SNL Eyes Ashley Padilla Promotion for Season 52 as 16-Member Cast Faces Summer Changes
Updated
Updated · Deadline · May 18
SNL Eyes Ashley Padilla Promotion for Season 52 as 16-Member Cast Faces Summer Changes
7 articles · Updated · Deadline · May 18
Ashley Padilla is expected to be promoted to SNL’s main cast for Season 52 after a finale that again highlighted the second-year featured player as a breakout performer.
The summer review is also expected to bring at least one addition—a Black female cast member—after veteran Ego Nwodim’s September exit left that gap just before Season 51 began.
Little internal discussion has surfaced around departures from the current 16-member cast, despite six veterans with six or more seasons, including Colin Jost at 13, Michael Che at 12 and Kenan Thompson at 23.
Will Ferrell’s Season 51 finale offered few clear exit clues: Jost and Che drew unusually long applause before a full Joke Swap, but the episode ended without a traditional curtain-call sendoff.
Lorne Michaels has deferred cast decisions until summer in recent years while juggling major projects, first SNL’s 50th-anniversary events and now the launch of Saturday Night Live UK.
With veterans staying longer and new stars rising, is SNL's cast becoming too crowded for its next breakout star?
Does Lorne Michaels' deep involvement at 81 signal stability for SNL, or does it risk stagnation for the iconic show?
As SNL expands globally, can its American format succeed by embracing Britain's darker, more sarcastic brand of humor?