Newly former Saturday Night Live cast member Devon Walker has a message for sympathetic fans mourning his and several fellow players’ just-announced departures: Relax, it’s just a job.
“Yall acting like we died lol we just getting different jobs,” Walker posted in response to an X user named Bev who had written about Walker and canned cast member Michael Longfellow, “Ohhh my boys – I wish you both nothing but the best.”
This year’s annual cast-trimming seems to have struck some fans particularly hard, what with the popular Walker, Longfellow, Emil Wakim and Heidi Gardner among producer Lorne Michaels’ chopping-block heads. The four will not be returning for Season 51 of the long-running comedy staple; writers Rosebud Baker and Celeste Yim are also among the show’s newly formers.
Earlier this week, prior to the announcements about Gardner and Yim, 2020-2024 cast member Punkie Johnson joined the wave of sympathy, posting messages on Instagram to Walker, Wakim, Longfellow and Baker. She welcomed them all back to the “outside.”
Walker apparently doesn’t need the support, though. In an Instagram Story this week, Walker wrote, “Just to be clear, this is good news! It was just time for me to do something different. Please don’t be hitting me with the ‘I’m so sorry’ — we not on that at ALL. Sometimes mom and dad just don’t see things eye to eye.”
Both Longfellow and Wakim have expressed some disappointment, though. On Instagram earlier this week, Longfellow confirmed he will not be returning for Season 51, writing, “Will not be returning for a 4th season at SNL. 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. Lorne, you gave me the greatest job in the world and changed my life. You even put my mom on TV. Thank you doesnt begin to cover it, but thank you.
“I’ll miss it all, but I’ll miss the friends I made and seeing them everyday the most.
“Excited for the future and things to come. If you take anything away from my time on SNL let it be that smoking makes you skinny and popular, Jesus was Chinese, and if a tortoise ever gives you trouble just kill him tough guy. You wont.”
Wakim posted, “i won’t be returning to snl next year. it was a gut punch of a call to get but i’m so grateful for my time there. i was at six flags celebrating my friends 36th birthday and went on a really emotional walk through bugs bunny park and stared out across daffy duck lake thinking about life.
“every time i scanned into the building i would think how insane it is to get to work there. 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. thank u to lorne for taking a chance on me and changing my life.
“i was so lucky to bring some of myself in there and say things i believed in and i’m excited for whatever chapter comes next. here’s to making more art without compromise.
onwards and upwards
love u
emil”
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