Three More ‘Saturday Night Live’ Cast Members To Depart Prior To Season 48
There’s been more herd-thinning on SNL.
After losing long-time cast members Pete Davidson, Aidy Bryant, Kate McKinnon, and Kyle Mooney earlier this year, the show has confirmed three more departures. Alex Moffat, Melissa Villaseñor, and Aristotle Athari will not be returning for the upcoming season.
Moffat, known for his regular portrayals of Eric Trump among other characters, joined the cast for Season 42 as a featured player from 2016 through 2018. He was brought on as a full-time cast member in 2018. He has been seen in feature films like Holidate and Clifford the Big Red Dog, and is in the upcoming movie Christmas with the Campbells and a series called Bad Monkey.
Villaseñor was on the same track as Moffat, starting SNL in Season 42 and getting called up to the main cast in 2018. Villaseñor started as a contestant on America’s Got Talent before booking Saturday Night Live. She has since starred in Hubie Halloween and F Is for Family and regularly tours as a standup comedian. Villaseñor was the show’s second Latina cast member after Noel Wells and the first to be promoted to repertory status.
Athari joined “SNL” solely for Season 47 as a featured player and did not get the chance to join the main cast. He’s set to star in Molli & Max in the Future opposite Zosia Mamet next.
With 21 stars and eight recurring cast members, Season 47 boasted the largest SNL cast to date. Series creator Lorne Michaels has been quoted as saying that 2022 would be a “year of change” for the show.