“Saturday Night Live” is set to return on Saturday, Oct. 4 for Season 51. So, which of the current cast members will be returning to the late-night sketch comedy show? That’s a great question.
So far, show creator Lorne Michaels has only confirmed the fate of one cast member: James Austin Johnson
Michaels told Puck News writer Matt Belloni in an article published on Friday that Johnson is set to return to Studio 8H this fall and will continue impersonating President Donald Trump. As for who else will join Johnson, Michaels didn’t give names. However, there are expected to be multiple departures. “Michaels promised me a significant shake-up, with several current cast members expected to exit,” Belloni wrote.
When Belloni asked Michaels if he felt pressure to “reinvent this season,” he responded, “Yeah, for sure.” He added that the Season 51 cast lineup will “be announced in a week or so.”
During Season 50, there were 17 main cast members: Michael Che, Mikey Day, Andrew Dismukes, Chloe Fineman, Heidi Gardner, Marcello Hernandez, James Austin Johnson, Colin Jost, Michael Longfellow, Ego Nwodim, Sarah Sherman, Kenan Thompson, Devon Walker, and Bowen Yang. Additionally, there were three featured players: Ashley Padilla, Emil Wakim, and Jane Wickline.
Some cast members have already hinted they could be leaving, including “Weekend Update” anchor Che. In a standup show at the University of Rochester in February, the “That Damn Michael Che” star told the audience that Season 51 was a no-go for him. “I’m not coming back, don’t worry. I’m done, it’s over for me,” he said. However, Che has a history of joking about leaving the show, so it’s unclear if he was telling the truth.
During the penultimate episode of Season 51, fans began speculating that Gardner could be leaving as tears welled in her eyes at the end of the episode as the cast said goodnight. However, after the season wrapped, the Kansas City native was included in an auction item during Big Slick Celebrity Weekend. This item included a tour of the “SNL” set with her in September, suggesting that she will return for the new season.
The last major cast shakeup happened in 2022 when Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, Kyle Mooney, Pete Davidson, Alex Moffat, Melissa Villaseñor, Chris Redd, and Aristotle Athari all left after Season 47.
There has also been ongoing discussion regarding who will take over the show after Michaels, 80, retires. In February 2024, Michaels told reporters that “SNL” alum Tina Fey “could easily” be his successor. When asked about this remark, Fey did not confirm her interest. “It was nice of him to say that, and I love him very much,” she told The Hollywood Reporter in April.
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