The 50th season of “Saturday Night Live” will include some new performers as it bids another cast member farewell.
Padilla has been a member of the Main Company of the esteemed improv troupe The Groundlings since 2021 and has also appeared in “Night Court” and “Curb Your Enthusiam.”
Wakim, who is Lebanese-American, was selected as the New Face of Comedy at the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in 2022, which is the same year that he made his debut on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”
Wickline came to fame by building a fan base on TikTok, where she is a cast member of the show “Stapleview.” She can also be seen in the 2024 Mubi movie “My First Film,” as well as on tour with her comedy.
While “SNL” is growing its cast, current cast member Chloe Troast shared on social media that she will not be returning for the new season.
“Unfortunately I was not asked back to SNL this season,” Troast wrote. “I wish I was going back to be with all the amazing friends I made there, it truly felt like home. But it wasn’t in the cards.”
Punkie Johnson and Molly Kearney previously announced they would not be returning for Season 50.
The anniversary season of “SNL” is expected to include several celebratory moments, along with plenty of political satire with the return of former cast member Maya Rudolph to periodically reprise her role as now Vice President Kamala Harris.
The New Additions
The late-night sketch show has added Ashley Padilla, Emil Wakim and Jane Wickline to the cast, according to Deadline. Padilla is a member of The Groundlings, an improvisational and sketch comedy troupe, and has been featured in a number of projects, including the HBO series “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and NBC’s “Night Court.”
Wickline is a popular TikTok performer and is a cast member on the live TikTok show “Stapleview.” She also performs sketch comedy on tour.
Farewell, Chloe Troast
Troast, who was a featured player in the previous season, announced her departure from the show in an Instagram post.
“Unfortunately I was not asked back to SNL this season,” Troast wrote. “I wish I was going back to be with all the amazing friends I made there, it truly felt like home. But it wasn’t in the cards.”
Troast, who made her SNL debut in 2023 for season 49, issued a farewell message to her supporters.
“I wanna thank everyone who supported me. Especially everyone who came to see my tour this summer, wore costumes from characters and had such wonderful things to say,” she continued. “You mean everything to me. I hope I was able to spread joy and laughter, all love.”
A New Era for SNL
The 50th season of “Saturday Night Live” will be a season of change, with new faces joining the cast and some familiar faces departing. The new additions to the cast are sure to bring fresh perspectives and comedic talents to the show, while the departures of Troast, Johnson, and Kearney will be felt by fans.
However, the show will continue to deliver the same level of comedy and satire that has made it a staple of late-night television for over five decades.
Saturday Night Live season 50 premieres on NBC Saturday, September 28, at 11:30 pm ET.
