Add three more to the list of cast members leaving the legendary show Saturday Night Live (SNL) this season.
Melissa Villaseñor, Aristotle Athari, and Alex Moffat are all leaving before the show’s upcoming 48th season, according to Variety. They’ll join fellow cast members Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, Kyle Mooney, and Pete Davidson in an exodus that began in May.
Senior SNL producer Lindsay Shookus is also leaving the show. Despite the departures, the show is still incredibly popular and important for parent network NBC, especially in the streaming age where sports and big events are the only truly reliable ratings magnets.
In fact, SNL was the most watched entertainment show on the network last season among the juiciest of demographics for advertisers: people between the ages of 18 and 49. Because of the nature of the show and its ever revolving cast, the news isn’t terribly surprising.
Back in 2012, cast members Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, Andy Samberg, Abby Elliott, and Kristen Wiig all left the show at the same time and went on to do fairly amazing things with their careers. Villaseñor and Moffat joined the show in 2016, and Athari joined last season.
There are still some notable veterans from the show that could potentially join the exodus, including Michael Che, Kenan Thompson, Cecily Strong, and Scarlett Johansson’s husband Colin Jost. Comedian Davidson recently shared a heartfelt message about his time on the show – saying the program got him through some tough times and saved his life.
“I owe Lorne Michaels and everyone at SNL my life. Im [sic] so grateful and I wouldn’t be here without them. I appreciate you guys always having my back and sticking up for me even when that wasn’t the popular opinion.”
SNL returns for season 48 on September 25.