Throughout late August 2025, reports kept emerging that several SNL cast members had either left or been let go from the iconic sketch comedy series ahead of its fifty-first season. We finally had some good news on Sept. 2, when it was announced that SNL had added five new cast members. Now, we have the full cast lineup for SNL season 51 and it includes some returning favorites.
SNL season 51 full cast
According to Deadline, there are a total of 18 cast members for SNL’s upcoming fifty-first season, combining returning veterans, existing featured players, and the five new additions. The cast is slightly bigger than season 50, which had a total of 17 people.
Michael Che and Colin Jost will reportedly be back as co-anchors for Weekend Update in SNL season 51. Other main cast members like Kenan Thompson (the longest-serving cast member), Mikey Day, Chloe Fineman, Ego Nwodim, and Bowen Yang are also staying. In addition, you can expect to see the return of Andrew Dismukes, Marcello Hernandez, James Austin Johnson, Sarah Sherman, Ashley Padilla, and Jane Wickline.
The new cast members joining this season are Ben Marshall, Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Kam Patterson, and Veronika Slowikowska. Unfortunately, Devon Walker, Emil Wakim, Michael Longfellow, and Heidi Gardner will not be coming back in season 51. Walker had joined the sketch comedy back in 2022 for its forty-eighth season, while Wakim joined in the show's fiftieth season. Longfellow had also joined SNL season 48 alongside Walker.
On the other hand, the sketch comedy had added Gardner to its cast in the forty-third season. While fans are sad to see all of these talented comedians go, Gardner's exit seems to hit the hardest since she had been with SNL the longest out of the four. Now, everyone's left to wonder what they'll all do next.
Walker mentioned in his exit message on Instagram that he wants to be in a "prestige drama" with Academy Award-winning actress Julianne Moore. So maybe we’ll see Walker making a big leap into film. It's unclear what the others want to do, but we're sure we haven't seen the last of them!
SNL season 51 is slated to premiere on NBC this fall. The exact date is Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025. Neither the host nor the musical guest has been revealed yet for the premiere episode, but it will most likely follow the show’s tradition of featuring a high-profile celebrity host paired with a popular musical act to kick off the season with a bang.