With the countdown to the premiere of SNL season 50, updates reveal audiences will welcome new cast members and bid farewell to a few older cast members. The late-night live sketch comedy variety show has entertained audiences for 49 years since its premiere on October 11, 1975. Created by Lorne Michaels, SNL is America’s longest-running sketch comedy show and the second longest-running variety show in U.S. history.
As its 50th anniversary, SNL is set to honor its legacy with a three-hour live primetime special next year on the Sunday evening of February 15, 2025. While SNL season 50 promises many more hilarious sketches, audiences will welcome three new cast additions and faces on the show. This brings the total number of featured cast members on SNL to 167 since its inception. Here’s everything to know about the new and exiting SNL season 50 cast members.
Ashley Padilla
American comedian and actress Ashley Padilla is one of three new cast members joining SNL in season 50. Padilla spent most of her growing years in the San Francisco Bay Area. From a young age, Padilla has had an interest in the performing arts. Although she might not be a familiar name or face, Ashley Padilla has raked up enough experience in sketch and improv comedy. Padilla is a member of The Groundlings Main Stage Company. The Groundlings is one of Los Angeles’ most famous and established improvisational and sketch comedy troupes and schools.
Like several SNL powerhouse cast members before her, Ashley Padilla joins the growing list of The Groundlings members who have become tenured cast members on SNL. A few notable SNL cast members from The Groundlings include Phil Hartman, Will Ferrell, Kristen Wiig, and Maya Rudolph. As an actress, Ashley Padilla has made guest appearances in TV shows such as Son of Zorn (2016–2017), Night Court (2024), and Curb Your Enthusiasm (2024). She also played Amber in the 2024 comedy film Summer Camp.
Emil Wakim
Emil Wakim is a Lebanese-American stand-up comedian and writer. He’s one of the new cast additions in SNL season 50. Wakim’s casting makes history as he becomes the first Lebanese-American or cast with Lebanese descent on NBC’s Saturday Night Live. The multi-talented Emil Wakim was born in Chicago, Illinois, but grew up in Bloomington, Indiana. As a stand-up comic, Wakim often draws his materials and subjects from his experience growing up as a Lebanese-American/immigrant, as well as political and social dynamics.
In 2022, Emil Wakim was selected as a New Face of Comedy at Montreal’s Just for Laughs Comedy Festival. Wakim’s career has taken an upturn in the past years, with his big break coming in 2022. Wakim is no stranger to late-night television and the 30 Rockefeller Center, thanks to his appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon gave his career the needed exposure and confidence that has helped him get this far. Emil Wakim has opened for several notable comedians, including Nikki Glaser, Roy Wood Jr., Kyle Kinane, Neal Brennan, and Hasan Minhaj.
Jane Wickline
The multi-talented performer Jane Wickline is the last of the three new cast members added in SNL season 50. Before her SNL casting, Wickline had grown a huge following on TikTok, where she has amassed over 972,000 followers and 45.5 million likes. Jane Wickline grew up in Los Angeles but attended the prestigious Oberlin College in Ohio. Wickline has had an interest in sketch comedy for years. At Oberlin College, she was part of the school’s editorial board, helping with its The Grape satire publication. Besides her TikTok account, Jane Wickline is also a member of Stapleview, a live sketch comedy show on TikTok. With her growing popularity, Jane Wickline made her film debut in 2024, playing Alexis in My First Film.
Chloe Troast
One of the familiar faces SNL audiences won’t see in season 50 is comedian and actress Chloe Troast. Troast joined Saturday Night Live in season 49, making her debut on October 14, 2023. She is also one of three SNL cast members confirmed to not be returning for season 50. Troast was fired from the show, and the comedian-actress shared the update on her social media handles.
On Instagram, she shared the news as a post, stating, “hey all I was going to wait to post but Deadline best me to it. Unfortunately I was not asked back to SNL this season. I wish I was going back to be with all the amazing friends I made there, it truly felt like home. But it wasn’t in the cards.” She continued, “I wanna thank everyone who supported me. Especially everyone who came to see my tour this summer, wore costumes from characters and had such wonderful things to say. You mean everything to me. I hope I was able to spread joy and laughter, all love. Onwards and Upwards.”
Punkie Johnson
Among the three cast members who left before SNL season 50, Punkie Johnson stayed the longest on the show. Johnson joined SNL in 2020 in season 46 and stayed on for four seasons. The stand-up comedian and actress reportedly quit but wasn’t fired. Punkie Johnson shared the true state of things on the “Fly on the Wall” podcast with SNL veterans David Spade and Dana Carvey.
According to Johnson, she had wanted to leave before season 49 but needed to make a plan. “I talked to my team. I was like, ‘Look, I don’t really know if I belong at this job, so maybe I should step away,’” But I told them super, super late, like right after I found out I got to go back. And it was like ‘Well Punkie, you need a plan. You can’t just quit your job.’”
Molly Kearney
Another familiar face audiences will not see on SNL season 50 is stand-up comedian and actor Molly Kearney. They joined SNL in season 48, becoming the first openly non-binary cast member. As part of her acting credits, Molly Kearney guest-starred on A League of Their Own (as Fern Dannely) and The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers (as Coach Dawn).
However, it’s not all grim for recent cast members. Michael Longfellow, Marcello Hernandez, and Devon Walker were promoted to the repertory cast. All three joined SNL at the same time as Molly Kearney. While audiences welcome the new cast on SNL season 50, SNL’s first Gen Z cast member, Marcello Hernandez, continues to shine on the show.
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