Live from New York, it’s getting closer to Saturday Night Live!
After a triumphant 50th anniversary season last year, the hit comedy sketch show is set to make its return in the upcoming weeks with big changes to the cast lineup almost assured.
In an interview with Puck News, “SNL” co-founder and longtime producer Lorne Michaels said that while they decided not to shake things up too much in the cast for the anniversary celebration, this year he’s ready to reinvent the show again.
The new cast will be announced “in a week or two,” Michaels, 80, said in the Aug. 22 interview. As of the morning of Aug. 29, at least four cast members and two writers have left.
When does “SNL” return? Here’s what to know and how many cast members have hailed from the Sunshine State.
When is Saturday Night Live coming back for season 51?
NBC announced in July that the sketch comedy show will return on Saturday (of course), Oct. 4, in its usual 11:30 o.m. ET time slot “to launch what we can only hope is its next half-century on NBC and Peacock.”
Which cast members are leaving SNL ahead of season 51?
None of the cast changes have been officially announced, although Michaels confirmed that James Austin Johnson will be back impersonating President Donald Trump. Auditions for other cast members took place earlier this month, Puck reported.
The 50th season cast members were Mikey Day, Andrew Dismukes, Chloe Fineman, Heidi Gardner, Marcello Hernández, James Austin Johnson, Michael Longfellow, Ego Nwodim, Sarah Sherman, Kenan Thompson, Devon Walker, and Bowen Yang, with new featured players Ashley Padilla, Emil Wakim, and Jane Wickline. Michael Che and Colin Jost continued their tenure as “Weekend Update” co-anchors.
However, some of the people who won’t be returning have already announced their departure.
Watch “Saturday Night Live” on Peacock
Devon Walker SNL exit: Calls years sometimes ‘cool,’ sometimes ‘toxic’
Devon Walker, who has been a member of the cast for three seasons, announced that he was done in an Aug. 25 Instagram post titled “wait .. did he quit or did he get fired?”
“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.”
Emil Walim leaves SNL after one season
The next day, Emil Wakim posted about his departure after only one season with SNL, making it clear it wasn;’t his decision.
“I won’t be returning to ‘SNL’ next year,” he said. “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.”
Michael Longfellow gone
Deadline reported Aug. 28 that Michael Longfellow is gone after three seasons.
Heidi Gardner out after eight seasons
Heidi Gardner, the longest-running current female cast member, is leaving after eight seasons, according to Variety.
Behind the scenes, “SNL” writers Celeste Yim and Rosebud Baker also recently announced they were leaving the show.
Have any Saturday Night Live cast members been Floridians?
Since its debut in 1975, there have been four Florida cast members out of 167 over the years.
Darrell Hammond
Darrell Hammond, 69, is an actor, comedian, and impressionist who was born in Melbourne, Florida on Oct. 8, 1965.
He was a regular cast member on “Saturday Night Live” from 1995 to 2009, the second longest run after Kenan Thompson’s 22 years, and has been the show’s announcer since 2014 when longtime announcer Don Pardo died.
Beyond “SNL,” his credits include roles in “Scary Movie 3,” “Epic Movie,” “Blues Brothers 2000,” and 2024’s “Unfrosted.”
Marcello Hernández
One of the more recent cast members, Marcello Hernández was born in Miami on Aug. 19, 1997. He has been on “Saturday Night Live” since 2022.
Hernández, 28, is the first cast member to be born from “Gen Z.”
Victoria Jackson
Victoria Jackson, 66, is an actress and comedian from Miami on Aug. 2, 1959. She was a regular cast member on “Saturday Night Live” from 1986 to 1992.
Jackson has appeared in the movies “Baby Boom,” “Family Business,” “I Love You to Death,” “UHF,” “The Pick-up Artist,” “The Couch Trip,” and “Casual Sex?”
Maya Rudolph
One of the most recognizable faces from “Saturday Night Live,” Maya Rudolph was born in Gainesville on July 27, 1972, to singer Minnie Riperton and composer Richard Rudolph.
She was a regular cast member on “SNL” from 2000 to 2007. Despite her departure, Rudolph, 53, has made several cameo appearances over the years on the show, from Beyoncé to Vice President Kamala Harris.
Beyond “SNL,” Rudolph has appeared in several popular movies and TV shows, such as “Bridesmaid,” “Away We Go,” “Sisters,” “Big Mouth,” and “Luca.” She is set to star in the indie TV show “Earth to Percy” with Jeremy Beiler, Amy Schumer, Josh Charles, Wyatt Cenac and Seth Barrish.
How to watch ‘Saturday Night Live’ Season 51
“Saturday Night Live” will premiere on NBC and Peacock at 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 4 and will be available to stream the next day on Peacock, with notable sketches appearing on the show’s YouTube channel.
Seasons 2 through 50 are currently available on Peacock.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: ‘Saturday Night Live’ shakeup: Walker, Walim, Longfellow, Gardner out. Any Florida stars?
Reporting by C. A. Bridges and Samantha Neely, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
