‘SNL’ adds 5 new cast members in wake of Season 51 exodus

Out with the old, in with the new.

“Saturday Night Live” has introduced five new featured players ahead of the show’s Season 51 premiere on Oct. 4, and after a brutal cast shakeup saw the sudden departure of four beloved stars.

Comedians Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Ben Marshall, Kam Patterson and Veronika Slowikowska will all make their “SNL” debuts when the sketch comedy series returns to Studio 8H next month, NBCUniversal announced Tuesday, Sept. 2.

Before joining the new cast of “SNL,” Brennan was selected as a Just for Laughs New Face of Comedy in 2023. He also performed on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”

Culhane, meanwhile, first gained popularity for his viral TikTok and social media videos. He is a regular on Dropout TV and comes to NYC from Altadena, Calif.

Although this will mark Marshall’s first season as an “SNL” featured player, it won’t be his first time appearing on the show. After joining the writing staff in 2021, he regularly appeared on-camera for segments with his hilarious comedy group, Please Don’t Destroy.

As for Patterson, he hails from Orlando, Fla., and has regularly appeared on the live comedy podcast “Kill Tony.” Additionally, he will star alongside Kevin Hart in the upcoming Netflix comedy, “72 Hours.”

Slowikowska, the last new cast member to join “SNL” ahead of Season 51, is known for her viral sketch comedy content on both Instagram and TikTok. She previously made a name for herself in comedy shows like “Tires” on Netflix and the FX series “What We Do in the Shadows.”

Lorne Michaels, 80, teased a cast change last month during an interview with Puck News.

Although the “SNL” creator did not mention any new featured players at the time, he did respond “Yes” when asked if he planned to “shake things up” for the new season.

“It’ll be announced in a week or so,” Michaels said.

“SNL” comedians Devon Walker, Emil Wakim, Michael Longfellow and Heidi Gardner won’t be back on the NBC sketch comedy ahead of Season 51.

Walker, who was promoted to the main cast in 2024, was the first to confirm his exit. Wakim, who was an “SNL” newcomer and only appeared in a single season, quickly followed suit.

“Me and the show did three years together, and sometimes it was really cool,” Walker, 34, said. “Sometimes it was toxic as hell. But we … made the most of what it was, even amidst all of the dysfunction. We made a f–ked up lil family.”

“It was the most terrifying, thrilling, and rewarding experience of my life,” Wakim, 27, later added, “and I will miss it dearly and all the brilliant people that work there that made it feel like a home.”

Shortly after The Post confirmed Longfellow’s departure after three seasons, the comedian broke his silence on social media.

“Will not be returning for a 4th season at SNL,” he wrote on Instagram. “Wish I was but, so it goes. It was the best three years of my life so far.”

Perhaps the most surprising departure so far ahead of Season 51, however, is Gardner.

Although The Post confirmed Gardner’s exit after a record-breaking eight seasons on the show, she has yet to address the news herself.