Major changes are happening at Saturday Night Live as the show’s 51st season approaches amid the 2025 TV schedule. So far, multiple cast members have exited the show. Leaving alongside them is Michael Longfellow, who appeared on the sketch comedy series for three seasons before recently being let go. While Longfellow addressed his departure shortly after it was reported, he’s now shared details on how he learned the news himself as well as one of the cruddiest parts of his firing.
The additional information from Michael Longfellow was revealed when he appeared as a special guest at a show headlined by former co-star James Austin Johnson (who is returning for SNL Season 51). Per The Daily Beast, 31-year-old Longfellow looked “super bummed” while fielding questions about his firing. As for how he found out he’d been let go, Longfellow explained that he was in an airport waiting to board a flight alongside other passengers when his agent called him with the news.
Honestly, that’s a relatively icy way for a star to learn that they’ve been let go from a job. Yet this particular method of notification apparently isn’t limited to the Good Burger 2 alum. The Daily Beast reports that typically, people learn they’ve been hired at SNL via a phone call from either EP Lorne Michaels or one of his associates. And, when it comes to being fired from the show, an actor usually learns that news from their agent or even a news report.
It goes without saying that losing a job isn’t easy, but there’s an added layer to that for celebrities. Michael Longfellow also explained at the event that what really “sucks” about his firing is that it’s news that the public at large is now privy to. Longfellow also added the following assessment of his situation:
My neighbor knows I’m fired. I don’t actually know my neighbor. He doesn’t know me. But he knows I’m fired.
Given that this entire situation involves Saturday Night Live (one of the most high-profile shows on TV), the public also knows that Devon Walker, Emil Wakim and Heidi Gardner are also leaving the series. Both Walker and Wakim have addressed their exits, while Gardner hasn’t spoken out, as of this writing. Wakim reflected on receiving his “gut punch of a call” but also expressed gratitude. Walker, meanwhile, alluded to the highs and lows of being on SNL. He also gently poked fun at the visceral responses to his exit and those of his castmates and talked about the shows he’d like to join that he’s, in a way, a free agent.
Michael Longfellow also expressed “gratitude” when he took to Instagram to address his own exit. While Longfellow admitted that he’ll “miss the friends” he made, he also thanked Lorne Michaels for giving him “the greatest job in the world” and acknowledged that the producer “changed [his] life.” While it’s tough learning exactly how Longfellow heard about his firing, it’s encouraging to hear that he’s still thankful for his experience as a whole.
Check out Saturday Night Live’s new stars and returning cast members when Season 51 premieres on Saturday, October 4 at 11:35 p.m. ET on NBC. It’ll also be available to stream with a Peacock subscription.
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