Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, Kyle Mooney, and Pete Davidson Leave Saturday Night Live After Tonight
Photo courtesy of NBC
Tonight’s the last episode of Saturday Night Live’s current season, and as with any season finale, there’s been a lot of speculation over which cast members might be headed into their last episode. Traditionally cast changes wouldn’t be confirmed until shortly before the start of a season, but sometimes long-running or particularly popular cast members have gotten official send-offs in their last episodes—most notably Kristen Wiig back in 2012. So it was slightly unexpected when Deadline broke the news yesterday that four prominent members of the current cast would be leaving after tonight’s episode. Tonight’s the last call for Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, Kyle Mooney, and Pete Davidson, meaning the show will be losing its two biggest names, its current MVP, and its most dependable oddball all at once. (I’ll let you decide who fits what bill.)
It’s not that surprising to see such a big chunk of the cast depart at once. There are almost two dozen cast members right now, and it’s the largest group of performers the show’s seen in its 47 (?!?) years. Plus all four have been on the show for at least eight seasons; Davidson, the youngster of the group, joined in 2014. McKinnon and Bryant, meanwhile, joined in 2012, meaning they’re both in the formerly rare class of cast member who spent at least a decade on the show. Mooney will be coming just short of that mark, leaving after nine seasons, after sticking around one additional year after his longtime writing partner Beck Bennett left at the end of last season.