Take this for what it is right now—a rumor—but we hear that one member of Please Don’t Destroy may be poised to move into Saturday Night Live’s main cast ahead of the show’s 51st season. Of the other two, one is expected to stay on the show’s writing staff, while the other departs the show.
Please Don’t Destroy—Martin Herlihy, John Higgins, and Ben Marshall—formed in 2017, building a following with their live sketch shows, which they posted to YouTube. During the pandemic they shifted toward short-form comedy made for social media, which helped pave their way to SNL in 2021. (Herlihy and Higgins also have family ties to the show: Herlihy’s father is former writer Tim Herlihy, while Higgins’ father is SNL producer/writer and Fallon sidekick Steve Higgins.)
Although the group’s on-air output dropped from 11 shorts in Season 49 to 7 in Season 50, they remained active in the writers’ room, often collaborating as a unit. There were, however, more instances last season of individual members branching out on sketches without the full trio.
Speculation centers on Ben Marshall as the likeliest candidate for a cast promotion. While all three had roughly equal screen time last season, Marshall has been turning up more in outside projects, including a role on Poker Face this summer and a part in Kevin Hart’s upcoming Netflix film 72 Hours.
Please Don’t Destroy is currently touring the US with their live sketch show. Adding fuel to the speculation, Marshall was missing from several of the trio’s live shows last week. His spot was temporarily filled by comedian Emily Wilson, John Higgins’ wife, before Marshall rejoined the group later in the week.
The SNL news has been coming fast and furious this past week, starting with a Lorne Michaels interview last Thursday in which the SNL honcho hinted at a cast shakeup ahead of Season 51. Since then, we’ve learned that Devon Walker, Michael Longfellow, and Emil Wakim are leaving the show–as are writers Celeste Yim and Rosebud Baker.
Saturday Night Live isn’t expected to announce its incoming cast members until late next week. Stay tuned.
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I bet the red head one will be the one who gets promoted to main cast
Why? Isn’t Martin the better actor?
They can fire Bowen. He’s one dimensional. He can’t play a character the opposite preference of his. A straight character is impossible bc he lacks the talent to do anything that isn’t overly flamboyant, and the best actors of all time on and snl are capable of doing that. He can’t! Example Bill Hader
Good thing you’re not a talent agent, cuz you’d suck at it! Bowen Yang is one of SNL’s best cast members.
Seems you’re just a hater!
He literally does a skit called “bowens straight” with Sydney Sweeny, where he does really well at playing a stereotypical straight womanizer.
He’s pretty solid, but he does take up too much screen time from the others. I’d rather see him go than Michael Longfellow or Emil Wakim. What’s the point of the point of getting attached to new talent if Lorne is going to be so random and haphazard about not giving them a chance to shine
No please don’t they are annoying and obnoxious all three of them
Hey Lorne, please destroy Please Don’t Destroy.
An idea for a final Please Don’t Destroy short. The three of them are in their office, despondent and pondering their future after SNL. They commit to sticking together, figuring that they’re better as a package than individually. Someone interrupts to tell them Lorne wants to speak with one of them for a sec. He returns excited and announces that Lorne asked him to stay on, and that he wants to speak with another member of the trio, who quickly returns to announce that he too was asked to stay on. As the two celebrate, the third member interrupts to ask about his fate and their plan to stick together, whereupon the other two show him the door. The final shot is of the third member depressed, leaving 8H with his head hung low.
©jsm1963