Fifty years. That is a long time for any show to stay on the air, let alone one that depends entirely on being relevant every single week. When the saturday night live 2024 cast took the stage for the historic 50th season premiere in September, the pressure wasn't just to be funny—it was to justify why the show still exists.
Honestly, the lineup for the 2024–2025 season (officially known as SNL50) is a bit of a weird mix. You have the "un-fireable" legends like Kenan Thompson, a few surprising departures, and three new faces who had to walk into the storm of a presidential election year.
Most people think the cast is just a revolving door of whoever is funny on TikTok. That's not really how it works. This year, the mix of repertory players and featured newcomers tells a very specific story about where Lorne Michaels thinks comedy is heading.
Who Stayed, Who Left, and the Chloe Troast Shocker
Before the first episode even aired, the internet was already buzzing about the "bloodletting" in the writer's room and the cast. We knew Punkie Johnson and Molly Kearney were moving on. Punkie had been there for four seasons and basically told a stand-up audience she wasn't coming back before the official announcement even dropped. Molly, the show's first non-binary cast member, left after two seasons.
But the one that actually stung for fans was Chloe Troast.
She was a breakout in season 49. She could sing like a Broadway star and had this weird, specific energy that reminded people of Cecily Strong. Then, suddenly, she posted on Instagram that she wasn't asked back. It’s rare for a featured player who was that well-received to get the boot after just one year. It goes to show that SNL is a brutal ecosystem where "good" sometimes isn't enough if you don't fit the specific puzzle pieces Lorne is moving around for a landmark season.
The Heavy Hitters Returning for SNL50
The "varsity" team is led by Kenan Thompson, who is now in his 22nd season. Think about that. He has been on the show for nearly half of its entire existence. Along with him, the heavy lifting falls on:
- Bowen Yang: Now a full-blown star and the show's most reliable "viral" generator.
- Ego Nwodim: Basically the MVP of the "straight man" roles who can also go completely off the rails as characters like Lisa from Temecula.
- Mikey Day & Andrew Dismukes: The writers-turned-performers who anchor almost every suburban dad or game show host sketch.
- Heidi Gardner: The queen of Weekend Update characters.
- Chloe Fineman: The master of impressions (her Drew Barrymore is still uncanny).
- James Austin Johnson: The guy who saved the show’s political sketches with his rambling, hyper-accurate Trump.
And we can’t forget the desk. Colin Jost and Michael Che returned to Weekend Update. There was a lot of speculation that Jost might leave to host Pop Culture Jeopardy! or just go do something else, but you don't walk away during the 50th anniversary.
The Fresh Blood: Meeting the New Featured Players
To fill the gaps left by the departures, SNL brought in three new featured players for 2024. If you watch a lot of niche comedy, these names might have sounded familiar.
Ashley Padilla came straight from The Groundlings in Los Angeles. If you know SNL history, you know The Groundlings is the "ivy league" for this show—it’s where Phil Hartman, Kristen Wiig, and Maya Rudolph came from. She’s got that high-energy, polished character work that the show loves.
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Then there is Emil Wakim. He’s a stand-up from Chicago who previously appeared on The Tonight Show. He brings a dry, observational vibe that the cast was arguably lacking.
Finally, there’s Jane Wickline. This was the "Gen Z" pick. She was huge on TikTok, specifically as part of the "Stapleview" sketch show. Her comedy is deadpan, awkward, and very modern. It was a clear signal that SNL is still trying to figure out how to capture the "weird internet" audience.
The "Guest Star" Problem
Here is what most people get wrong about the saturday night live 2024 cast: for the first half of the season, the actual cast members weren't even the stars of the show.
Because it was an election year, the "Cold Open" was dominated by alumni and celebrities. Maya Rudolph came back to play Kamala Harris. Dana Carvey—an absolute legend from the '80s and '90s—returned to play Joe Biden. They even brought in Jim Gaffigan to play Tim Walz and Andy Samberg to play Doug Emhoff.
While it's fun for the audience to see these big names, it creates a weird tension. When you have four or five slots in the most important sketch of the night taken up by people who don't actually work there, the younger cast members (like Marcello Hernández, Michael Longfellow, and Devon Walker, who were all promoted to repertory status this year) have to fight even harder for screen time.
Why This Specific Lineup Matters
The 2024 cast feels like a "bridge" crew. You have the old guard (Kenan, Jost, Che) who are there to make sure the 50th anniversary feels prestigious and stable. Then you have the middle tier (Bowen, Ego, Sarah Sherman) who are the current face of the brand. Finally, you have the new kids trying to prove that the show won't die when the legends finally retire.
It’s a massive cast. Including the newcomers and the Weekend Update anchors, you're looking at nearly 20 people. That is a lot of egos and a lot of competition for a show that only has about 60 to 90 minutes of actual sketch time.
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What You Should Watch For
If you’re trying to keep up with the saturday night live 2024 cast, don't just look at the political cold opens. The "real" show is happening in the second half of the episode—usually after 12:30 AM. That’s where performers like Sarah Sherman get to do their body-horror, psychedelic comedy that actually pushes the envelope.
Also, keep an eye on Marcello Hernández. He has quickly become the show's secret weapon for reaching the Latino demographic and younger viewers who live for his "Weekend Update" appearances about short kings or overprotective moms.
Actionable Ways to Follow the Cast:
- Check the "Cut for Time" sketches: Often, the best work of the new featured players (Padilla, Wakim, Wickline) gets cut from the live broadcast due to time constraints but uploaded to YouTube immediately after.
- Follow the writers: SNL is a writer-driven show. If you like a specific cast member, look up who they usually write with. For example, Marcello often works with the same small group to produce his specific brand of high-energy sketches.
- Watch the 50th Anniversary Special: Scheduled for February 2025, this will be the definitive moment for the 2024 cast to stand alongside the ghosts of SNL past.
The show isn't what it was in 1975, and it’s not what it was in the "Golden Age" of the early 2010s. It’s something different now—a massive, slightly bloated, but still essential piece of the culture that relies on this specific group of 2024 performers to keep the lights on for another decade.