Emil Wakim - Now Drip

SNL Season 51 Cast Changes: Heidi Gardner, Michael Longfellow Exit as Lorne Michaels Reshapes the Show

August 29, 2025 by Deanna Hanson

Heidi Gardner and Michael Longfellow on the SNL stage in a split image, signaling cast departures before Season 51

SNL Season 51 cast changes are officially underway, and they’re bigger than a typical August trickle of news. Longtime standout Heidi Gardner is leaving after eight seasons, while Michael Longfellow departs after three, alongside Devon Walker and Emil Wakim. Two writers—Celeste Yim and Rosebud Baker—are also out. It’s a sweeping reset that creator Lorne Michaels … Read more

Emil Wakim in 2025 — SNL exit, stand-up momentum, and where to see him next

August 27, 2025 by Deanna Hanson

Comedian Emil Wakim on stage holding a microphone under warm spotlight

Emil Wakim is having one of those career plot twists comedians dream about and dread at the same time. On August 27, 2025, the 27-year-old comic announced that he’s exiting Saturday Night Live after a single season—a “gut punch of a call,” he wrote in a heartfelt Instagram post—while also emphasizing how “terrifying, thrilling, and … Read more