Saturday Night Live is gearing up for its 51st season, premiering on NBC on October 4, and the long-running sketch show has locked in its cast, including returning favorites and exciting newcomers.
According to Deadline, the SNL cast shakeup is now complete, with 18 comedians confirmed to be part of the Season 51 line-up. This includes Michael Che, who every year jokes about leaving the show. Che, who hosts the iconic Weekend Update segment alongside Colin Jost, has been part of the on-screen cast since 2014.
Che’s return comes after Scarlett Johansson confirmed her husband, Jost, would be back on SNL. “He’s going back to work,” she told Entertainment Weekly at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.
In addition to Che and Jost, Season 51 will see the return of Chloe Fineman, Kenan Thompson, Bowen Yang, Ego Nwodim, Mikey Day, Andrew Dismukes, Marcello Hernandez, James Austin Johnson, and Sarah Sherman, as well as existing featured players Ashley Padilla and Jane Wickline.
Season 51 also includes five newcomers: Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Ben Marshall, Kam Patterson, and Veronika Slowikowska.
The new cast members come after several former stars announced their departure, including Heidi Gardner, Devon Walker, Emil Wakim, and Michael Longfellow. Writers Celeste Yim and Rosebud Baker also confirmed their exit from the series.
Following the Season 50 celebrations earlier this year, many speculated the show would see a mass exodus to make way for a fresh line-up to mark SNL‘s new era. This had happened three years ago, when eight cast members left after Season 47, including Aidy Bryant, Pete Davidson, Kate McKinnon, Alex Moffat, Kyle Mooney, Chris Redd, Melissa Villasenor, and Aristotle Athari.
However, with the cast now locked, that was obviously not the case. Not only are the majority of familiar faces returning, but Season 51 is the largest SNL cast in years.
Are you excited about the Season 51 cast? Let us know your thoughts below.
Saturday Night Live, Season 51, Premiere, Saturday, October 4, 2025