Saturday Night Live adds four new cast members to season 48 after recent exodus

Saturday Night Live head honcho Lorne Michaels came through on his recent promise to add at least four cast members to the late-night sketch-comedy series. We just didn't think it'd happen so soon.

NBC announced Thursday that Marcello Hernandez, Molly Kearney, Michael Longfellow, and Devon Walker have joined SNL as featured players for season 48, which will kick off Oct. 1.

The announcement follows the mass exodus that saw Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, Pete Davidson, Melissa Villaseñor, Alex Moffat, and Aristotle Athari leave the cast after the conclusion of season 47.

Devon Walker, Marcello Hernandez, Molly Kearney, and Michael Longfellow
Devon Walker, Marcello Hernandez, Molly Kearney, and Michael Longfellow

Mary Ellen Matthews/NBC (4) Devon Walker, Marcello Hernandez, Molly Kearney, and Michael Longfellow are joining 'Saturday Night Live' season 48 as featured players

Hernandez is a stand-up comic who has opened for the likes of Tim Dillon and Gilbert Gottfried. Kearney, who uses they/them pronouns, has appeared as Fern on Amazon's A League of Their Own.

Longfellow has featured as a stand-up comic on Conan, Laugh After Dark, and Bring the Funny — the latter hosted by SNL vet Kenan Thompson. Walker appeared on Comedy Central and writes for Phoebe Robinson's Everything's Trash.

"This will be a transition year, and the change years are always difficult but also really exciting because there's new people and things are changing and a different generation comes into the show," Michaels told reporters in the press room at the Emmys on Sunday, after SNL won Outstanding Variety Sketch Series.

"There are four new people," he added. "At least for now." And now we've met them.

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