(NewsNation) — “Saturday Night Live” creator Lorne Michaels confirmed earlier this month that there would be a cast shake-up before the upcoming season, and those changes are beginning to take place.
Let’s look at who’s in and who’s out at “SNL.”
Kenan Thompson: In
Keenan Thompson, “SNL’s” longest running cast member will return to the show for its 51st season, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed Monday, Sept. 8.
Thompson joined the show in 2003.
Bowen Yang: In
Following this summer’s “Las Culturistas Culture Awards,” which Bowen Yang hosted alongside Matt Rogers, THR reported that Yang will continue to be a cast member for the show’s upcoming season.
Devon Walker: Out
Comedian Devon Walker confirmed Monday he would be leaving the show in an Instagram post.
“Me and baby broke up,” Walker, 34, wrote, alongside a carousel of photos, including some behind-the-scenes shots, and a longer statement.
“Jobs in this industry feel like a bunch of little marriages,” he said, adding that some can “last for a long time if we’re lucky, but most of them are fleeting.”
Walker was on “SNL” for three seasons, portraying New York City Mayor Eric Adams and former New York Giant and current “Good Morning America” co-host Michael Strahan.
“Me and the show did three years together, and sometimes it was really cool,” Walker wrote. “Sometimes it was toxic as hell. But we did what we made the most of what it was, even amidst all of the dysfunction. We made a f—-d up lil family.”
James Austin Johnson: In
Michaels confirmed James Austin Johnson would return to “SNL,” in which he most notably portrays President Donald Trump.
Johnson joined the cast in 2021 for the show’s 47th season.
Emil Wakim: Out
Emil Wakim announced Wednesday he would not be returning to the show.
“I won’t be returning to snl next year,” Wakim wrote on Instagram. “It was a gut punch of a call to get but i’m so grateful for my time there.”
Wakim joined the show for its landmark 50th season.
He said he was at Six Flags celebrating a friend’s birthday when he received the news, and then 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,” Wakim said. “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.”
Ego Nwodim: In Out
Despite initial reports, Ego Nwodim will not be returning to SNL after seven seasons.
“The hardest part of a great party is knowing when to say goodnight,” she wrote in an Instagram story on Sept. 12. “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.”
Celeste Yim: Out
Writer Celeste Yim posted on Instagram on Sunday they would not return to the show after five seasons.
“After five seasons, I’m leaving my job at Saturday Night Live. Lorne hired me over the phone when I was 23 and the job literally made all of my dreams come true BUT it was also grueling,” Yim wrote.
Yim, the show’s first out transgender and nonbinary staff writer, said they slept in their office every week and that their friends were a big support.
“I got yelled at by random famous men BUT some famous girls too BUT I loved it and I laughed every day and it’s where I grew up,” Yim wrote.
Heidi Gardner: Out
Heidi Gardner joined SNL in 2017, and after eight seasons, she will not return, sources told Variety.
During the show’s 50th season, Gardner became the longest-tenured active female cast member.
While working on “SNL,” Gardner also appeared in Apple TV+’s “Shrinking” and the film “Hustle.”
Michael Longfellow: Out
Michael Longfellow is saying goodbye to “SNL” after three seasons.
Longfellow, who was in contention to take over “Weekend Update,” joined in the show’s 48th season as a featured player and was promoted to a full-time cast member for Season 50, according to Deadline.
Ben Marshall: In; John Higgins: Out
SNL50: THE RED CARPET — Pictured: (l-r) John Higgins, Ben Marshall and Martin Herlihy on Sunday, February 16, 2025 — (Photo by NBC/Noam Galai/NBC via Getty Images) 
Kam Patterson at the Permission to Tonight at the Improv as part of SXSW 2024 Conference and Festivals held at the Esther’s Follies Center on March 10, 2024 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Samantha Burkardt/SXSW Conference & Festivals via Getty Images) 
SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 18: Veronika Slowikowska attends the Closing Night Film “I Like Movies” during the 38th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival at The Arlington Theatre on February 18, 2023 in Santa Barbara, California. (Photo by Rebecca Sapp/Getty Images for SBIFF) 
LOS ANGELES, CA – SEPTEMBER 13: Jeremy Culhane and guest attend Netflix’s “American Vandal” Season Two Launch Party at Good Times at Davey Wayne’s on September 13, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Netflix) 
THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JIMMY FALLON — Episode 2148 — Pictured: Comedian Tommy Brennan performs on Thursday, June 12, 2025 — (Photo by: Rosalind O’Connor/NBC via Getty Images)
It looks like there won’t be any more of “SNL’s” “Pease Don’t Destroy” sketches, as Ben Marshall will be joining the show’s cast as a featured player for season 51, while John Higgins won’t be returning to the show, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Higgins is reportedly leaving the show to pursue other opportunities. The third member behind the “Please Don’t Destroy” shorts, Martin Herlihy, will stay on the show as a writer.
Additionally, Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Kam Patterson and Veronika Slowikowska have also been named featured players for “Saturday Night Live’s” upcoming season.
Colin Jost and Michael Che: In
Rumors have swirled in recent weeks that Colin Jost and Michael Che would be stepping down from their duties as co-anchors of “SNL’s” “Weekend Update.”
However, those rumors have been put to rest as Che and Jost will return as hosts of “Weekend Update.”
Before the Hollywood Reporter confirmed the news, Scarlett Johansson, Jost’s wife, confirmed that he would be returning.
“He’s going back to work,” Johannson told Entertainment Weekly at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival this past weekend.
Chloe Fineman, Marcello Hernández and more: In
Chloe Fineman, Mikey Day, Andrew Dismukes, Marcello Hernandez, Sarah Sherman, Ashley Padilla and Jane Wickline have all been confirmed to return to the long running sketch comedy show.