Everything You Need To Know About SNL's New Season 51 Cast Members

"Saturday Night Live" is really shaking things up for season 51. Following the star-studded 50th anniversary season that just wrapped up in spring 2025, several cast members will not be returning to the show, ranging from the more recent addition Michael Longfellow to longtime performer Heidi Gardner. However, that's not stopping showrunner Lorne Michaels from bringing in some new talent to the late night sketch show. 

NBC just announced the newest members of the "SNL" cast for the upcoming 51st season. Five new comedians are being added to the roster, including one who "SNL" fans will already be quite familiar with. 

Ben Marshall has joined the cast of "SNL" as a featured player, after spending the last few years creating pre-taped sketches for the series alongside his Please Don't Destroy cohorts John Higgins and Martin Herlihy. But he's not the only one. "SNL" has also brought on comedians Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Kam Patterson, and Veronika Slowikowska as featured players, and they each come with their own comedy accolades. 

Let's break down everything you need to know about the new "SNL" season 51 cast members below.

Please Don't Destroy is the comedy group that debuted on "SNL" back in 2021, basically becoming The Lonely Island for the TikTok generation, filling the void left by the departure of Kyle Mooney and Beck Bennett, who also found success with pre-taped sketches following their work together as the comedy group known as Good Neighbor.

Marshall's work with John Higgins and Martin Herlihy has been a reliable part of "SNL" in recent years, even if they don't always end up getting a sketch in each episode. But they've provided such hit sketches as "Three Sad Virgins" with Pete Davidson and Taylor Swift:

One of the better sketches from the 50th season of "SNL" had them teaming up with Jon Hamm for a hilarious riff on shows like "Law & Order," and it's a must-watch for anyone who loves pizza:

You might be wondering why Marshall is the only member of Please Don't Destroy to get hired as a featured player. Well, that's because Please Don't Destroy is officially done at "SNL," according to Vulture. Perhaps he has some interesting original characters or impressions up his sleeve to justify his role in a cast that will remain pretty sizable, even after the recent round of departures. Meanwhile, Higgins is leaving the show entirely to pursue other acting opportunities, and Herlihy will stick around "SNL" as a member of the writing staff. 

Jeremy Culhane looks like he could be the next big breakout star at "SNL." The comedian from Atlanta, Georgia has an impressive following on TikTok, where he's amassed over 338,000 followers at the time of this writing, a number that's bound to go up once he arrives on "SNL."

However, Culhane is no stranger to comedy on TV, as he's been a reliable contributor to the Dropout TV roster of shows. The comedian has brought his big energy to shows like "Make Some Noise" and "Game Changer," the former of which is responsible for this amazing clip involving an improvised "Mr. Beastiality" YouTube personality:

Culhane also regularly performs at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in Los Angeles, which is where a lot of previous "SNL" cast members and breakout comedians got their start. If you want to see more of Culhane's mad vibes, just watch above, where best kiss gets the hot dog. 

Kam Patterson (seen above on the "Flagrant" podcast) has a recent history with the controversial but popular "Kill Tony" podcast and live show, hosted by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe. To give you an idea of why the podcast and comedy show have courted controversy over the years, Hinchcliffe was the comedian that was too edgy for the Republican National Convention, and the show has brought in guests like Tucker Carlson, Alex Jones, and Kid Rock, just to name a few. Other comedians include the likes of fired cast member-turned-"SNL"-host Shane Gillis and Joe Rogan, as well as an extensive roster of comedians like Anthony Jeselnik, Natasha Leggero, Jim Gaffigan, and Pete Holmes.

Patterson is one of those comedians too, hailing from Orlando, Florida, and over the past couple years, he's made a variety of stand-up appearances, many of which have been collected here by Comedy Curator on YouTube:

Soon, you'll be able to see him in Kevin Hart's new Netflix comedy movie called "72 Hours," in which he's joined by Teyana Taylor ("One Battle After Another"), Zach Cherry ("Severance"), and his fellow "SNL" cast members Ben Marshall and Marcello Hernandez. The film is said to follow a 40-year-old executive who hopes to save his flailing career by joining a group of twentysomethings on a wild three-day bachelor party after he's inadvertently added to their group text.

We're hoping that Patterson isn't just being hired to be a token Black guy for "SNL," especially after the departure of Devon Walker. "SNL" has a history of not really knowing what to do with Black comedians, both men and women, and we hope that doesn't happen here.

Veronika Slowikowska might have the most prominent credits to her name among the new cast members. Not only did the Canadian appear in five episodes of "What We Do in the Shadows" as Shanice and six episodes of Shane Gillis' Netflix comedy series "Tires" as Kelly (seen above), but she starred in the Canadian vampire series "EZRA" and also had small roles on shows like the "Silence of the Lambs"-inspired "Clarice" and Natasha Lyonne's "Poker Face" on Peacock. 

As for her other comedy skills, she's often creating funny videos on TikTok and Instagram (where she has over one million followers), like this:

@veronika_iscool ♬ original sound – veronika_iscool

It's easy to see how Slowikowska will fit in on "SNL." She has a lot of potential to bring some fresh characters and an eclectic comedic persona to the show. In fact, Slowikowska could prove to fill the gaps left behind by the departure of Heidi Gardner. 

Finally, St. Paul, Minnesota's own Tommy Brennan is another stand-up comedian who once landed a coveted spot on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon." You can watch his late night appearance below:

Brennan was also named one of the Just for Laughs New Faces of Comedy in 2023, a coveted honor for an upcoming comedian. He seems to have a young, everyman personality, one that could easily blend into almost any kind of sketch on "SNL." His stand-up features some amusing observational comedy and anecdotes, but there's nothing that feels like a breakout moment that makes him perfect for "SNL." Hopefully this doesn't mean that someone like Andrew Dismukes or Mikey Day is leaving the show.

More than likely, Brennan was hired for both his writing skills and his generally handsome looks. It's not hard to imagine him being a TV star, and if he proves to be as useful as someone like Dismukes or Day, then he might find a solid place in the "SNL" roster.

"Saturday Night Live" returns for season 51 starting on October 4, 2025.