Lorne Michaels Just Defended The “Essential” SNL Cast Changes Ahead Of Season 51

Lorne Michaels Defends SNL Cast Changes For Season 51

The 51st season of Saturday Night Live is just around the corner, and for better or worse, things are going to look pretty different.

Back in August, it was teased that there would be some big changes to the cast lineup for Season 51, and since then, we’ve learned that five beloved cast members will not be returning to the show.

Ego Nwodim, Michael Longfellow, Devon Walker, and Emil Wakim all announced their exits via Instagram, while Heidi Gardner's departure was reported by People and Variety. A number of writers will be leaving, too, including Celeste Yim, Rosebud Baker, and John Higgins of Please Don’t Destroy.

The various departures have sparked a lot of discourse over the past few weeks, and even with the announcement of five new cast members for Season 51, some SNL fans are struggling to come to terms with a few of the notable exits.

But now, SNL creator Lorne Michaels has reassured viewers that “change is good,” and people should be excited for what’s to come.

“The show has always brought people in from different ages and different generations, and it’s how it revives itself,” he told Entertainment Tonight on the red carpet at the Emmys on Sunday, where SNL50 took home the prize for Outstanding Live Variety Special. “It’s always hard when people leave, but there’s a time for that, and our audience has always stayed relatively young, and more so now with TikTok.”

Notably, a number of the Season 51 newcomers — namely Veronika Slowikowska and Jeremy Culhane — already have big followings on TikTok, and Lorne told ET he’s “really excited” to have them join the team.

There you have it! You can read all about the new cast members here. Season 51 kicks off on Oct. 4.

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