Chloe Fineman said she was "shocked" and still processing a recent wave of departures from Saturday Night Live as the long-running sketch show prepares to debut its 51st season.
Fineman, 37, told Extra TV that the turnover was "wild" and bitter-sweet, adding that she felt "a little heartbreak, sadness" after a spate of exits announced earlier this month. The departures included cast members Heidi Gardner, Devon Walker, Michael Longfellow and Emil Wakim, as well as writer John Higgins. The shake-up came weeks before the season 51 premiere.
Fineman, who is entering her seventh year on the show, said turnover is not unusual but that several recent exits hit personally. "I haven't fully processed anything, but I will say the show has such a turnover," she said. "You always experience [turnover], but these people stay in your lives."
Heidi Gardner, 42, who joined SNL as a featured player in 2017 during season 43 and was promoted to the main cast two years later, did not have her contract renewed, according to SNL announcements. Gardner is known for recurring characters, including teen movie critic Bailey Gismert on Weekend Update. Michael Longfellow, 31, who joined as a featured player in season 48, also departed after three seasons and was noted for Weekend Update bits. Emil Wakim, 27, posted on Instagram with photographs from Studio 8H as he announced his exit, which followed a separate announcement by Devon Walker that he was leaving after three seasons. Writer John Higgins also confirmed he was leaving the show.
Series creator and longtime showrunner Lorne Michaels had foreshadowed change, saying there would be a "significant shake-up" ahead of the new season. When asked about pressure to reinvent the program, Michaels said, "Yeah, for sure. It'll be announced in a week or so." Despite several departures, SNL announced the addition of five new cast members earlier this month.
Fineman welcomed the incoming performers while acknowledging the contrast between longtime cast members and the younger hires. "It's so many people," she said, and jokingly added that seeing how young the new cast is made her feel like she was in the film Death Becomes Her.
Saturday Night Live will return for its 51st season on Saturday, Oct. 4, at 11:30 p.m. Eastern on NBC and on Peacock. The premiere follows the show's summer hiatus, which began May 17.
Fineman has been a prominent presence on the program since joining the cast, writing and performing in numerous sketches. The recent departures mark one of the more notable rounds of turnover in the show's recent history, arriving as SNL balances veteran performers with a wave of new talent ahead of the upcoming season.