Is Kate McKinnon leaving SNL?

Kate McKinnon left SNL during the forty-seventh season finale, along with three other SNL fan-favourite stars, who are believed to be working on other projects.

Saturday Night Live (SNL) is regarded as one of the longest-running network television shows in the history of the United States (US). The NBC flagship show, which first premiered in 1975, celebrated its forty-seventh season in 2022.

As has become one of the norms with regards to exits in the show, the end of the season came with announcements of the departures of some of the show’s cast members.

The season, which had the biggest SNL cast in history, concluded with a total of four exits of beloved comedians, Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, Kyle Mooney, and Pete Davidson. All of these comedians had been with the show for eight or more years.

Is SNL over for good?

With over four decades under its belt, SNL is premised, “A famous guest host stars in parodies and sketches created by the cast of this witty show.”

The show, created by Lorne Michaels, concluded its forty-seventh season on Saturday, 21 May 2022. However, even before the end of this season, it was a given that SNL would not be cancelled.

As a flagship show for NBC, the show has continued to rack up ratings, especially when popular guest hosts and musical guests are invited to the show.

That being said, fans can look forward to a new season in the fall of 2022, along with the announcement of which new cast members are joining the show.

Is Kate McKinnon leaving SNL?

Rumours circulated of Kate McKinnon leaving SNL prior to the season finale of season 47. This is as McKinnon only featured on a handful of skits in the latest season.

Moreover, in recent years she had stepped back from being a regular fixture on the show, as she played the title role of Carole Baskin in the limited Tiger King series, Joe vs. Carole.

Therefore, fans were not surprised when it was confirmed that McKinnon is not returning to the show for season 48.

During the season 47 finale, McKinnon marked her departure by bringing back the fan-favourite character she is most beloved for playing, alien abductee, Colleen Rafferty.

In this edition of the recurring “Close Encounters” skit, McKinnon boards a spaceship with aliens and aptly bids the audience farewell as her character and as the comedian bidding farewell to SNL, which she joined in 2012 and which launched her mainstream success.

As such, her final parting words in the skit were, “Well, Earth, I love ya. Thanks for letting me stay a while.” Throughout her 10-year tenure as part of SNL, McKinnon had given life to many memorable personalities.

Whether it was Hillary Clinton, Elizabeth Warren, Jeff Sessions, or the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg, McKinnon made an indelible impact on many during her time on SNL.

However, since the comedian, actress, writer, and producer does not have social media, her final farewell to the show was her touching last words as Colleen Rafferty.

Currently, McKinnon is in production for the film, Barbie. But she was not the only comedian who left during the season 47 finale to explore other projects.

Did Pete Davidson leave SNL?

Another major exit from SNL, which received screen time, was the exit of the current record-holder for youngest cast member in the show, Pete Davidson.

First appearing on the show in 2014, Davidson is believed to have left the show to executively produce, co-write, and front the upcoming sitcom based on his life Bupkis. Bidding his final goodbyes, Davidson was quoted as saying:

“I appreciate SNL for always having my back, for allowing me to work on myself and grow. Thank you to Lorne for never giving up on me or judging me even when everyone else was, and for believing in me and allowing me to have a place I could call home with the memories that will last a lifetime. So, thank you guys.”

Who else left SNL?

Season 47 of SNL also marked the departures of Aidy Bryant and Kyle Mooney. Bryant received a brief but touching send-off during the “Update Desk” sketch by friend and co-host, Bowen Yang.

Yang concluded the segment saying, “A friend I couldn't have done this without,” and Bryant received goodbyes from Yang and Michael Che.

Mooney, on the other hand, received a fitting goodbye that was cut for time, as has been the tradition created by his self-inspired skits that usually cut for time and subsequently made available on SNL’s online platforms.

Is Michael Che leaving SNL?

One of the biggest rumours in season 47 was that Michael Che was also leaving the show. Many fear that it will still happen as traditions with exits on SNL are that they are usually revealed at the end of a season or just before the new season starts.

This is unless it is a surprise mid-season exit or a dismissal of a cast member. Che, however, has suggested that he plans to stay, stating:

“I think I’m staying. I think I’m staying. I don’t know. That’s the thing. I never know. Once the season is over, it’s best to not make decisions like this toward the end of the year because all you wanna do is get out of there. You feel like you’ve had your fill, but August or September is usually a different story. But I don’t have any plans to leave just yet.”