The shakeups amongst the cast of Saturday Night Live are apparently not over yet as another rookie announces his departure. Emil Wakim revealed on Wednesday that he will be exiting the longtime NBC sketch-comedy show after just one season.
In an Instagram post shared on August 27, Wakim says he was told via a phone call that he would not return to the show. “It was a gut punch of a call to get but i’m so grateful for my time there,” he wrote in the caption accompanying a photo carousel of his time on Saturday Night Live.
Wakim Was a ‘Weekend Update’ Staple
Wakim most famously contributed to Weekend Update segments alongside Colin Jost and Michael Che. He also appeared as a “guy who looks like Luigi” Mangione in a season 50 skit parodying Nancy Grace. The 27-year-old comedian joined Saturday Night Live in 2024 for the show’s landmark 50th anniversary season.
“Thank [you] to Lorne for taking a chance on me and changing my life,” Wakim wrote in his caption, “I was so lucky to bring some of myself in there and say things I believed in and i’m excited for whatever chapter comes next.”
More SNL Shakeups
Now, as Saturday Night Live prepares for its season 51 premiere in early October, Wakim is the second cast member who announced they will not be returning. Earlier this week, fellow cast mate Devon Walker shared on Instagram that he will be departing the late night comedy series after three seasons. Even more cast member replacement announcements are expected in the coming days, as SNL creator Lorne Michael told Puck that there will be several upcoming changes.
In the writer’s room, more restructuring is affecting the Saturday Night Live staff. Celeste Yim, the show’s first publicly trans writer, announced her departure on Monday after five years. Another writer, Rosebud Baker, is also leaving after three seasons.
Related: Departing ‘SNL’ Cast Member Devon Walker Says His Exit is ‘Good News’
Related: Lorne Michaels Confirms 1 Returning ‘SNL’ Cast Member Amid Shakeup For Season 51
