NBC Fixes Cast Exodus Fallout For Its Longest Comedy Show At The Last Minute

Published Sep 20, 2026, 11:30 AM EDT

Misty Layne started as an actor and sketch comedy writer before deciding to concentrate mainly on writing. Utilizing both her love of television and film and her behind-the-scenes knowledge, she began a website reviewing films in 2013, with a focus on horror and indie media. Eventually, she began writing about all things television and film for other sites as well. Misty shares a home with five cats, a ton of books, and a fairly impressive vinyl collection.
 

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Saturday Night Live is heading into its 52nd season, which premieres on September 26th, meaning the annual cast shakeup is upon us. Viewers breathlessly wait to learn which cast members are coming and going during the summer before the show’s fall premiere, and this year has been no different. Finally, though, fans have the news of the season’s cast lineup that they've been waiting for.

Last year, Lorne Michaels decided to make some big changes after the show’s 50th anniversary, which led to a cast exodus that saw the departures of Ego Nwodim, Heidi Gardner, Michael Longfellow, Emil Wakim, and Devon Walker. There were concerns that this overhaul would spell trouble for Saturday Night Live, but season 52's last-minute additions are helping to fix the fallout. This year the number of cast exits is mercifully far less, too, which should be a relief to viewers.

Who's Not Returning For SNL Season 52 (& Why)

By murraymomo MovieStillsDB.com

Only three members of the cast will not be returning for SNL season 52, including one who left halfway through season 51 and another who announced their departure in July 2026. Bowen Yang, of course, was the member who left midway through the last season, after making history on the show, not only as the first openly gay Asian American on it, but also as the first featured player to garner an Emmy nomination.

The reason for Yang's SNL exit was that he felt like he wasn't given enough room to grow. He also said on his podcast, “Las Culturistas,” that he almost left earlier, but decided to come back for one more fall season.

Also exiting is Martin Herlihy, who spent four years as a member of the sketch trio Please Don’t Destroy (making him the second of the trio to depart, after John Higgins). Please Don’t Destroy began making digital content for SNL in 2021, but Michaels' creative overhaul saw the three moving in different directions.

Herlihy transitioned to a writer’s role in his final year on the show, with occasional appearances in pre-recorded sketches. While he’s made no statements explaining his decision to leave, he has gotten more acting roles recently, which may be part of why he decided to go.

SNL Cast Exits For Season 52	Tenure As Cast Member	Episodes Appeared In
Bowen Yang	2019–2025	126
Chloe Fineman	2019–2026	132
Martin Herlihy	2021–2026	33

Finally, fans will have to say goodbye to Chloe Fineman, who revealed on social media in July that after seven seasons, she wouldn’t be returning for season 52 because she felt ready to move on to the next chapter. She wrote on Instagram, "It’s really hard to leave SNL but it does feel like the right time. I’m going to miss it a lot." Fineman already has her next project set up, starring in Netflix’s upcoming show Myron Bolitar, opposite Jabari Banks and Jamie McShane.

Saturday Night Live Season 52 Announces New Cast Members Quite Late

Mary Ellen Matthews/NBC

With only about two weeks until the Season 52 premiere, SNL has finally announced two new featured players. It’s quite late in the game for them to do so, but better late than never.

The first new member is Saidah Belo-Osagie, an up-and-comer out of Queens, NY. Previously, she gained attention for her solo show, Saidah Gets Closure, as well as the event series she created, Afrobeats Futura. Belo-Osagie also directed and wrote the short film Tinge. She will be the first Black female on the show since Ego Nwodim left ahead of season 51.

Grace Reiter is the second addition, and fans might already be familiar with her since she’s been generating online buzz for a while now. She was one of the original players on Stapleview, the viral sketch show on TikTok, as well as part of the online Hunger Games parody, titled “The Hunger Games (but better).” Other credits include The Chair Company and the upcoming mockumentary Minimum Wage on Netflix, which she wrote and directed.

SNL Cast Members For Season 52	Debut Year	Episodes Appeared In
Saidah Belo-Osagie	2026	N/A
Tommy Brennan	2025	20
Michael Che	2013	252
Jeremy Culhane	2025	20
Mikey Day	2016	201
Andrew Dismukes	2020	107
Marcello Hernández	2022	77
James Austin Johnson	2021	94
Colin Jost	2005	403
Ben Marshall	2021	49
Ashley Padilla	2024	40
Kam Patterson	2025	20
Grace Reiter	2026	N/A
Sarah Sherman	2021	97
Veronika Slowikowska	2025	20
Kenan Thompson	2003	462
Jane Wickline	2024	40

With Reiter and Belo-Osagie, the Saturday Night Live featured players now stand at seven, as Veronika Slowikowska, Tommy Brennan, Kam Patterson, Ben Marshall, and Jeremy Culhane are returning. Jane Wickline and Ashley Padilla have been promoted from featured to repertory players. Rounding out the cast are the returning repertory players, including Kenan Thompson, Michael Che, Sarah Sherman, Mikey Day, Colin Jost, Andrew Dismukes, James Austin Johnson, and Marcelo Hernández.

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