Amid the ongoing cast cuts for Saturday Night Live, one longtime cast member has seemingly confirmed she will return for Season 51.
In the comment section to a goodbye post from departing SNL star Michael Longfellow, veteran cast member Chloe Fineman wrote, “Will miss ur sleepy a– at pre-tapes.” She also included three broken-heart emoji in her comment.
Fineman, 37, joined SNL in 2019 and was promoted to repertory player in 2021. She is best known for her spot-on impressions of celebrities such as Britney Spears and Timothee Chalamet. Fineman is the first cast member to allude to a return to SNL for Season 51.
Earlier in the week, SNL showrunner Lorne Michaels told Puck that James Austin Johnson would return to portray Donald Trump in political sketches this fall.
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Fineman’s comment came after Longfellow posted to Instagram to announce his exit from the NBC sketch comedy show after three seasons. “Will not be returning for a 4th season at SNL,” he wrote. “Wish I was but, so it goes. It was the best three years of my life so far. I feel nothing but gratitude for the experience and everyone there. Lorne, you gave me the greatest job in the world and changed my life. …I’ll miss it all, but I’ll miss the friends I made and seeing them every day the most.”
Fellow SNL alum Devon Walker also announced in an Instagram post that he was leaving the show after three seasons. In addition, Season 50 newcomer Emil Wakim told fans that he was not asked back for a second season. Wakim described the phone call he received as a “gut punch.”
The biggest SNL shakeup came on Aug. 28, when it was reported that veteran cast member Heidi Gardner would be exiting after eight seasons on the show.
As the cast shakeups were posted, former SNL cast member Punkie Johnson commented, “wtf is happening… This is like the departed.”
In addition to Fineman and Johnson, the SNL cast as it stands now includes Mikey Day, Andrew Dismukes, Marcello Hernández, Ego Nwodim, Sarah Sherman, Kenan Thompson, Bowen Yang, Michael Che, Colin Jost, and featured players Ashley Padilla and Jane Wickline.
Saturday Night Live returns to NBC on Oct. 4.
