Overview

• NBC named five featured players for the new season: Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Ben Marshall, Kam Patterson and Veronika Slowikowska.
• Ben Marshall moves from Please Don’t Destroy and the writing staff to on‑air cast, as John Higgins departs and Martin Herlihy stays as a writer, ending the trio’s on‑camera configuration.
• Departures confirmed by cast posts include Devon Walker, Michael Longfellow and Emil Wakim, and multiple outlets report Heidi Gardner is exiting though she has not commented; writers Celeste Yim and Rosebud Baker are also leaving.
• Season 51 premieres Oct. 4 on NBC and streams live on Peacock.
• The newcomers reflect SNL’s digital‑era pipeline, drawing from TikTok, Dropout TV and stand‑up circuits such as Just for Laughs, with some veteran cast statuses still unannounced.