Kate McKinnon, Pete Davidson, & More Leave “Saturday Night Live”

Pete Davidson in
Pete Davidson in "Saturday Night Live"

Lorne Michaels described 2022 as a “year of change” for Saturday Night Live and we finally know what he had in mind. Several beloved stars announced their departure in the Season 47 finale including Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, Pete Davidson, and Kyle Mooney.

McKinnon and Bryant both completed their ten-year tenures after joining the show in 2012 and went on to become household names in the years to come. Bryant found success with her Hulu show Shrill, while McKinnon starred in Ghostbusters, The Spy Who Dumped Me, and Bombshell.

Kyle Mooney joined SNL one year later and was one of its more underrated supporting players, often playing quirky and eccentric characters. As for Davidson, he went on to become one of the biggest SNL stars in recent years after joining the show in 2014 and found success with his stand-up specials and movies, including The King of Staten Island.

Season 47 finale, hosted by the Russian Doll star Natasha Lyonne, gave an emotional sendoff to the four departing stars. They all said goodbye in sketches that proved to be fan favorites over the years, including Davidson in Weekend Update and McKinnon in Close Encounter.

The departure of the four stars marks a major shakeup for SNL, but the show is still in the safe hands with the younger generation of stars, including Heidi Gardner, Chloe Fineman, Bowen Yang, and Melissa Villaseñor.