5 New ‘SNL’ Cast Members Revealed (Including 1 Very Familiar Face)

After last week’s departures, Saturday Night Live has added its first new crop of cast members.

Variety reports that Season 51 will see five new featured players, and one is very familiar.

Their additions come after four recent cast exits. Devon Walker, Emil Wakim, Michael Longfellow, and Heidi Gardner have all departed SNL ahead of the new season. News comes following an interview with Lorne Michaels, who told Punk News’ Matt Belloni that he was planning on shaking things up after the 50^th anniversary season and wanted to keep things fresh. That seems to be the case, and fans will see these new five cast members in action when SNL returns for Season 51 on Saturday, Oct. 4 on NBC.

Ben Marshall

SNL fans will recognize Ben Marshall as 1/3 of the comedy trio Please Don’t Destroy. This will mark his fifth season on SNL and first as a cast member after being part of the writing staff for his first four seasons. The trio came out with their own film, Please Don’t Destroy The Treasure of Foggy Mountain, in 2023. Numerous Please Don’t Destroy sketches have appeared on SNL over the last few years and have become a favorite among fans. Unfortunately, Season 50 may have been the last for it. As Marshall is upped to featured player, Martin Herlihy will remain as a staff member, while John Higgins is departing.

Veronika Slowikowska

Veronika Slowikowska is joining SNL as a featured player. She frequently posts viral comedy sketches on Instagram, so she is no stranger to the sketch comedy world. On the acting side, she can most recently be seen as Kelly in the Shane Gillis workplace comedy Tires on Netflix, as well as Shanice in the horror comedy What We Do in the Shadows. Additional credits include I Like Movies, EXmas, and Davey & Jonesie’s Locker.

Jeremy Culhane

Fans may recognize Jeremy Culhane from Dropout TV, in which he appears regularly. He has a big presence on social media, which could likely be due to Dropout TV and other comedy appearances. He also performs with the Upright Citizens Brigade in Los Angeles, an improvisational and sketch comedy group.

Kam Patterson

Kam Patterson is a stand-up comedian who is regularly featured on Tony Hinchcliffe’s popular podcast Kill Tony. He is set to appear in Kevin Hart’s upcoming comedy film, 72 Hours, which also features fellow new featured player Ben Marshall and SNL breakout Marcello Hernández, who is still coming back next season.

Tommy Brennan

Tommy Brennan’s addition comes after he was named on the Just for Laughs New Face of Comedy list in 2023. Additionally, he’s performed stand-up comedy on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.