Emil Wakim reveals he won’t be returning to ‘Saturday Night Live’
By Dan Heching, CNN
(CNN) — Ahead of Season 51 of “Saturday Night Live,” another cast member has announced his departure.
Emil Wakim revealed on Wednesday via Instagram that he will not be returning to the NBC sketch comedy show after the summer break, writing, “it was a gut punch of a call to get but I’m so grateful for my time there.”
Adding a note of levity, he went on to say the he got the news while celebrating a friend’s birthday at a Six Flags amusement park and “went on a really emotional walk through Bugs Bunny park and stared out across Daffy Duck lake thinking about life.”
“Every time I scanned into the (‘SNL’) building I would think how insane it is to get to work there,” Wakim added, alongside a carousel of photos documenting his time at Studio 8H at 30 Rock in New York City. “It was the most terrifying, thrilling, and rewarding experience of my life and I will miss it dearly and all the brilliant people that work there that made it feel like a home.”
Wakim was on the show for one season.
CNN has reached out to “SNL” representatives for comment.
The news comes days after Wakim’s fellow cast member Devon Walker, who was with the show three seasons, shared he also wouldn’t be returning for Season 51.
Walker likened his time on the show to a “little marriage,” saying, ““Me and the show did three years together, and sometimes it was really cool. Sometimes it was toxic as hell.”
At the end of his post on Wednesday, Wakim thanked “SNL” creator and overseer Lorne Michaels “for taking a chance on me and changing my life.”
“I was so lucky to bring some of myself in there and say things i believed in and i’m excited for whatever chapter comes next,” he concluded. “Here’s to making more art without compromise.”
“SNL” Season 51 will premiere on October 4, according to NBC.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
