“SNL”: Kate McKinnon, Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph provide holiday laughs
“Saturday Night Live” used the holiday episode for a special reunion with former stars Kate McKinnon, Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph.
“Saturday Night Live” gets some new stars – and one out.
The NBC sketch show announced on Monday that it has hired three more main actors for the upcoming 50th season: Ashley Padilla, Emil Wakim and Jane Wickline.
But Chloe Troast, who joined “SNL” last year, announced that she will not be returning to the show. In an Instagram post, the 27-year-old comedian made it clear that leaving was not her decision.
“Unfortunately, I was not invited back to ‘SNL’ this season,” Troast wrote. “I wish I could return to all the amazing friends I met there. It really did feel like home. But that wasn’t a given.”
She went on to thank “everyone who supported me,” adding, “I hope I was able to spread joy and laughter, just love. Keep it up and higher.”
Troast’s most notable performances during her year-long run included a sketch in which she played an orphan singing to the moon, which also featured Timothée Chalamet’s face, and a cold open in which she played Representative Elise Stefanik during a congressional hearing on anti-Semitism on college campuses.
Troast was the last “SNL” star to leave the show before season 50. Punkie Johnson, who was fired in 2020, and Molly Kearney, who joined the show as its first nonbinary cast member in 2022, had both previously confirmed their exits.
When do new episodes of “SNL” come out? Premiere date of season 50 and what we know so far
Johnson later said on Dana Carvey and David Spade’s Fly on the Wall podcast that she “didn’t really feel like I fit in” with the show because she had more experience in stand-up than sketch comedy. However, she said she had received other job offers since announcing her departure.
“SNL” star Punkie Johnson reveals why she left the show
“It’s going to be very different, but I’m excited,” Johnson said. “I’m super excited. I’m working on a movie that (‘SNL’ creator) Lorne (Michaels) is also helping me with, I’m putting together my special that Lorne is also helping me with. So my relationship with the show is still strong. We just mutually understood that this isn’t my thing.”
In an Instagram post in August, Kearney said starring on “SNL” was “a dream come true.”
“I’m so incredibly grateful for this time in my life,” Kearney wrote. “So much love to all my big-hearted pals behind the scenes who make the magic happen every week. So many bald heads, so little time.”
When will season 50 of “SNL” air?
“SNL” returns with a new season on September 28, and a 50th anniversary special is planned for February 16. Maya Rudolph will reprise her role as Vice President Kamala Harris in the run-up to the 2024 presidential election.
Contributors: KiMi Robinson, USA TODAY
