From Emil Wakim to Heidi Gardner: List of SNL cast members and writers who will not be part of Season 51
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Many cast members including Heidi Gardner (above) and writers are leaving SNL, (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)A number of SNL cast members, as well as writers, had announced their exits prior to the start of Season 51 of the show that is set to premiere on October 4, 2025. One of the latest members associated with the show, to leave it was Heidi Gardner. On August 28, Vulture was the one to report the departure of Gardner.
Meanwhile, there are several others whom Gardner had joined when she decided to depart from the show. This includes cast members like Devon Walker, Emil Wakim, and Michael Longfellow. Writers like Celeste Yim and Rosebud Baker are in the list too.
On August 22, SNL creator Lorne Michaels revealed in an interview that there could be some prominent changes prior to the premiere of the next season that the fans can notice. Lorne further said,
"It'll be announced in a week or so."
As mentioned before, while Heidi Gardner became the latest name to leave the show, one of the first ones to exit was Devon Walker, who made the announcement through a social media post.
Exploring more about the SNL cast members and writers who quit the show
As previously mentioned, four out of 17 cast members from Season 50 of SNL had been leaving and wouldn't be seen in the upcoming season set to begin in a little over a month. Reports about Heidi Gardner leaving had been covered by many outlets, including Variety and People.
Gardner was reportedly one of the longest-running cast and she joined SNL back in 2017 for Season 43. While she started as a featured player, she went on to become a full-time cast member who was seen in a number of sketches. In Season 49, Heidi Gardner had appeared in more sketches than any other cast member.
On August 27, Emil Wakim announced that he was quitting the show and wouldn't be a part of Season 51. Wakim wrote on Instagram,
"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."
Wakim further expressed his gratitude to Lorne Michaels. On August 28, it was confirmed that Michael Longfellow would not be a part of the upcoming season of SNL. Longfellow joined in Season 48 as a featured player and became a full-time one during Season 50. He is yet to address the same on social media.
On Tuesday, August 26, Devon Walker revealed that he was going to leave the show. In a post announcing the same, Walker wrote,
"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..."
Celeste Yim also took to Instagram to announce their departure from the show. In a lengthy caption under an Instagram post, Yim wrote that they were leaving the show after working for five years. Meanwhile, Rosebud Baker, who joined SNL in 2022, also left prior to Season 51.
According to The Washington Post, while the exact reasons behind their departure weren't made clear, many exiting cast members revealed that it was not their choice to quit the show.
TOPICS: SNL, Saturday Night Live, Emil Wakim, Heidi Gardner