It seems there's a shakeup happening ahead of Saturday Night Live's (SNL) Season 51. Devon Walker is among the stars exiting the long-running late-night comedy sketch show. The cast member confirmed as much in a rather cryptic social media post.
Meanwhile, SNL is also dealing with some other sudden departures behind the scenes. As of writing, two writers have confirmed their exit from the Emmy-winning show, too.
Why is Devon Walker leaving 'SNL'?
Walker made his debut on SNL in 2022 during the show's 48th season. He first came on the sketch programme as a featured player before eventually getting promoted to main cast member.
Since then, Walker has had many memorable moments onstage on SNL, including his appearances on the Weekend Update with Colin Jost and Michael Che. In true SNL addition, Walker has also impersonated some personalities throughout his time on the show, including Michael Strahan, Van Jones, and New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
Walker recently took to Instagram to confirm his exit from the show with a post that read 'me and baby broke up.' The post also came with a screenshot of his notes with the subject ' wait...did he quit or did he get fired?'
In the note, Walker went on to compare entertainment jobs to a 'bunch of little marriages.' 'Some of em last for a long time if we're lucky, but most are fleeting,' he wrote. 'Permanent until they're not. That's the deal.'
At the same time, Walker also described his three years on the show as 'sometimes it was really cool' and 'sometimes it was toxic as hell.' That said, he also added, 'But we did what we made the most of what it was, even amidst all of the dysfunction. We made a f***ed up lil family.' Walker never directly addressed his reason for leaving SNL.
Meanwhile, he revealed some future plans, including taking a trip to Japan and 'tryna to be in a prestige drama' when he returns. The stand-up comedian was also vocal in stating his wish to work with actress Julianne Moore. At the moment, Walker has no announced upcoming projects.
And while Walker is the only cast member confirmed to depart the show so far, there's reason to believe that others may follow suit. During a recent interview with Puck, SNL showrunner Lorne Michaels was asked if he plans to 'shake things up,' to which he answered 'yes' now that the pressure of pulling off the milestone 50th season is behind him.
Two Writers Exit 'SNL' Ahead of Season 51
Behind the scenes, SNL is also saying goodbye to some talents. Among them is writer Celeste Yim who often collaborates with cast member Bowen Yang. In an Instagram post, Yim confirmed her decision to leave the show, writing, 'Thank you very very much to every SNL assistant and production crew member who ever made any part of anything I ever wrote.'
Aside from Yim, writer Rosebud Baker's exit from the show has also been announced. Baker had been a member of the SNL writing staff for four seasons.
Amid these exits, fans of the show might be glad to know that Michaels isn't going anywhere. The SNL creator even refuses to discuss retirement.
