“Another Saturday Night Live star is saying goodbye to the iconic sketch comedy series – in the wake of two previous high-profile exits.”, — write: www.dailymail.co.uk
On Thursday it was revealed cast member Michael Longfellow is leaving the hit show after just three seasons, in a brutal shakeup which has seen Emil Wakim and Devon Walker exiting ahead of season 51, per Variety.
Longfellow, 31, joined SNL in season 48 as a ‘featured player’ – and was known for his Weekend Update segments.
The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for NBC for comment and has yet to hear back.
Earlier this week, featured cast member Emil Wakim joined the long list of former SNL stars who have had their tenures with the show cut short before joining the main cast.
Wakim, 27, announced his departure in an Instagram post with photos of happier times at Studio 8H at 30 Rockefeller Plaza.
He indicated that he had been let go by SNL, and his unexpected departure came just a day after his costar Devon Walker revealed he was leaving the series after three seasons.
Both exits come in the wake of series creator and longtime showrunner Lorne Michaels’ announcement that there would be a ‘significant shake-up’ amid the cast ahead of season 51.
The Daily Mail has contacted a representative for Wakim but hasn’t yet received a response.
Wakim’s tenure with SNL began in 2024 for the show’s 50th season.
Wakim shared a text post duplicating his Instagram caption, in which he opened with, ‘i won’t be returning to snl next year.’
He wrote that ‘it was a gut punch of a call to get but i’m so grateful for my time there,’ adding that he ‘was at six flags celebrating my friends 36th birthday and went on a really emotional walk through bugs bunny park and stared out across daffy duck lake thinking about life.’
‘every time i scanned into the building i would think how insane it is to get to work there,’ Wakim continued. ‘it was the most terrifying, thrilling, and rewarding experience of my life and i will miss it dearly and all the brilliant people that work there that made it feel like a home.
Despite Lorne Michaels’ recent statements indicating plans to fire multiple stars ahead of the next season, Wakim includes thanks to him for ‘taking a chance on me and changing my life.’
Wakim’s tenure with SNL began in 2024 for the show’s 50th season.
Wakim shared a text post duplicating his Instagram caption, in which he opened with, ‘i won’t be returning to snl next year.’
He wrote that ‘it was a gut punch of a call to get but i’m so grateful for my time there,’ adding that he ‘was at six flags celebrating my friends 36th birthday and went on a really emotional walk through bugs bunny park and stared out across daffy duck lake thinking about life.’
‘every time i scanned into the building i would think how insane it is to get to work there,’ Wakim continued. ‘it was the most terrifying, thrilling, and rewarding experience of my life and i will miss it dearly and all the brilliant people that work there that made it feel like a home.
Despite Lorne Michaels’ recent statements indicating plans to fire multiple stars ahead of the next season, Wakim includes thanks to him for ‘taking a chance on me and changing my life.’
‘i was so lucky to bring some of myself in there and say things i believed in and i’m excited for whatever chapter comes next,’ he concluded. ‘here’s to making more art without compromise. onwards and upwards love u emil ♥️.’
Wakim, who was born in Chicago and attended Indiana University Bloomington before getting his big break, holds the distinction of being the first SNL cast member of Lebanese heritage.
The comedian included a photo of himself appearing at the Weekend Update desk with Colin Jost and Michael Che, along with photos of himself proudly displaying his SNL staff badge and making playful faces at a live llama that had been brought in for a special appearance on the comedy show.
Another photo showed him getting ready in a dressing room after he had shaved half of his close-cropped beared off.
His costar Jane Wickline, who also started in 2024, commented with ‘Love you so much.’
The comedian Nikki Glaser added, ‘You made a mark on that show that will not be forgotten ❤️.’
Former SNL star Chris Redd congratulated Wakim for making it ‘to the other side.’
And another former star, Punkie Johnson, called Wakim a ‘legend’ and said ‘Outside ain’t bad. Welcome back.’
It’s unclear if Michaels plans to ax more cast members ahead of SNL’s October 4 return.
On Tuesday, Devon Walker took to Instagram to announce he’s leaving after three seasons, comparing his time at SNL to a rocky romance.
The 34-year-old admitted the job could be ‘toxic’ at times, though he stopped short of naming names.
When contacted by the Daily Mail, Walker chuckled a bit as he said he did not want to comment ‘at this time.’
It remains unclear if his departure was his choice or not.
‘To me, jobs in this industry feel like a bunch of little marriages,’ he began in his Instagram post.
‘Some of em last for a long time if we’re lucky, but most of them are fleeting. Permanent until they’re not. That’s the deal. You know what it is it when you sign up.’
Looking back on his three years with the late-night staple, he admitted the highs came with plenty of lows.
‘Me and the show did three years together, and sometimes it was really cool,’ Walker continued.
‘Sometimes it was toxic as hell. But we did what we made the most of what it was, even amidst all of the dysfunction. We made a f–ked up lil family.’
The star said he was ultimately ‘happy’ he got to share the stage with his fellow comics, adding that he’s now preparing to take off overseas.
He wrapped things up with a surprising reveal. ‘Anyway, I’m bout to go to Japan,’ Walker concluded.
‘When I get back I’m tryna be in a prestige drama. Ideally something with Julianne Moore. Hope y’all staying hydrated and getting some money today.’
The Texas native cheekily captioned his exit post, ‘Me and baby broke up’, and shared his official announcement as a computer note bluntly titled: ‘Wait..did he quit or did he get fired?’
One screenshot even showed him texting a friend, ‘I’m out’, punctuated with a celebration emoji.
Walker made his SNL debut in 2022 as a featured player in Season 48.
By 2024, he’d been bumped up to the main cast.
He quickly became a standout on ‘Weekend Update’ with Colin Jost and Michael Che, nailing impressions of Michael Strahan, Van Jones, and NYC Mayor Eric Adams.
Just before Walker went public, Michaels teased a big shake-up coming ahead of SNL’s Oct. 4 season premiere.
When asked whether he felt ‘pressure to reinvent this season’, Michaels said: ‘Yeah, for sure’. ‘It’ll be announced in a week or so,’ he added.
The most famous members of the current cast include Colin Jost, Bowen Yang and Kenan Thompson.
SNL Season 51 will premiere on Saturday, October 4, at 11:30 PM ET on NBC and Peacock, after the summer hiatus since May 17.
Michaels also spoke about CBS firing Stephen Colbert and killing off his Late Show franchise, revealing that he was left ‘stunned’ by the move.
‘I’m on the side of the people who do shows, but there’s two audiences now,’ he said.
‘There’s the audience that is (watching on) TikTok and YouTube, and there’s a linear audience.
‘Both Seth (Meyers) and (Stephen) Colbert are heirs to David Letterman. You know what I mean? Conan (O’Brien) as well.
‘They’re going to be doing that (type of show), just as I’m still doing SNL, as if everybody’s watching that night.
‘But Jimmy (Fallon) does a lot of stuff that you can watch all day.’
CBS and its parent company, Paramount, announced that Colbert’s show would ‘end its historic run’ in May 2026, just over a decade after it first launched, as it hemorrhaged $40 million per year.
‘We consider Stephen Colbert irreplaceable and will retire the Late Show franchise at that time,’ the broadcast executives said.
‘We are proud that Stephen called CBS home. He and his broadcast will be remembered in the pantheon of greats that graced late night television.’
A media expert told the Daily Mail that SNL could also be axed once Michaels – who created the show – finally retires.
Robert Thompson, who founded the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University, shared the gloomy forecast in late July.
Thompson said he believes that when Michaels retires, NBC may cancel SNL along with the 80-year-old media mogul’s other shows – which include The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Late Night With Seth Meyers.
Speaking days after CNBC revealed SNL, Fallon and Meyers have been losing a combined $100 million a year, Thompson said, ‘(Lorne Michaels) cant keep doing that forever.
‘If he decides to retire, or cant do those shows anymore, NBC would be [in] an interesting position.’
He added that the network would have the ‘opportunity to get out of late night in one fell swoop instead of overhauling every program.
‘It would be the easiest time to say, we had a good run.’