SNL Finalizes Season 51 Cast With Returns, Exits and Five New Faces

Saturday Night Live has finalized its cast for Season 51, with a mix of longrunning stars returning, several departures confirmed and five new faces joining the ensemble as the NBC sketch series prepares to resume in early October at its Studio 8H home in New York. Reports list the premiere as Oct. 4, though at least one account gave Oct. 5.

Kenan Thompson will return for a recordbreaking 23rd season, and Colin Jost and Michael Che will continue as coanchors of Weekend Update for a 12th year. Other confirmed holdovers include Bowen Yang, Ego Nwodim, Chloe Fineman, Mikey Day, Sarah Sherman, Marcello Hernández, Andrew Dismukes, James Austin Johnson, and Season 50 additions Ashley Padilla and Jane Wickline. Producers also elevated Ben Marshall to the main cast and added newcomers Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Kam Patterson and Veronika Slowikowska.

The changes accompany several notable exits. Longtime cast member Heidi Gardner, who spent eight seasons on the show and was its longestserving female performer during Season 50, is not returning. Gardner had previously discussed feeling "sketch fatigue" after years at the Groundlings and SNL, saying in an interview that at times she...