of a surprise given that Nwodim has broken out in recent years with a memorable performance as Miss Eggy earlier this year, which saw the audience yell expletives live on television after a call and response segment.
She also went viral with Lisa from Temecula, a lawyer whose predilection for overcooked meat has implications for the stability of her dining environment.
Nwodim, who has also played Dionne Warwick and Edith Puthie on the show, was non-committal when asked earlier this year whether she would return for Season 51.
“We like to keep things mysterious around here. That’s part of the allure of SNL, we don’t know what’s going to happen week to week, let alone in the fall, so who knows,” she told Deadline.
On the other hand, the timing for her departure makes sense, coming off the back of the 50th anniversary of SNL, a major milestone, which she admitted was a “surreal experience”, given the number of SNL legends and A-list guest stars that appeared. Nwodim, who was part of the Domingo vow renewal sketch, said it was a “special honor” to be part of that club.
“At one point, there was an event honoring Lorne [Michaels] between the concert on February 14 and the special and Heidi [Gardner] said to me ‘I thought there were 500 people in this cast and I’m realizing there’s only a hundred-and-something of us ever to be in the cast’. What a special honor to get to be part of that club or family. The 50th felt really nostalgic and beautiful,” she said at a recent FYC event.
Season 51 of SNL will now consist of 17 people after Michaels added Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Kam Patterson and Veronika Slowikowska to the cast as well as Please Don’t Destroy’s Ben Marshall.
They join Michael Che, Mikey Day, Andrew Dismukes, Chloe Fineman, Marcello Hernandez, James Austin Johnson, Colin Jost, Sarah Sherman, Kenan Thompson, and Bowen Yang as well as featured players Ashley Padilla and Jane Wickline.
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