What changes has Lorne Michaels made to the SNL cast for season 51?

Lorne Michaels has completed a shakeup of the Saturday Night Live cast for the start of season 51, which will kick off on October 4th. Several veteran stars, including Kenan Thompson, Chloe Fineman, and Bowen Yang, will return, while five new cast members, including Ben Marshall from the comedy troupe Please Don't Destroy, will join the show.

How does the SNL cast shakeup compare to previous years?

The article notes that cast changes are an annual tradition for SNL, as Lorne Michaels and the creative team look to continuously refresh the lineup, though some years are more dramatic than others.

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SNL Veteran Stars Return, New Faces Join for Season 51

Q: Which SNL cast members have departed the show recently?

The article mentions that SNL lost several high-profile performers over the summer, including Heidi Gardner, Devon Walker, Emil Wakim, and Michael Longfellow.

8 Sep

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Summary

Lorne Michaels completes SNL cast shakeup for season 51
Kenan Thompson, Chloe Fineman, Bowen Yang among returning stars
Five new cast members, including Please Don't Destroy's Ben Marshall, join the show

SNL Veteran Stars Return, New Faces Join for Season 51

As of September 8th, 2025, Lorne Michaels has completed his shakeup of the Saturday Night Live cast for the start of the show's 51st season, which is set to kick off on October 4th.

The long-running sketch comedy series will welcome back several of its veteran stars, including Kenan Thompson, the show's longest-tenured cast member, as well as Chloe Fineman, Bowen Yang, Ego Nwodim, Mikey Day, and Michael Che, who will return to the Weekend Update desk alongside Colin Jost.

Joining the returning cast members will be a group of five new faces: Ben Marshall, Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Kam Patterson, and Veronika Slowikowska. Marshall, in particular, is a familiar name, as he is a member of the comedy troupe Please Don't Destroy, whose sketches have been a fixture on SNL since they joined the show in 2021.

The cast shakeup comes after SNL lost several high-profile performers over the summer, including Heidi Gardner, Devon Walker, Emil Wakim, and Michael Longfellow. However, cast changes are an annual tradition for the show, as Michaels and the creative team look to continuously refresh the lineup.

With the show's 50th anniversary now in the rearview mirror, SNL is poised to move forward with a mix of familiar and new talent, ensuring that the show's momentum will continue as it enters its next half-century.

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