‘SNL’ Expands Its Squad: Five New Cast Members Join the Lineup!

“Saturday Night Live” is making big changes to its cast ahead of Season 51. Ben Marshall has been promoted to the featured cast, and four new performers are joining the show as featured players.

Veronika Slowikowska, Jeremy Culhane, Kam Patterson, and Tommy Brennan are all stepping into the spotlight. The news comes from NBC.

This shake-up comes after several cast members left the show recently. Heidi Gardner, who had been on SNL for eight seasons, departed along with Michael Longfellow and Devon Walker, who were on the show for three seasons each, and Emil Wakim, who was there for one season.

Marshall is entering his fifth season with SNL. He started on the show as part of the comedy trio Please Don’t Destroy. John Higgins, another member of the trio, is leaving the show, but Martin Herlihy will stay on as a writer.

Slowikowska is known for her funny sketches on Instagram, where she has a million followers.

She has also acted in Shane Gillis’ Netflix series “Tires” and FX’s “What We Do in the Shadows.” Culhane is active on social media too and performs with the Upright Citizens Brigade in Los Angeles. He also appears in Dropout TV shows.

Patterson is a stand-up comedian who is often on Tony Hinchcliffe’s podcast “Kill Tony.” He will also appear in Kevin Hart’s Netflix movie “72 Hours.” Brennan, who was named a Just for Laughs New Face of Comedy in 2023, has performed on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”

Some of the departing cast members shared messages about leaving. Walker wrote on Instagram, “Me and the show did three years together, and sometimes it was really cool. Sometimes it was toxic as hell. But we did what we made the most of what it was, even amidst all of the dysfunction. We made a f*cked up lil family.”

Wakim also shared his feelings, saying, “I won’t be returning to SNL next year. It was a gut punch of a call to get but I’m so grateful for my time there. Every time I scanned into the building I would think how insane it is to get to work there. It was the most terrifying, thrilling, and rewarding experience of my life and I will miss it dearly and all the brilliant people that work there that made it feel like a home.”

Season 51 of “Saturday Night Live” will start on NBC on October 4. This comes after a big 50th anniversary celebration, which included documentaries, a concert special at Radio City Music Hall, and a three-hour episode featuring SNL legends.

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