‘SNL’ Season 52 Cast: Who Left, Who Joined and Who Stayed

Lloyd Bishop/NBC via Getty Image Live from New York, it’s Season 52! The summer of “Saturday Night Live” casting announcements has come to a close, with the ensemble for this year’s season finally solidified (less than two weeks before the Sept. 26 premiere). This year’s cast has remained largely intact compared to last year’s shakeup. Bowen Yang left midway through Season 51, and Chloe Fineman announced her departure in July. Martin Herlihy, a member of sketch trio Please Don’t Destroy who was then moved to the writing staff for one season, is also not returning. But the rest of the Season 51 cast is on board for at least another year, with all five freshmen — Ben Marshall, Jeremy Culhane, Kam Patterson, Tommy Brennan and Veronika Slowikowska — coming back. Veterans like Kenan Thompson, Colin Jost, Michael Che and Mikey Day are also returning, as well as a handful of other fan favorites like Sarah Sherman, Ashley Padilla, James Austin Johnson, Marcello Hernández, Andrew Dismukes and Jane Wickline. New to the cast are Grace Reiter and Saidah Belo-Osagie, who auditioned this summer alongside tons of other hopefuls in Los Angeles, New York and Chicago. Reiter is a Wisconsin-born comedian who stars in Tim Robinson’s “The Chair Company” and the upcoming series “Minimum Wage.” Belo-Osagie is a filmmaker and comedian from New York who created the solo show “Saidah Gets Closure.” Below, read about all the cast members who have left, joined and stayed on “SNL” ahead of Season 52, which premieres on Sept. 26 with host Jalen Brunson. New Cast Member: Grace Reiter Image Credit: Photo by Jill Petracek Grace Reiter joins “Saturday Night Live” for her first season. The Wisconsin-born stand-up comedian and actor amassed a large following on TikTok and YouTube before she went on to star in Tim Robinson’s HBO comedy series “The Chair Company.” She’s also a member of American High’s sketch team and stars in the upcoming series “Minimum Wage.” Earlier this year, she was listed as one of Variety‘s 10 Creators to Watch. New Cast Member: Saidah Belo-Osagie Image Credit: Photo by Mike Klubeck Saidah Belo-Osagie joins “SNL” for her debut season. She is a Nigerian American filmmaker and comedian from Queens, who is now based in Brooklyn. She is the creator of the event series Afrobeats Futura and the solo show “Saidah Gets Closure,” and in 2020 she wrote and directed the short film “Tinge.” Returning: Kenan Thompson Image Credit: Dan Doperalski for Variety Kenan Thompson continues his streak as the longest-tenured cast member, returning to “Saturday Night Live” for his 24th season. The comedy veteran who never breaks character is behind some of the series’ funniest sketches, from “What Up With That?” to “Black Jeopardy!,” and he’s impersonated everyone from Steve Harvey to Whoopi Goldberg. Returning: Colin Jost and Michael Che Image Credit: Will Heath/NBC via Getty Images The longest-running hosts of “Weekend Update” are coming back to Studio 8H. Jost and Che have a comfortable chemistry and have even introduced a new treasured tradition at “SNL” with their biannual “joke swap.” For the Christmas and finale episodes, the co-anchors make each other deliver risky, never-before-seen jokes live on-air (sometimes while sitting next to fake civil rights leaders). Returning: Marcello Hernández Image Credit: Mary Ellen Matthews/NBC Marcello Hernández is heading back to “SNL” for his fifth season on the show. The fresh-faced comic is best known for playing the suave suitor Domingo, who originated in the “Bridesmaid Speech” sketch. It went viral and prompted Domingo to become a recurring character, even appearing in the audience of a Sabrina Carpenter concert in Los Angeles. Hernández’s other notable characters include Marco Rubio, the Movie Guy and one-half of the Couple You Can’t Believe Are Together. Returning: Mikey Day Image Credit: Jamie McCarthy/NBC Mikey Day is coming back to Studio 8H for his 11th season on “SNL.” A mainstay of the show’s recent era, Day can play straight or put his castmates in stitches, breaking Heidi Gardner with one glance alongside Ryan Gosling in the “Beavis and Butt-Head” sketch. Day also recurred as Donald Trump Jr. and was one of Tom Hanks’ dancing skeleton sidekicks in the David S. Pumpkins sketch. Returning: Sarah Sherman Image Credit: Mary Ellen Matthews/NBC “SNL’s” queen of body horror, Sarah Sherman is coming back for her sixth season on the NBC sketch comedy series. The alt-comedian also known as Sarah Squirm is a versatile player. But when she’s not playing the straight man, Sherman usually goes bonkers as a woman with meatballs growing from her body or an auctioneer wife alongside Matt Damon in a Season 51 standout. She’s also known to give Colin Jost a hard time on “Weekend Update.” Returning: James Austin Johnson Image Credit: Mary Ellen Matthews/NBC James Austin Johnson has scored another term at Studio 8H. The expert Donald Trump impressionist has become a staple of the “SNL” cold open, giving his uncanny take on the U.S. president as a rambling, pop-culture obsessed leader who rants about Super Mario and Scooby-Doo. Johnson has taken on other politicians as well — like Joe Biden and Mitch McConnell — and he also does a mean Bob Dylan. Returning: Andrew Dismukes Image Credit: Mary Ellen Matthews/NBC Andrew Dismukes returns to “SNL” for his seventh season on the cast. A strong utility player, Dismukes is known for playing dry, often awkward or geeky characters on the venerable comedy show. His memorable sketches include “Airplane Song” with Josh Brolin, “The Loser” with John Krasinski and “Forbidden Romance,” in which he covers Train’s “Hey, Soul Sister” on a ukulele. Returning: Ashley Padilla Image Credit: Mary Ellen Matthews/NBC Season 51 MVP Ashley Padilla will return to “SNL” for her third season on the show. The California native is known for playing kooky outcasts and over-reactive mothers and co-workers. Her breakout moments include “Mom Confession,” the fart-filled “Surprise” and “Kathy,” in which she coined a memorable catchphrase. Returning: Jane Wickline Image Credit: Mary Ellen Matthews/NBC Jane Wickline will mark her third season on “Saturday Night Live.” She is known for her off-kilter keyboard-backed songs on “Weekend Update” and her quirky, deadpan style. On Season 51, she paired up with Veronika Slowikowska for the absurdist music video sketch “Cousin Planet.” Returning: Ben Marshall Image Credit: Andrew Thomas Following his promotion in Season 51, Ben Marshall is returning for his sixth year overall at “Saturday Night Live” after one season as a main cast member and four seasons of being a writer and member of the comedy trio Please Don’t Destroy. As one-third of the sketch group, Marshall became known for playing himself in offbeat and often self-deprecating sketches with celebrity guests like Taylor Swift and Bad Bunny. As a member of the main cast, Marshall broke out in sketches like “My Ex” and “Plans.” Returning: Veronika Slowikowska Image Credit: Mary Ellen Matthews/NBC Season 51 newcomer Veronika Slowikowska has signed on for Season 52. The Gen Z comedian known for her internet sketches translated her zany brand of humor to “Saturday Night Live.” On her first season, she played a Chili’s waitress with Jack Black and a washing machine alongside Sabrina Carpenter. Returning: Kam Patterson Image Credit: Mary Ellen Matthews/NBC Kam Patterson has enrolled for his sophomore season at “SNL.” The Florida native and “Kill Tony” alum brought his boisterous brand of stand-up to Studio 8H, where he made his mark on “Weekend Update.” His breakout moment was playing Black Snape in a sharp satire of HBO’s upcoming “Harry Potter” series. Returning: Jeremy Culhane Image Credit: Mary Ellen Matthews/NBC That’s the rule. That’s the goal now: Jeremy Culhane is returning to “Saturday Night Live.” In his first year, the improv comic delivered the most quotable line of the season as Tucker Carlson. He had another “Weekend Update” hit as Mr. On Blast, and got “Anna!” stuck in viewers’ heads as a childlike mascot in “Pinwheel.” Returning: Tommy Brennan Image Credit: Mary Ellen Matthews/NBC Season 51 freshman Tommy Brennan is also coming back to “SNL.” The Minnesota-born stand-up delivered memorable sets on “Weekend Update” and co-starred alongside Nikki Glaser in the hilariously inappropriate “Karaoke Night,” in which brother and sister perform an erotic Goo Goo Dolls cover. Leaving: Chloe Fineman Image Credit: Mary Ellen Matthews/NBC The master impressionist announced her departure from Studio 8H in July after seven seasons on “SNL.” Throughout her time on the series, Chloe Fineman impersonated everyone from Timothée Chalamet and Jennifer Coolidge to Nicole Kidman and Drew Barrymore. Leaving: Bowen Yang Image Credit: Mary Ellen Matthews/NBC In case you forgot, Bowen Yang already left, midway through Season 51. His emotional send-off episode was hosted by his “Wicked” co-star Ariana Grande. Yang, who also co-hosts the “Las Culturistas” podcast, was the first openly gay Asian American cast member. And he made “SNL” history by becoming the show’s first featured player to be nominated for an Emmy. He’s best known in Studio 8H for his witty “Weekend Update” characters like George Santos, Chinese trade representative Chen Biao and a flamboyant take on the iceberg who sank the Titanic. Leaving: Martin Herlihy Image Credit: Getty Images for Paramount Pictu After four years as a member of the sketch trio Please Don’t Destroy, and then another year on the writing staff, Martin Herlihy is leaving “Saturday Night Live.” His exit means Ben Marshall is the only remaining member of Please Don’t Destroy at Studio 8H after he was upped to main cast; John Higgins departed after Season 50. 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