At "Saturday Night Live," there's drama before you get to the comedy. Every year at about this time, credulous observers of the venerable late-night NBC showcase get flustered by a series of cast changes that roll out about four to six weeks ahead of the next season premiere of the program. Sometimes, "SNL" just adds a few featured players. In other years, a good chunk of cast veterans opt to depart. At some points in time, cost constraints or network edicts have forced executive producer Lorne Michaels to make personnel moves he might not otherwise wish to put into practice. More from Variety Devon Walker Responds to Fan Support After 'SNL' Exit: 'Y'all Acting Like We Died' Michael Longfellow Exits 'SNL' After Three Seasons Emil Wakim Exits 'SNL' in Season 51 Shake Up The increase in hand-wringing around the process, which has become an ingrained element of the "SNL" calendar, is more humorous than some of "SNL's" skits. In recent days, three young members of the "SNL" cast —featured player Emil Wakimand early-tenured Devon Walker and Michael Longfellow — have announced their exits from the show, and it seems pretty clear the departures weren't made by choice. What's more, veteran Heidi Gardner,who seemed to devise a new voice for every sketch character she playedon "SNL" over eight seasons, is leaving, presumably opting to exit after a period of time that seems suitable for most people who join the show. Some media outlets have referred to the exodus as a "bloodbath" or "earthquake." It's really anything but. Simply put, Michaels has raised his expectations for cast members –particularly featured players — since 2000. Michaela Watkins and Jenny Slate were each ousted from the program after a single season despite gaining traction with characters such as Angie Tempura and Tina-Tina Cheneuse. So too in recent years were people like Rob Riggle, Noel Wells, Brooks Whelan, Luke Null, Chloe Troast, Tim Robinson and John Milhiser. Even some who make the jump to regular cast, like Punkie Johnson, leave unexpectedly. While there has been no backlash to Wakim, Walker or Longfellow, there is an argument that can be made that none of the trio has truly "broken out" during their time on air in ways that contemporary cast members such as Chloe Fineman, Bowen Yang or Ego Nwodim have. In an era when much of "SNL" is consumed by its youngest viewers via social media or streaming video hours after the show runs on late Saturdays, Michaels may have little choice but to put his resources behind talent that generates more viral pass-along. And while the impresariorecently gave the news outlet Puck a wide-ranging interview about "SNL" matters great and small, it's interesting he wasn't asked (at least not for print purposes) about whether his show has come underthe same economic scrutiny as the rest of NBC's late-night schedule (and late-night TV in general.) NBC hasscaled Jimmy Fallon's "Tonight Show" down to four original telecasts a week, versus its previous five (no doubt, a second year of Fallon doing a handful bespoke post-"Sunday Night Football" shows is part of the network's calculus) andtaken away the live band that boosted Seth Meyers' "Late Night."Does any of that mean "SNL" is limited in how many cast members it can accommodate each season? Does the show have to cut down on its many extras, such as the live "backstage llama" that often turns up whenever cameras take viewers backstage (to this reporter's eye, the animal hasn't surfaced on camera since Aubrey Plaza hosted the show in 2023)? Only Michaels and NBC late-night chief Katie Hockmeyer know for sure. Meanwhile, people who stay at the show for years are eventually going to leave — and "SNL" will continue until the senior executives at NBCU and parent Comcast determine its costs outweigh the benefits of having it on air. Over the years, the program has weathered the exits of Chevy Chase, Eddie Murphy, Will Ferrell, Tina Fey and Kristen Wiig. Chances are it will absorb a few others. To be certain, more "SNL" changes may lie in the offing. How many more years can Kenan Thompson continue on cast after 22 seasons? Do "Weekend Update" co-anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che, each of whom has tested projects outside the show in recent years, have other ideas in the works? And, certainly, there have beenmoments when cast departures truly rattled the show. In the early part of last decade, "SNL" bid farewell to Jason Sudeikis, Bill Hader and Fred Armisen, all roughly a season after the exits of Andy Samberg and Kristen Wiig. In 2022, Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, Kyle Mooney and Pete Davidsonall left at the same time,followed afew months later by Cecily Strong.Too many cast farewells at once may leave the remaining members of the "SNL" troupe with many of shoes to fill, sometimes without a full pipeline of developing players. For the most part, however, people who are animated by every year's late-August burst of "SNL" personnel news ought to see it for what it is: a well-devised promotional tactic from Michaels and NBC that gets people talking about the show after it has been on hiatus for a few months. Consider the fact that there hasn't been a fresh episode of "SNL" since Scarlett Johansson hosted in mid-May, and yet dozens of news stories and reams of online chatter about the program continue to surface. Bloodbath? Earthquake? Shocker? Sure, you can call the cast announcements any of these things. Something may happen in coming days that truly warrants such colorful words. But the smarter "SNL" aficionado might do well to quote the catchphrase of Emily Litella, the popular "Weekend Update" character played by early cast member Gilda Radner: "Never mind." Best of Variety Samsung, Sonos, Criterion Collection Among Top Brands on Sale for Labor Day - See Running List Here What's Coming to Disney+ in September 2025 New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Sign up forVariety's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us onFacebook,Twitter, andInstagram.
