Cecily Strong Hasn't Left Saturday Night Live, So Why Wasn't She In Season 48's Opening Credits?

There have been so many changes to the "Saturday Night Live" cast member roster heading into the show's 48th season that fans have been experiencing whiplash. Heading into the premiere, eight cast members announced their departures: Aristotle Athari, Aidy Bryant, Pete Davidson, Kate McKinnon, Alex Moffat, Kyle Mooney, Chris Redd, and Melissa Villaseñor. It wouldn't be a complete surprise if one or two more cast members decided to jump ship given that exodus.

So when Cecily Strong didn't appear in the newly shot opening credits during the season's opening telecast, fans started to worry. There hadn't been any reports of her deciding to depart from "SNL," so why was she not included? What possible reason could she have had to not be at filming? With the internet ready to comb over every minute detail to gather answers, the theories could have been endless.

The reasoning is a lot simpler than that, and trust me when I say it's not that big of a deal. It's just as simple as a scheduling conflict, which happens all the time in the industry. 

Strong's absence from the latest season's opening credits is less scandalous than some might think. The reason why she wasn't present was because she's currently working in Los Angeles. According to TV Line, she's headlining "The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe" at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. A one-woman show most famously associated with Lily Tomlin's 1991 performance, Strong will be completing her run of the show by October 23rd before rejoining the cast of SNL for her tenth season.

For anyone wondering why the producers over at "SNL" aren't up in arms over this scheduling conflict, the head honcho, Lorne Michaels, is also producing the one-woman show directed by Leigh Silverman. Michaels being involved should help alleviate anyone's concerns of drama behind-the-scenes or there being any further suspicions that Strong may be departing "Saturday Night Live" this season.

Don't worry, though. There are plenty of cast members still to hold your attention this season. "SNL" added four new featured members to the cast this season: Marcello Hernandez, Molly Kearney, Michael Longfellow, and Devon Walker.

Some of your faves are also back. Michael Che, Mikey Day, Chloe Fineman, Heidi Gardner, Colin Jost, Ego Nwodim, Kenan Thompson and Bowen Yang are returning repertory players. As for the featured players this season, we have Andrew Dismukes, Punkie Johnson, James Austin Johnson, Sarah Sherman, Ben Marshall, John Higgins and Martin Herlihy. So don't despair, "SNL" fans! This cast is ready to entertain you.