Fans are mere weeks away from watching Saturday Night Live’s finalized Season 51 cast list take the stage for the sketch comedy’s 2025 Fall TV premiere, and this squad of players will certainly look different from the golden anniversary season’s. With surprising exits from Heidi Gardner and unexpected firings for Michael Longfellow and others, it’s quite the in-flux period at 30 Rock, and returning star Chloe Fineman is still in the throes of taking it all in.
Ahead of SNL’s return, Fineman was busy gracing New York Fashion Week with her own stylings by way of the Michael Kors show. Speaking with ExtraTV about the designer, the actress was asked how she was feeling about the big changes, and she offered a quick rundown of reactions she’s had in the past week, saying:
Pretty wild. Some shocking stuff. A little heartbreak, sadness. I haven’t fully processed anything.
That's a more understandable reaction than one might expect, given that Chloe Fineman and the rest of the Saturday Night Live cast likely haven't been in close quarters since Season 50 wrapped in May 2025. Without seeing everyone on a daily basis, the impact of the changes wouldn't be quite as noticeable as it will be when the full staff returns for new episodes.
If someone told me right now that a few colleague I haven't seen in months weren't coming back to work, and that a few other people I didn't know would be my new colleagues in a month or so, I have no clue how I'd feel. Although now I'm getting suspicious about why I've been sequestered from other CinemaBlend editors within this hypothetical scenario, so I'll close that tab.
Rather than fixating on any sour or bittersweet feelings, Fineman tugged on the silver lining of exciting new cast members, and joked about feeling a bit more her age with so many fresh faces to look forward to, with a reference to Bruce Willis, Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn's cult classic comedy Death Becomes Her. In her words:
But I will say the show has such a turnover. I’m going into my 7th year, I’ve done it. And you always experience it, but these people stay in your lives. I am excited for the new people. It’s so many new people. When I saw how young the new cast was, I immediately got a laser. I was like, ‘Do I get the Forever-35 facelift?’ I was Googling their ages, and I felt like I was in Death Becomes Her.
After name-dropping the movie, Fineman pretended to smooth out her facial skin as a reference to the 1992 Robert Zemekis comedy about seeking eternal youth. I haven't really put much thought to anyone remaking that flick, given how dark and weird and singular it is, but Chloe Fineman would be fantastic taking on Goldie Hawn's role of Helen Sharp. Any takers out there?
Check out her sharing the above answers in the video below, where Fineman also says who she'd like to impersonate again this season.
Anyone else who wants to draw the attention of Bruce Willis' plastic surgeon Dr. Melville can stream Death Becomes Her once more or for the very first time with an Amazon Prime subscription.
Saturday Night Live Season 51's premiere will air on NBC and stream via Peacock subscription on Saturday, October 4, at 11:30 p.m. ET.
