The 51st season of Saturday Night Live won’t look exactly like Season 50 at all. Not only are several cast members set to depart, but SNL has now revealed that five new people will join the main cast, even though one of those people is someone we’ve seen around for years.
Here’s who’s new to the SNL cast this season, who’s out, and when Season 51 will premiere.
SNL‘s 5 New Season 51 Cast Members
On Tuesday, September 2, the official Saturday Night Live Instagram account revealed the five new cast members for Season 51. Those performers are:
Ben Marshall, of course, is part of the trio known as Please Don’t Destroy. But, now, this means that Marshall will appear in more sketches on SNL. This is not unlike Andy Samberg’s time on SNL, when Samberg was part of the collective The Lonely Island, but also a full-blown cast member.
Slowikowska is a veteran of What We Do in the Shadows as well as the series Poker Face. Patterson is a rising stand-up comedian who has appeared on Kill Tony. Culhane has appeared in The Sex Lives of College Girls, and Brennan is another rising comedian who has previously appeared on Jimmy Fallon.
SNL Season 51 departing cast members
Related: Longest-Running ‘SNL’ Female Cast Member Will Not Return for Season 51
As of this writing, the following SNL cast members are not returning for Season 51:
Of these departing cast members, Gardner leaving the show is perhaps the most surprising. She’s been on the show for eight seasons and leaves behind a legacy of being not just a funny performer but also a reliable and steady member of the cast.
Related: Former ‘SNL’ Cast Member Devon Walker Reveals the Truth Behind His Season 51 Exit
Walker’s exit was briefly shrouded in confusion, but the actor has since confirmed that leaving the show is a mutual decision.
SNL Season 51 2025 premiere date
Saturday Night Live will return for its first episode of Season 51 on October 4, 2025. The host for the first new episode has not yet been announced. SNL airs live on NBC and streams on Peacock.
Related: Why Timothee Chalamet’s 3 ‘SNL’ Bob Dylan Songs Aren’t in the Movie
This story was originally reported by Men’s Journal on Sep 2, 2025, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men’s Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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