Which SNL Cast Members Could Leave After Season 50?

Who's in the SNL cast right now?

Right now, there are 17 members of the SNL cast. They include:

• Heidi Gardner
• Mikey Day
• Colin Jost
• Michael Che
• Andrew Dismukes
• Chloe Fineman
• Marcello Hernandez
• James Austin Johnson
• Michael Longfellow
• Sarah Sherman
• Ego Nwodim
• Kenan Thompson
• Bowen Yang
• Devon Walker

Featured SNL cast members include:

• Emil Wakim
• Jane Wickline
• Ashley Padilla

Who do fans think could leave the SNL cast after the season 50 finale?

One TikToker named Kait recently went viral after sharing her predictions in a video that's garnered over 1.2 million views and more than 102,000 likes. There, she set her sights on four iconic cast members who we may be saying goodbye to: Heidi Gardner, Mikey Day, Colin Jost, and Michael Che.

"I'm not even gonna lie to you guys: this is my least favorite time of the year. I absolutely love Saturday Night Live, and I hate when the show wraps up because I hate that people are probably gonna leave," Kait began.

According to Kait, cast departure announcements are typically structured in two different ways. First, when there are long-running cast members who are ready to move on to fresh projects, their exit is usually announced on the day of the season finale, around three to four hours before the episode airs. Then, the season finale generally celebrates the stars who are leaving SNL.

Next, the more common (and less fun) form of exit announcement comes toward the middle or end of September. As the show starts discussing the latest featured players of a new season, SNL will also spill the beans about which cast members aren't making a comeback.

"That can be for any number of reasons," Kait detailed, "But it's always sad to see a cast member go and be like, 'Oh, I'm not ever going to get to see that character again.'"

To be clear: no departures have been confirmed by SNL just yet. Even so, many fans are on the edge of their seats, waiting to see if Heidi Gardner, Mikey Day, Colin Jost, and Michael Che will stick around.

If all four of them leave, it will mark the largest exodus of its kind since 2022. That year, SNL said goodbye to various cast members, including Pete Davidson, Aidy Bryant, Kate McKinnon, Alex Moffat, Chris Redd, Kyle Mooney, Melissa Villasenor, and Aristotle Athari.

Following that mass departure, few people have left the show, possibly because they wanted to participate in the 50th anniversary show, which was announced years in advance.

Still, why are fans worried about those four specific cast members moving on? The reality is that they've all experienced an average (if not longer) life cycle of a cast member and may be ready to work on other, new projects.

Let's start with Heidi Gardner. She joined SNL during Season 43, meaning she's spent eight years on the show. Michael Che is in a similar boat, having become a Weekend Update co-anchor back in 2014. Again, for a Weekend Update star, this is a typical tenure.

"And I don't think people realize just how long Mikey Day and Colin Jost have been working there," Kait added.

Mikey first joined SNL as a staff writer in 2013, meaning he's been a part of the show for 12 years. Still, Colin Jost has everyone beat because he became a staff writer back in 2005 and has continued working on the show for 20 years.

"That's incredible," Kait noted, "Everybody here has reached the end of their life cycle with the show, and it's time for them to do other projects and move on to other things."

While nothing has been officially announced, there are some significant signs, too. First, certain media outlets, like Deadline, have been the first source to share the news of the cast members leaving in the past. And just last week, the publication ran what Kait called a "suspicious article" about rumors surrounding Season 50 departures.

"It felt very seeded. It felt very much like, 'Let's get people talking about this,'" she admitted.

Not to mention, Colin Jost, who usually remains behind the Weekend Update desk, appeared in a sketch two weeks ago, and more recently, he was in the "cold open." Was this potentially so Jeanine Pirro could spit wine all over him for a final time? Kait thinks it's possible. And if Michael Che leaves the desk with him, fans will likely be devastated.

"Of course, I love Che and Jost. Who doesn't love Che and Jost? But 10 years is a lot to be at the update desk. It's time for new anchors," Kait explained.

"And I think it's especially sad when Weekend Update anchors leave because it's like, whoa, okay, this is really the end of an era. If they do leave, it's going to be very, very sad. We're going to miss their presence very deeply in the coming season."

Nevertheless, Saturday Night Live has remained successful for five decades for a reason: it continues to attract high-quality comedic talent. And for fans of those rumored to be leaving, you'll likely be able to get your fix as they tackle other feats.

"They're all really funny and talented, and I know they're going to do more amazing projects in the future, and I can't wait for those," Kait concluded.

Her TikTok led over 1,500 people to take to the comment section, sharing their two cents on the exodus rumors.

"Mikey Day possibly leaving is making me crash out," one user wrote.

"If we lose Colin and Che, we lose a national treasure," added another.

"ScarJo hosting the finale makes so much sense if Colin leaves," opined a third.

Who do you think has reached the end of their tenure on Saturday Night Live?