After five decades of being on air, SNL is constantly finding ways to reinvent and create new and interesting content. With new writers and cast members coming in and adding to the cast each season and some old members departing, there is bound to be an endless flow of new ideas. Even though new members are coming in, many of those who have left had become fan favorites, and their departure was disheartening to many.
Among the multitude of changes that happened this season, the most shocking was Bowen Yang’s leave. On his podcast, “Las Culturistas,” he chalked it up mostly to having “completed” his time there, and said it was time to move on. He also says how his role in skits was typecasted as the “gay Asian,” and he felt boxed in. While people were sad, they expressed their joy for him and his growth through posts describing his final skit with Ariana Grande as the “perfect sendoff” and a “bittersweet ending.”
Along with Yang, cast members Heidi Gardner and Ego Nwodim have also left, having spent eight and seven years on the show, respectively. Nwodim explained her reasons for leaving, including her wish to leave at her best. She went on to say how she wanted to leave before she became commonplace on the show, which isn’t reflective of viewers but her own feelings. She also wants to pursue other projects and has been fairly vocal about how SNL has been a step in the journey rather than her final stop. After her departure, she has already started working on a TV series. Gardner announced her departure a few weeks before Nwodim, which was quite shocking as she was the longest-tenured female member of the cast. She expressed that her reason for leaving was to pursue larger projects, like her Broadway debut in All Out. Gardner also shared that she was facing fatigue and a lack of ideas in terms of sketches. These two members were considered extremely funny, and once again fans are quite saddened by their leave.
While these are the “heavy hitters,” many other members left. Michael Longfellow, Devon Walker, Emil Wakim, and John Higgins are all leaving as well. The common thread in each of their departing messages seems to be how uncomfortable the SNL work environment can get. Devon Walker opened up about his experience when he posted his departure on Instagram, calling the atmosphere “toxic as hell.”
While there are sad hearts at the departure of the loved cast members, some LM viewers don’t seem discouraged and are content with the show’s future as long as the skits are funny. Since the majority of writers haven’t changed, the concept of skits also hasn’t changed. Olivia Wong ’27 says, “Even though they changed the cast members, the skits still uphold a similar level of comedy.” Many people who don’t grow attached to cast members don’t notice their absence as much as others. Both expressions are equally present in the school and in the general public.
With the departure of these members, there have been a few completely new faces as well. Ben Marshall, who was previously on Please Don’t Destroy, is now on the main cast, leading many viewers to be excited to see more of his work. More people, such as Veronika Slowikowska, Jeremy Culhane, Kam Patterson, and Tommy Brennan, are being introduced in the 51st season. They are either seen on social media platforms with comedy skits of their own or doing standup, but they have yet to be part of an iconic skit or “steal the scene” as the leaving members had constantly.
As SNL moves forward, it will constantly face backlash from viewers and dull moments, as well as some very successful ones. Each of these is attributed to the cast, and writers have to be constantly coming up with new skits while still creating such a wonderful experience for fans. As the cast slowly changes over the years, some fans will miss their favorite members, while others will enjoy seeing the fresh new faces. SNL is a powerhouse of comedy, and the cast will always deliver, no matter how many new faces appear.
