It is an annual sign that the fall television season is right around the corner – cast and writers begin to announce their departure from NBC’s Saturday Night Live.
Supporting player Devon Miller has become the first, and most likely not the last, cast member to announce that he was departing the show. The three-year cast veteran revealed the news in a series of social media posts earlier today.
To me, jobs in this industry feel like a bunch of little marriages. Some of em last for a long time if we’re lucky, but most of them are fleeting. Permanent until they’re not. That’s the deal. You know what it is it when you sign up. Me and the show did three years together, and sometimes it was really cool. Sometimes it was toxic as hell. But we did what we made the most of what it was, even amidst all of the dysfunction. We made a f***ed up lil family.
View this post on Instagram-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;”>
Walker originally joined the show in 2022 for its 48th season alongside other newcomers Michael Longfellow, Marcello Hernandez and Molly Kearney. Longfellow and Hernandez have already had some breakout success on the show, while Kearney left the show last year, right before the 50th season’s debut.
In addition to Walker’s departure, Celeste Yim has also announced to she will not be returning to the show’s writers’ room in an Instagram post.
After five seasons, I’m leaving my job at Saturday Night Live. 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. 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.
View this post on Instagram
Every year sees some amount of departures from in front of and behind the camera. Some years more so than others. The lead in to last year’s 50th season saw virtually no cast and crew attrition as show producer Lorne Michaels wished to keep the focus on the show’s anniversary. Yim has been noted as being a frequest collaborator of popular cast member Bowen Yang, and some are looking their departure as a possible harbinger of Yang’s as well.
It remains to be seen who else will be leaving the show ahead of the series’ fifty-first season bow on October 4.
