Michael Longfellow Exits SNL After Three Seasons Amid Major Cast Shakeup
Michael Longfellow, the 31-year-old comedian known for his sharp wit and understated charm, is reportedly leaving Saturday Night Live after three seasons, marking yet another departure in the show’s ongoing cast overhaul. According to Deadline, Longfellow—who joined the iconic NBC sketch series in 2022—will not be returning for Season 51, though he has yet to publicly confirm the news. The Post has reached out to both Longfellow and SNL representatives for comment.
As a featured player in Seasons 48 and 49, Longfellow carved out a niche with his subtle humor and ability to blend into the ensemble without fading into obscurity. His promotion to the main cast in Season 50 was seen as a significant milestone, yet he remained refreshingly candid about his limited screen time. In a self-deprecating moment during a “Weekend Update” segment with Colin Jost, Longfellow quipped, “I work like 12 hours a week. When you love your job, it never feels like work.” He later added, “No, I’m just not in that much stuff this season. It’s fine, I walk around, they don’t really keep tabs on your whereabouts here.”
Longfellow’s reflections on joining the show were equally poetic and revealing. In a January interview with The Entertainer! Magazine, he described the emotional whirlwind of landing a spot on one of television’s most storied programs. “It was so big,” he said. “There was panic, dread, excitement, numbness. I thought, ‘Shouldn’t I high-five everyone in the area?’ I didn’t know how to feel, so I just sort of got ready for work.” Despite the initial turbulence, Longfellow expressed deep gratitude for the experience, calling it “the greatest thing ever.”
Among the luminaries he admired most were veteran performers like Martin Short, whom he called his “favorite host ever,” and Dana Carvey, with whom he shared wide-ranging conversations that extended beyond comedy into politics and personal finance. Jon Lovitz also left a lasting impression, offering Longfellow advice in his signature voice during a 30-minute chat about the craft of sketch performance.
Longfellow’s exit is part of a broader wave of departures that has rocked the show. Fellow cast members Devon Walker and Emil Wakim also announced their exits this week. Walker, who joined as a featured player in 2022 and was promoted to the main cast in 2024, posted a candid reflection on Instagram: “Me and the show did three years together, and sometimes it was really cool. Sometimes it was toxic as hell. But we … made the most of what it was, even amidst all of the dysfunction. We made a f–ked up lil family.”
Wakim, who was only on the show for one season, described his departure as “a gut punch of a call to get.” In a heartfelt Instagram post, he expressed how the experience had been “the most terrifying, thrilling, and rewarding experience of my life” and said he would deeply miss the people who made it feel like home.
Writer Celeste Yim also revealed their exit from the show, citing its “grueling” nature. Meanwhile, SNL creator Lorne Michaels hinted at the upcoming changes in a recent interview with Puck News. “Yeah, for sure,” Michaels said when asked if he felt pressure to reinvent the show this season. “It’ll be announced in a week or so.”
As the curtain falls on another era of SNL, the stage is set for a new wave of talent to rise. Yet for Longfellow, Walker, Wakim, and Yim, the laughter and chaos of Studio 8H will remain a chapter of their lives—etched in memory, if not in airtime.
And so, the ink dries on yet another season of fleeting fame and backstage poetry.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and Deadline, The New York Post, The Entertainer! Magazine, Puck News
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