Saturday Night Live is making major changes recently. Last week, the long-running sketch comedy show announced that cast members Heidi Gardner, Devon Walker, Michael Longfellow, and Emil Wakim would exit the show ahead of its 51st season. The decision made by creator Lorne Michaels to axe fan favorites sent fans into an uproar. On September 2, SNL revealed the five new cast members joining the show – Ben Marshall, Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Kam Patterson, and Veronika Slowikowska. Here's everything we know about the newest addition, Veronika.
How did Veronika get her start?
Veronika, 29, who was born in Poland and raised in Ontario, Canada, is already a widely known comedian. She graduated from Randolph College for the Performing Arts in 2015 and was a member of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Actors Conservatory in 2019. With over one million followers on Instagram and 700,000 on TikTok, her online persona helped her land a spot on Saturday Night Live.
After the news went live, Veronika shared the announcement to Instagram, writing: "Dream come true." Celebrities rushed to her comments to congratulate her. Rachel Zegler wrote: "Well yeah." Fellow comedian Hannah Berner added several hearts to the post. Veronika celebrated the news by reposting the announcement a few times to her Instagram stories as well.
Veronika often partners up with comedian Kyle Chase, creating videos that get millions of views. The two also co-host a podcast called Nevermind, where they "discuss some seriously groundbreaking subjects and laugh and talk and also have conversations." Ahead of the SNL decision, Veronika and Kyle announced that Nevermind was going on an indefinite hiatus last week.
The comedian is a regular guest on other podcasts. She even accidentally revealed her gig at SNL while chatting with Rick Glassman on the Take Your Shoes Off podcast. "Do you have dreams of being on [SNL]?" Rick asked Veronika in an episode that aired three weeks ago, before continuing: "You've probably gotten close to it." Veronika got visibly shy, looking down as she responded: "I don't know what I'm allowed to say." Rick jumped in to congratulate her as she jokingly told editors to "cut it."
Veronika isn't just an online comedian. She is best known for her role on What We Do in the Shadows. Veronika appeared as Shanice on the horror-comedy show, starring in five episodes between 2019 and 2020. She also acted in multiple Canadian streaming series – Homeschooled, EZRA, and Davey & Jonesie's Locker – as well as in the second season of Netflix's Tires with two-time SNL host Shane Gillis. And, Veronika appeared in an episode of Poker Face with fellow SNL cast member, Ben Marshall.
With her comedic chops, Veronika will also bring her musical talents to SNL. She is a singer and has released two comedic singles – "So Many Lies" and "Homesick." This skill, along with her Gen Z sense of humor, makes Veronika a stand out of the new cast members. She's comfortable on stage, having performed live solo shows at the Gramercy Theater and Joe's Pub.