SNL adds new cast members ahead of season 48


Legendary sketch comedy program Saturday Night Live has added four new featured players to its cast ahead of season 48, which is scheduled to premiere Oct. 1, IndieWire reports Thursday.
Joining the ranks of Studio 8H are Marcello Hernandez, Molly Kearney, Michael Longfellow, and Devon Walker. Returning cast members include "Michael Che, Mikey Day, Andrew Dismukes (featured), Chloe Fineman, Heidi Gardner, James Austin Johnson (featured), Punkie Johnson (featured), Colin Jost, Ego Nwodim, Chris Redd, Sarah Sherman (featured), Kenan Thompson, and Bowen Yang," per IndieWire.
The new additions arrive following a few notable depatures earlier this summer. In May, it was announced that longtime cast members Kate McKinnon, Kyle Mooney, Aidy Bryant, and Pete Davidson would not be returning for another season. Melissa Villaseñor, Alex Moffat, and newcomer Aristotle Athari were then added to that list in September.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Speaking backstage with reporters at the Emmy Awards on Monday, SNL creator Lorne Micheals acknowledged the program's current transition. "There are new people, and things are changing," he said, "and a different generation comes into the show."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
Giorgio Armani obituary: designer revolutionised the business of fashion
In the Spotlight ‘King Giorgio’ came from humble beginnings to become a titan of the fashion industry and redefine 20th century clothing
-
Crossword: September 13, 2025
The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
Sudoku medium: September 13, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclub
Speed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play