Chris Redd is also leaving SNL now
Redd was on the show for five years and won an Emmy for "Come Back, Barack"
There are going to be a lot fewer familiar faces doing game show parodies and wacky Joe Biden sketches on Saturday Night Live next year, with Kate McKinnon, Pete Davidson, Aidy Bryant, Kyle Mooney, Alex Moffat, Melissa Villaseñor, and Aristotle Athari all having already announced their departure, but hopefully one of them remembered to hold the elevator down from Studio 8H because there’s another cast member heading for the door: The Hollywood Reporter says that Chris Redd will also be leaving the show before the premiere of its 48th season—a premiere that’s happening in a matter of weeks, by the way.
Redd has been on the show since 2017, where he started as a featured player, and he became a regular cast member in 2019. He also won an Emmy (along with Kenan Thompson, Will Stephen, and composer Eli Brueggemann) for the great “Come Back, Barack” R&B ballad. Here’s what Redd had to say about leaving SNL:
Being a part of SNL has been the experience of a lifetime. Five years ago, I walked into 30 Rock knowing that this was an amazing opportunity for growth. Now, with friends who have become family and memories I will cherish forever, I’m grateful to Lorne Michaels and to the entire SNL organization. From the bottom of my heart, I can’t thank you all enough.
As it stands now, the main cast returning to SNL from last season are Michael Che, Mikey Day, Chloe Fineman, Heidi Gardner, Colin Jost, Ego Nwodim, Cecily Strong, Kenan Thompson and Bowen Yang, plus featured players Andrew Dismukes, James Austin Johnson, Punkie Johnson, and Sarah Sherman (a.k.a. Sarah Squirm). Last week, the show announced four more featured players (Marcello Hernandez, Molly Kearney, Michael Longfellow, and Devon Walker), though the official cast for the new season has not been confirmed yet.
Hopefully Lorne Michaels is working on all of this, because SNL returns for a new season on October 1.