Saturday Night Live is back this fall after celebrating its 50th season. The live sketch comedy show is known for its famous cast members, timely culture analyses, and intense schedules, and will bring more of the same when the 51st season of Saturday Night Live premieres on October 4. It's not rare for departure announcements to come just before the next season airs, and this year is no different, with a few familiar faces not be returning for new episodes.
Devon Walker was the first to confirm he will not be returning for the 51st season. After three seasons on the show, the 34-year-old comedian is onto new things. In true comedian fashion, Devon wrote to Instagram: "me and baby broke up" as he shared snaps from his time on the show.
The third slide of Devon's post was a note about his departure. "To me, jobs in this industry feel like a bunch of little marriages. Some of em last for a long time if we're lucky, but most of them are fleeting," he wrote.
He continued: "Me and the show did three years together, and sometimes it was really cool. Sometimes it was toxic as hell. But we did what we made the most of what it was, even amidst all of the dysfunction."
© Leanne Diaz/NBC via Getty ImagesMany SNL cast members reacted to Devon's announcement. Chloe Fineman commented: "I'll miss being your pregnant wife all the time!!!!!" Heidi Gardner wrote: "I love you" with a blue heart. Heidi, who has been on the show since 2017, is reportedly leaving as well, per Variety.
© Getty ImagesEmil Wakim has also announced he is leaving, acknowledging it was not his decision, calling it "a gut punch of a call to get."
"I was at Six Flags celebrating my friend's 36th birthday and went on a really emotional walk through Bugs Bunny Park and stared out across Daffy Duck Lake thinking about life. Every time I scanned into the building, I would think how insane it is to get to work there. It was the most terrifying, thrilling, and rewarding experience of my life and I will miss it dearly and all the brilliant people that work there that made it feel like a home," he wrote to Instagram.
"Thank u to Lorne [Michaels] for taking a chance on me and changing my life. I was so lucky to bring some of myself in there and say things I believed in and I'm excited for whatever chapter comes next. Here's to making more art without compromise. Onwards and upwards."
© Will Heath/NBC via Getty ImagesIn a surprising move, Michael Longfellow announced he is leaving the show after three years. He was recently been rumored to have screen tested alongside writer KC Shornima to potentially take over the Weekend Update desk, currently hosted by Michael Che and Colin Jost. However, in season 50, Michael had very little screen time, even joking at one point that he only worked "like 12 hours a week."
Michael shared his news to Instagram, writing: "Will not be returning for a 4th season at SNL. Wish I was but, so it goes. It was the best three years of my life so far. I feel nothing but gratitude for the experience and everyone there. Lorne, you gave me the greatest job in the world and changed my life. You even put my mom on TV. Thank you doesn't begin to cover it, but thank you."
© Getty Images for the American MuWriter Celeste Yim has also announced they were leaving the show after five seasons, as well as Weekend Update writer Rosebud Baker, who joined the show from That Damn Michael Che.
"It's like training yourself to be a sociopath or a psychopath, because you just read these horrible, horrific headlines and you're like, what’s funny—hilarious—about this?" Rosebud told David Spade and Dana Carvey on the Fly on the Wall podcast about working at SNL.
Also writing to Instagram, Celeste wrote: "After five seasons, I'm leaving my job at Saturday Night Live. Lorne hired me over the phone when I was 23 and the job literally made all of my dreams come true."
They continued: "I hate when other people say this but it's true that I was the first ever out trans person to be a writer for SNL. I always felt honored to be working within the long tradition of queer writing at the show."
Who else could leave SNL?
Season 50 was a relatively stable season when it came to departures, due to it being a milestone year, and so we could see more cast members departing.
© Getty Images for Red BullIn an interview with Puck, Michael Che said: "There couldn't be those kind[s] of disruptions [to the cast], or anything that was going to take the focus off [the season]. And we had an election."
During a standup set at the University of Rochester in February, Michael then told the crowd: "This is my last season. I'm not coming back, don't worry. I'm done, it's over for me. It's been so much fun. It's a little emotional, it's bittersweet."
© Getty ImagesBut, Michael has yet to make any other announcement on leaving. If he does leave, Colin would be the only Weekend Update host. Colin has been with the show since 2005 and has been anchoring the Weekend Update desk since 2014.
