NEW YORK, NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 16: Emil Wakim attends SNL50: The Anniversary Special on February 16, 2025 at 30 Rockefeller Center in New York City. (Photo by Taylor Hill/FilmMagic)
FilmMagic
It’s one-and-done for Emil Wakim at Saturday Night Live.
The 27-year-old standup comedian—who joined the cast as a featured player in 2024—told fans Wednesday the show will not be bringing him back for a second season.
“it was a gut punch of a call to get but i’m so grateful for my time there,” Wakim wrote on Instagram.
“…every time i scanned into the building i would think how insane it is to get to work there. it was the most terrifying, thrilling, and rewarding experience of my life and i will miss it dearly and all the brilliant people that work there that made it feel like a home.”
Wakim also gave thanks to SNL creator Lorne Michaels for “taking a chance on me and changing my life.”
Wakim joined SNL as a featured player for its historic 50th season alongside fellow hires Ashley Padilla and Jane Wickline. His onscreen highlights included playing a Luigi Mangione lookalike in an episode’s cold open, and an envelope-pushing “Weekend Update” monologue about capitalism, patriotism and hypocrisy.
So far, Wakim is the second “SNL” cast member to announce their departure from the show ahead of season 51. On Monday, Devon Walker–who joined the cast in 2022–told fans he wouldn’t be returning for a fourth season.
“Me and the show did three years together,” Walker wrote on Instagram. “Sometimes it was really cool. Sometimes it was toxic as hell.”
Beyond the cast, additional departures at “SNL” ahead of the new season include writers Celeste Yim and Rosebud Baker. In a recent interview with Puck, Michaels indicated there would be big changes to the show’s personnel following season 50, which saw the show avoiding major disruptions to focus on the election year and its anniversary celebration. Per Michaels, just one cast member is confirmed to return thus far: James Austin Johnson, who has portrayed President Trump on the show since 2021.
“SNL” will premiere its 51st season on October 4.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/davepaulson/2025/08/27/snl-drops-emil-wakim-as–shakeups-continue/
