The upcoming Saturday Night Live<\/em> cast will feature some old and new faces.<\/p>\n Michael Che<\/strong> is set to return to the hit sketch comedy show, completing the cast lineup, according to sources that spoke to Deadline<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n Che, 42, will also join Colin Jost<\/strong> at the Weekend Update desk. (Scarlett Johansson<\/strong> \u2014 who wed Jost, 43, in 2020 \u2014 recently told Entertainment Weekly<\/em><\/a> that her hubby is \u201cgoing back to work.\u201d)<\/p>\n Besides Che and Jost, the other returning cast members include Mikey Day, Andrew Dismukes, Chloe Fineman, Marcello Hernandez, James Austin Johnson, Ego Nwodim, Sarah Sherman, Kenan Thompson,<\/strong> and Bowen Yang.<\/strong><\/p>\n Additionally, featured players Ashley Padilla<\/strong> and Jane Wickline<\/strong> will be back.<\/p>\n The show will also see five new faces \u2014 Ben Marshall, Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Kam Patterson<\/strong>, and Veronika Slowikowska<\/strong> \u2014 bringing the cast to 18 people.<\/p>\n As the National Enquirer<\/em> previously reported<\/a>, multiple season 50 cast members have departed the sketch comedy series, including Devon Walker, Emil Wakim, Michael Longfellow<\/strong> and beloved comedian Heidi Gardner.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Gardner, 42, spent eight years on the NBC series.<\/p>\n Former SNL cast member Dana Carvey<\/a> discussed Gardner\u2019s\u00a0exit on his Fly on the Wall<\/em> <\/a>podcast with David Spade<\/strong>.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom what I know as of this recording, that it was not her idea to leave<\/a>,\u201d Carvey, 70, remarked. \u201cI could be wrong about that, but that\u2019s what I read.\u201d<\/p>\n Season 51 of SNL<\/em> premieres on Saturday, October 4.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/staging.nationalenquirer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/heidi-gardner-snl-exit-toxic-claims-01-scaled.jpg\")