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The Saturday Night Live’s Season 51 cast has been seeing some changes ahead of its premiere on the 2025 TV schedule, meaning the show will be looking a little different come October 4. Of course, cast members leaving SNL is not unusual, but this is the first time in a few years that a handful of them have left at the same time. Devon Walker is among the four who have left before the new season, and he’s opening up about the keen advice fellow SNL alum Adam Sandler gave him.
Walker reflected on his time on Saturday Night Live while speaking with Rolling Stone. He joined the series in 2022 as a featured player for Season 48 before being upped to repertory for the 50th. Although his time was short, and Walker previously admitted how SNL was “toxic as hell,” there were still some bright spots. He shared how, at times, it felt like working there could feel like family, or even a fraternity, and it’s a special bond that only a handful of people share, including Adam Sandler:
It’s like a fraternity on a certain level. I might see, like, Adam Sandler, you know, and he’s talking about how there’s a shorthand. Even though he went through the show 30 years before I ever got there, we know what it is. There’s just an understanding that anybody who’s ever worked there will always share.
Before taking over the comedy film genre, Sandler was a cast member on SNL from 1990 to 1995 and had some of the most memorable sketches and characters. He’s remained close to much of his castmates and the SNL family as a whole, despite getting fired back in the ‘90s. He returned to host in 2019 and most recently participated in the SNL50 anniversary special.
Having been in the industry for a long time, Sandler certainly knows a thing or two about it and working on SNL. So, it’s not surprising that the advice he gave to Walker was so brilliant:
He said something to the effect of, ‘You need to make sure you’re performing in the off season, so you remember what it feels like to perform, like, in the way that got you to the show.’ Because so many of us were doing sketch or improv or, for me, I was doing stand-up, and you get on the show, and the way that you do those things changes, because you need to do things the SNL way. And I think what Sandler was kind of trying to tell me was, ‘Make sure you get back to performing in the way that feels the most free to you.’
As Walker said, the SNL cast is made up of comedians, improvisers, writers, etc., and the show takes up a big chunk of time. They’re working on episodes all week, with only a day or two of downtime probably, so the best time for them to work on other projects is between seasons. And the fact that Sandler wanted Walker to keep working on what got him there and not completely lose himself is really nice, especially for someone like Walker, who does stand-up and may not have a lot of time to do so during the season.
Walker has also opened up about his exit, revealing he thinks the show was ready to leave him, but now he seems to be looking toward the future. He’s revealed some A+ shows he wants to work on, such as Industry, The Bear, and Severance. Even though those are quite different from SNL and stand-up, he doesn’t seem to be afraid to branch out, much like Adam Sandler has.
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