Plenty of familiar faces will greet viewers when Season 47 of Saturday Night Live bows on October 2nd. Nearly the full ensemble is returning, and two featured players have been upgraded to series regulars: Bowen Yang, who has been on the writing staff since 2018; and Chloe Fineman, who joined last year.
At the same time, two actors will be ending their runs on the venerable sketch program: Lauren Holt, who is leaving the show after one season; and Beck Bennett, whose eight-season run in New York comes to an end as his career in Los Angeles continues to tick upwards. Bennett is currently a series regular on the stop-motion Marvel series M.O.D.O.K., and he said goodbye in an emotional Instagram post.
“Love you, SNL,” he wrote. “Gonna miss you so much. Thank you for 8 years of remarkable people and incredible experiences that completely changed my life. I had so much fun.” The post included behind-the-scenes photos and a close-up of his nipples, and you can check it out below.
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Once again this year, rumors swirled that Kate McKinnon would be departing, and once again the veteran actor decided to stay. So, too, did Kenan Thompson, who will stretch his record-breaking run to 19 years while filming Season 2 of his NBC sitcom Kenan. Thompson’s SNL career dates back to 2003, making it the same age as Olivia Rodrigo.
Besides that, three new cast members will be coming aboard as featured players: Aristotle Athari, James Austin Johnson, and Sarah Sherman. No artists of color are joining the cast.
Season 47 opens on October 2nd with Owen Wilson hosting and Kacey Musgraves as the musical guest. Other announced hosts include Kim Kardashian West, Rami Malek, and Jason Sudeikis, while musical performances will come from Halsey, Young Thug, and Brandi Carlile.
Season 46 wrapped in May. In 2019, Saturday Night Live became a target of former President Trump, who asked the Justice Department to make SNL stop teasing him.
Welcome to the cast!
AdvertisementAristotle Athari
James Austin Johnson
Sarah Sherman pic.twitter.com/n36tKsxhRE— SNL is back October 2! (@nbcsnl) September 27, 2021
Saturday Night Live (@nbcsnl) has set its cast for the new season:
Advertisement*nearly everyone thought to be on the bubble (Aidy, Cecily, Pete, Kate) coming back BUT
* Beck Bennett and Lauren Holt aren’t returning
* Bowen Yang and Chloe Fineman upped to full cast
* 3 new featured players pic.twitter.com/HAgFkv59Dh— Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) September 27, 2021
