NBC’s Saturday Night Live returned for its 52nd season on September 27, 2026 with New York Knick’s Jalen Brunson as host and Katseye as musical guest. In the lead up to this new season, there have been a number of changes made to the main cast.
Departures and Promotions
In the midst of SNL’s previous season, longtime writer and cast-member Bowen Yang departed the show. Yang was most known for his culture-satire approach to comedy. Famously, he recurrently portrayed expelled congressman George Santos in various sketches, as well as the Titanic iceberg in a Weekend Update appearance, among other characters. It was a bittersweet moment as many fans hailed the comedian as a standout. However, Yang left partly as a result of not feeling central within the cast. Chloe Fineman, who had been a part of the show for seven years, also left the cast prior to the beginning of the new season. Throughout her time apart of SNL, she was recognized for her celebrity impressions and quirky humor, though some fans had begun to voice their dislike for her presence towards the end of her run. Fineman’s announcement came during the summer break in July, citing her want to start a new chapter in her career as an explanation for her leaving.
To fill in the gaps that these two senior cast members left, Ashley Padilla and Jane Wickline were promoted to repertory players. Both comedians were able to truly flex their skills in season 51, with Padilla totaling the most amount of screen time while only being billed as a featured player, or, a junior member.
New Featured Players
On September 16, 2026, two new featured players were announced: Saidah Belo-Osagie and Grace Reiter.Â
Saidah Belo-Osagie is an actress-comedian originally based in New York. Prior to her start in comedy, Belo-Osagie worked on various Netflix shows as an intern and assistant. In 2024, she left to pursue a career in comedy where she started posting on TikTok doing short-form sketches, satirizing New York City archetypes. Some of her most popular videos include, “Girl who’s secretly happy her neighborhood is gentrifying” and “When the race war happens and I’m assigned to Clairo but she’s singing “Nomad”.” Other than her content creation on TikTok, Belo-Osagie was one of the hosts for the digital series, Are You Okay?, produced by NowThis, which centers around street interviews of celebrities and everyday people.
Grace Reiter had the most immediate public response after SNL’s announcement, as she was the more recognizable internet-figure. Reiter grew up in Wisconsin and was inspired by YouTube and influencer culture during her formative years. She started on TikTok in 2019 doing point-of-view comedy skits of a similar nature to Belo-Osagie’s. In 2022, Reiter joined the Syracuse-based production company American High and became a main star of their channel’s American High Shorts and College Life. The videos that Reiter helped lead covered relatable situations common in high school and college, which largely appealed to a Gen Z audience.Â
Reiter’s most popular creation, “Hunger Games (but better) – A Parody,” was released independently on her YouTube channel. The 42 minute video is a parody of The Hunger Games and features other popular comedians in the online sphere, many also a part of American High. The short-film has amassed over 14 million views in just 10 months.
With the hiring of Belo-Osagie and Reiter, SNL continues their trend of scouting internet-based comedians that cater to a Gen Z audience. Just last season, Veronika Slowikowska was added as a featured player and she got her notoriety through TikTok; she made waves on the app for her awkward, cringe-comedy sketches. Moreover, Reiter was the first cast member to be born in the 21st century (2001), making this season break important records pertaining to the age range of the creatives. As these changes continue to take place at SNL, the sketch-comedy show proves that they will not be forgotten by the younger generation of comedy fans.