Three more “Saturday Night Live” cast members are leaving the show ahead of Season 48 amid the show’s increasing politicization.
Comedians Melissa Villasenor, Alex Moffat, and Aristotle Athari won’t be live from New York anymore. All have announced their departure, according to PageSix. Villasenor and Moffat joined the show back in 2016 and were promoted to main cast members in 2018, the outlet noted. Athari joined in 2021 as a featured comedian and is already leaving.
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All three will join the likes of Kate McKinnon, Pete Davidson, Aidy Bryant, and Kyle Mooney in their exits, heralding a season of serious change for the iconic late night comedy show. Season 48 is expected to launch some time in the fall of 2022, Forbes noted. (RELATED: Hoo Boy, SNL Comedian Michael Che Says What Everyone’s Thinking About J6, Risking Massive Fallout)
Former cast member Rob Schneider said the mass exodus of the “SNL” cast did not surprise him given the show’s ongoing political commentary, PageSix noted. Schneider told podcaster Glenn Beck, “When Hillary Clinton lost — which is understandable. She’s not exactly the most likable person in the room. And then when Kate McKinnon went out there on ‘Saturday Night Live’ in the cold opening and all that, and she started dressed as Hillary Clinton, and she started playing ‘Hallelujah.’ I literally prayed, ‘Please have a joke at the end.'”