Overview

• Saturday’s premiere introduced featured players Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Ben Marshall, Kam Patterson, and Veronika Slowikowska.
• The roster now stands at 17 with returnees including Mikey Day, Chloe Fineman, Marcello Hernández, Kenan Thompson, Bowen Yang, and Weekend Update anchors Michael Che and Colin Jost; Slowikowska is the first Canadian hire since 1994.
• Heidi Gardner, Ego Nwodim, Michael Longfellow, Emil Wakim, Devon Walker, and Please Don’t Destroy member John Higgins are not returning for season 51.
• Ben Marshall moves from the SNL writers’ room to an on-camera role after four seasons contributing Please Don’t Destroy shorts, as Higgins departs.
• Kam Patterson draws attention for his Kill Tony appearances, past use of offensive slurs and stated Trump support, while Brennan arrives with Just for Laughs and Tonight Show credits and Culhane brings UCB/Groundlings and Dropout experience.