Lorne Michaels on ‘SNL’ Season 51 cast shakeup, writer exits ‘grueling’ show
Change is coming to “Saturday Night Live.”
The show’s boss Lorne Michaels teased that there’s going to be major cast changes to Season 51, which premieres Oct. 4.
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During an interview with Puck News published Friday, Michaels, 80, replied “yes” when he was asked if he plans to “shake things up” with the cast.
“Yeah, for sure,” he said about feeling “pressure to reinvent this season,” adding, “It’ll be announced in a week or so.”
Of the entire cast, Michaels only confirmed that James Austin Johnson will return to play President Donald Trump.
Season 50, which premiered Sept. 28, 2024 and ended May 17, 2025, starred Johnson, Michael Che, Colin Jost, Mikey Day, Chloe Fineman, Heidi Gardner, Kenan Thompson, Bowen Yang, Ego Nwodim, Sarah Sherman, Marcello Hernandez, Andrew Dismukes, Michael Longfellow and Devon Walker. Ashley Padilla, Emil Wakim and Jane Wickline appeared as featured players.
On Sunday night, writer Celeste Yim announced their exit from the show after five seasons.
“After five seasons, I’m leaving my job at Saturday Night Live,” Yim wrote on Instagram. “Lorne hired me over the phone when I was 23 and the job literally made all of my dreams come true BUT it was also grueling and I slept in my office every week BUT my friends helped me with everything BUT I got yelled at by random famous men BUT some famous girls too BUT I loved it and I laughed every day and it’s where I grew up.”
“I hate when other people say this but it’s true that I was the first ever out trans person to be a writer for SNL,” Yim continued. “I always felt honored to be working within the long tradition of queer writing at the show. Many don’t know this but Chevy is non-binary! I feel so powerless to protect trans people in the world but writing connects us and makes us permanent, so it’s what I will continue to do.
Yim went on, “Thank you to my family and friends who love me still even though I did not see them very much. And thank you all for your support. For writing to me and for wearing my sketches as Halloween costumes. As a kid, I was addicted to SNL and to SNL writers… I try to imagine my younger self learning about me. I would be amazed. But then I’d be like… Wait, why are you dressed like that…”
The writer also thanked “every SNL assistant and production crew member who ever made any part of anything I ever wrote,” as well as Yang, 34, “for changing my life and for making me feel normal.”
Yang commented on Yim’s post, “YIM/YANG 4 EVA!!!! 😤🥺🥰🥲.”
In the Puck News interview, Michaels explained that the sketch comedy series didn’t make big changes to the cast last season because they were focused on bringing alums back to celebrate the 50th anniversary.
“I wanted people coming back and being part of [the 50th season],” he told Puck News. “So, when Kate [McKinnon] hosted, Kristen [Wiig] and Maya [Rudolph] came back for it. And that meant there couldn’t be those kind of disruptions or anything that was going to take the focus off [the 50th season].”
“And we had an election,” Michaels added.
The Emmy winner, who created “SNL” in 1975, also noted behind-the-scenes discussions about how to reinvent the series are always happening.
“More people are involved in the choices and in the decisions,” Michaels stated. “There’s a lot of people in that room with a lot of opinions. I make the final decision, obviously. But it’s not as if people don’t let me know how strongly they feel.”
One notable cast member previously hinted at possible changes to “SNL” for Season 51.
Thompson, who is the longest-tenured cast member in the show’s history with 22 seasons under his belt, told Page Six in May that the Season 50 ending was “bittersweet” because “it feels like there’s maybe, possibly, a lot of change next year.”
“You want everyone to stay forever, knowing that people may be making decisions this summer…it’s always like you want your kids to stay young,” Thompson, 47, explained.
In February, Michaels confirmed that he’s not ready to leave “SNL” just yet.
“I may be wrong. But I don’t feel I’m done,” he told the New York Times.
“SNL” Season 51 premieres Oct. 4 on NBC.
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