Chris Redd Announces He's Leaving Saturday Night Live

Lorne Michaels wasn't kidding when he called this "a transition year."

Chris Redd announced Monday night that he won't be returning to Saturday Night Live for the show's 48th season. 

“Being a part of SNL has been the experience of a lifetime," Redd said in a statement. "Five years ago, I walked into 30 Rock knowing that this was an amazing opportunity for growth. Now, with friends who have become family and memories I will cherish forever, I’m grateful to Lorne Michaels and to the entire SNL organization. From the bottom of my heart, I can’t thank you all enough.” 

Redd is the eighth cast member to depart the series ahead of its upcoming 48th season. Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, Kyle Mooney and Pete Davidson said goodbye in May, and earlier this month it was revealed Alex Moffat, Melissa Villaseñor and Aristotle Athari were also exiting.

With the addition of recently-announced new featured players Marcello Hernandez, Molly Kearney, Michael Longfellow and Devon Walker, the long-running sketch series will go from 21 cast members in Season 47 to just 17 this season. The last time the show has seen a number of departures anywhere near this in the same year was 2006, when Tina Fey, Rachel Dratch, Horatio Sanz, Chris Parnell, and Finesse Mitchell all departed the show.

Over the last two years, Redd had been juggling his SNL duties with a co-starring role in NBC's Kenan, alongside fellow SNL star Kenan Thompson. The Lorne Michaels-produced series was cancelled earlier this year. He's currently working on an HBO Max comedy special titled Chris Redd: Why Am I Like This?

SNL returns for its first live show of the season October 1st, 2022

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Jed Rosenzweig is the Founder and Publisher of Primetimer.