Three-year Saturday Night Live cast member Michael Longellow is departing the legendary sketch show ahead of its 51st season.
Deadline‘s Peter White was the first to report on Longfellow’s exit. The comic himself has yet to comment on the news
Longfellow was one of four new featured players added at the start of the show’s 48th season, all of whom came from a standup background: Molly Kearney, Devon Walker, and Marcello Hernández, With Kearney’s departure from the show last year, and Walker recently revealing his own exit, Hernández is the sole survivor among his cohort.
Among the highlights of his 149 sketches on the show was the “Water Park” sketch with Nate Bargatze (which was based on a bit from his standup act), and “Goth Kid on Vacation” with Jack Black. But he arguably made his biggest mark at the “Weekend Update” desk, where he delivered commentaries on topics including TikTok, Real ID, and celebrating the holidays as a child of divorced parents.
Though he generally lagged toward the bottom of the show’s cast in terms of screen time, as LateNighter recently reported, he’s said to have screen-tested for a role as an “Update” co-anchor last spring alongside SNL writer KC Shornima.
An nine-year veteran of the standup stage, Longfellow has continued to perform nationally during his SNL run. His departure from the show is the latest in a string of announcements from cast members in the wake of comments last week from Lorne Michaels that implied an SNL cast shakeup was afoot ahead of its 51st season.
Looking good so far Lorne. Keep going.
Jane Wickline and Chloe FIneman should be next.
Also, Ego Nwodim has somehow been on SNL 7 seasons with VERY little to show for it and Bowen Yang has worn out his one note welcome.