All eyes are on the cast list for season 51 of Saturday Night Live now that some heavy hitters, including Heidi Gardner, have announced their exits.
Ahead of the lineup's release, audiences were curious to see if Bowen Yang would be able to balance another Wicked press tour, the booming popularity of Las Culturistas, the podcast he hosts with best friend Matt Rogers, and being a cast member of the demanding sketch show. But it appears so, as it was announced early Monday that Yang would be returning for his sixth season alongside fan favorites like Ego Nwodim and Chloe Fineman.
Kenan Thompson will also return to Studio 8H for his record-breaking 23rd season, which will feature Colin Jost and Michael in their 12th season as hosts of "Weekend Update." Comedians Mikey Day, Sarah Sherman, Marcello Hernández, Andrew Dismukes, and James Austin Johnson will be back to round out the veteran cast. And newcomers Jane Wickline and Ashley Padilla will get a chance to shine again in their sophomore seasons.
There will also, of course, be some fresh faces on the show come October. Joining the cast for their first season are TikTok-star-turned-actress Veronika Slowikowska and comedians Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, and Kam Patterson.
But along with the good news comes the bad. Ahead of Monday's announcement, there were multiple departures, not all of which seemed to be facilitated by the cast member themselves. Celeste Yim, SNL's first openly trans writer, was one of the first people to share the news of their exit on social media, citing the show's demanding schedule.
"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 and I slept in my office every week," their August 24 statement on Instagram read. "BUT my friends helped me with everything BUT 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."
Emil Wakim, who only had one season on the show, shared on social media that he wouldn't be returning for another go-around a few days after Yim. "It was a gut punch of a call to get but i'm so grateful for my time there," Wakim wrote, also on Instagram.
Devon Walker, Michael Longfellow, and John Higgins of Please Don't Destroy join the list of notable departures, along with Gardner, who is exiting after eight seasons. Notably, Yang is said to be the only LGBTQ+ cast member appearing on the upcoming season.
