These "Saturday Night Live" Stars Won't Be Returning For Season 48

Sabienna Bowman

May 22, 2022 at 1:44 p.m.

Davidson joined "SNL" in 2014 and quickly became one of the show's most well-known stars both on screen and off. The actor created a number of unforgettable characters for "SNL" over the years, but he'll most likely be best remembered for playing the ultra-chill Chad in multiple sketches. Additionally, Davidson specialized in creating catchy (and hilarious) rap songs like "Staten Island" and "Three Sad Virgins."

Next up, Davidson is set to star in horror movies "Bodies, Bodies, Bodies" and "The Home." He's also starring in and executive producing the semi-autobiographical comedy series "Bupkis" for Peacock.
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Bryant has been a mainstay on "SNL" since she joined the series in 2012. Since then she's garnered acclaim for playing public figures like Senator Ted Cruz and even earned an Emmy nomination for best supporting actress in a comedy series. For three years, she balanced "SNL" with her successful Hulu comedy, "Shrill," which earned her a second Emmy nomination - this time in the lead category.

Right now, it's unclear what's next for Bryant, although she's likely to continue voicing Emmy Fairfax in Netflix's animated comedy "Human Resources."
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Like Bryant, McKinnon joined "SNL" in 2012, and she's earned multiple accolades for her contributions to the series. Over the years, she's expertly embodied everyone from Ruth Bader Ginsburg to Ellen DeGeneres while also playing unforgettable original characters like Dr. Wenowdis, Olya Povlatsky, and Colleen Rafferty. Along the way, she's been nominated for nine Emmys (and won two).

As she reportedly prepares to exit "SNL," McKinnon remains busy as always. Next up, she'll star alongside Margot Robbie in "Barbie" and take on the role of Grunhilda in the children's movie "The Lunch Witch."
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While he's been in a number of memorable skits, Mooney will always be foul-mouthed Baby Yoda to many "SNL" fans. The actor first joined the show in 2013, and since then he's specialized in creating wonderfully weird sketches about what it's like behind the scenes on the NBC hit show. For the past nine years, "SNL" has been the comedian's priority, but his reported exit is sure to lead to a bevy of new projects.
(Getty / Theo Wargo)

"Saturday Night Live" is undergoing some major cast changes ahead of season 48. On the heels of reports that Pete Davidson is exiting the long-running sketch series, three more of his castmates departed in the season 47 finale as well. Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, and Kyle Mooney all said goodbye to Studio 8H throughout the episode, which was hosted by "Russian Doll" star Natasha Lyonne.

All four of the actors have been on the show for eight or more seasons. That's an impressive feat, especially given how much work they've each done beyond "SNL" during their time on the show. Davidson, who joined the series in 2014 when he was just 20 years old, is now a certified movie star thanks to films like "The King of Staten Island" and "Suicide Squad." Meanwhile, Bryant cocreated and starred in Hulu's "Shrill," while McKinnon has taken on lead roles in movies like "The Spy Who Dumped Me," the "Ghostbusters" reboot, and "Bombshell."

With their careers becoming increasingly busier over the last few years, the actors have had to sit out episodes due to other commitments. For that reason, it shouldn't come as too big of a surprise that they've chosen now to move on. Plus, while they will all be missed, the "SNL" cast has grown exponentially in recent years. As of the season 47 finale, there are 21 regular stars, including the show's longest-running cast member to date, Kenan Thompson.

Check out the gallery to see all of the actors who are exiting "SNL" ahead of season 48.