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SNL "Always Meant to Be a Stepping Stone": Ego Nwodim on Departure

With NBC's Saturday Night Live returning for Season 51 on October 4th, Ego Nwodim addressed her decision to depart SNL after seven seasons.

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Article Summary

  • Ego Nwodim exits SNL after seven seasons, calling the show a vital career stepping stone.
  • SNL Season 51 premieres October 4th with one of its largest casts in quite some time.
  • Lorne Michaels embraces change, noting cast shakeups keep Saturday Night Live dynamic and relevant.
  • Departing cast members also include Devon Walker, Michael Longfellow, Heidi Gardner, and Emil Wakim.

Ahead of the return of NBC's Saturday Night Live for Season 51 on October 4th, a number of new faces were announced to be joining what will be one of the show's largest casts in years. Unfortunately, the cast changes also included a number of departures, including cast members Devon Walker, Michael Longfellow, Heidi Gardner, Ego Nwodim, and featured player Emil Wakim. During a panel presentation at the Fast Company Innovation Festival, Nwodim addressed her decision to depart SNK after seven seasons. "There's so much I want to do and 'SNL' is always meant to be a stepping stone. There's so many ideas that I need to have time to create. I'm looking forward to doing that. So directing, more writing in a different capacity," Nwodim shared, adding that she was "very excited" about what's to come and that "it's an exciting thing."

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SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE — Episode 1884 — Pictured: (l-r) Anchor Colin Jost, Ego Nwodim as Miss Eggy, and anchor Michael Che during Weekend Update on Saturday, May 17, 2025 — (Photo by: Will Heath/NBC)

"The hardest part of a great party is knowing when to say goodnight. But after seven unforgettable seasons, I have decided to leave SNL. I am immensely grateful to Lorne for the opportunity, to my castmates, the writers, and the crew for their brilliance, support, and friendship. Week after week on that stage taught me more than I could have ever imagined, and I will carry those memories, and that laughter, with me always," Nowdim shared on social media – here's a look:

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Image: Instagram Screencap

During the 77th Emmy Awards red carpet, Michaels spoke with Entertainment Tonight's Nischelle Turner about the recent changes. "The show has always brought people in from different ages and different generations, and it's how it revives itself," Michaels explained. "It's always hard when people leave, but there's a time for that, and our audience has always stayed relatively young, and more so now with TikTok," Michaels added, pointing to how SNL has had a long tradition of cast changes, and that while it can be painful, it's also one of the main reasons why the long-running late-night sketch comedy series has lasted as long as it has. "Change is good. The people we're bringing in, I'm really excited about." You can check out the exchange in the video above, where Michaels also discusses what it was like working on SNL50 for two years.

NBC's SNL Season 51 cast includes Michael Che, Mikey Day, Andrew Dismukes, Chloe Fineman, Marcello Hernandez, James Austin Johnson, Colin Jost, Sarah Sherman, Kenan Thompson, and Bowen Yang, along with current featured players Ashley Padilla and Jane Wickline. Joining them are newcomers Ben Marshall, Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Kam Patterson, and Veronika Slowikowska.

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Ray FlookAbout Ray Flook

Serving as Television Editor since 2018, Ray began five years earlier as a contributing writer/photographer before being brought onto the core BC team in 2017.
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