Saturday’s season finale of Saturday Night Live is leading people to speculate: are some of the biggest stars leaving the show?

Long time cast members Pete Davidson, Kate McKinnon, Kenan Thompson, Cecily Strong and Aidy Bryant took their final bows this week as Season 46 came to an emotional close. Key moments from the show have sparked online speculation that a huge cast shake-up could be just around the corner.

The finale opened with the show’s longest-tenured cast members, Bryant, Strong, McKinnon and Thompson, on central stage, welcomed by the show’s first first full audience since before the pandemic, with virtually all of the four tearing up during the cold open as they spoke about the past year.

When McKinnon got to the line, “This is a year when we realized we are more than just a cast, we are a family,” she got choked up and had to re-do it. Bryant and Strong have both been on the show for 9 seasons, McKinnon for 10 and Thompson has been on the show for a record 18 seasons, the longest of any cast members.

Davidson, who joined the show in 2014, also sparked major exit buzz when he signed off on his Weekend Update segment about mental health with a heartfelt message. 

“I’m very grateful to be here and it’s been an honor to grow up in front of you guys,” the 27-year-old told the audience, quickly leading fans to speculate all over social media that he was leaving.

Davidson’s segment was was followed by Strong, reprising one of her signature impersonations; as Judge Jeanine Pirro she closed out Weekend Update with a rousing rendition of My Way.

Davidson has disappeared for episodes at a time to tackle outside projects like The King of Staten Island and The Suicide Squad, said in February 2020 that he is “happy to be there as long as (showrunner) Lorne (Michaels) likes me.”

McKinnon has reportedly been mulling an exit from SNL for a couple of years now, but also recently said in an interview, “It’s April. It’s early, and I really love working there, and I really love everyone who works there, so we will see.”

Thompson, who has not indicated that he is thinking of leaving, recently told Deadline that he still enjoys doing SNL and he’s “never in a rush to leave,” had been juggling the sketch program and his new NBC sitcom, Kenan, which was just renewed for a second season. It films in Los Angeles, while Saturday Night Live is based in New York. Thompson has indicated previously that he would like to reach the 20-season mark.

Strong took time last year to shoot the Apple TV+ musical comedy Schmigadoon opposite Keegan-Michael Key and Alan Cumming, but hasn’t said either way if she will continue on the show. Aidy Bryant, whose has worked on Hulu’s Shrill, recently released its third and final season, told AZCentral, “I don’t know. I really don’t know. And I kind of keep thinking I’ll have a moment of clarity where I feel like OK, it’s the time, or no, I need to stay. And I haven’t quite had that moment yet.”

But an NBC source announced that Saturday’s episode wasn’t meant to be a final sign-off for anyone and that contracts for the next season won’t be decided until later in the summer.