The cast of Saturday Night Live can often change over the course of a hiatus between seasons, but losing four cast members and one writer in one week to close out August in the 2025 TV schedule was still a lot to take. It was shocking enough that current SNL star Bowen Yang provided a take, and former cast member Punkie Johnson shared the "wtf" sentiment that plenty of people were surely feeling. Now, exiting actor Devon Walker opened up about leaving and what he'd like to do next.
Devon Walker was the first of the four cast members whose exit was announced last week, which he seemed to take well enough and even had a funny take on the fans who were freaking out over the cuts. Speaking with Rolling Stone, Walker answered the very blunt question of whether he left SNL by choice, telling the outlet:
The big question. To be frank, I guess the best way I put it is like me and the show kind of looked at each other and we decided together that it was time to go our separate ways. I think I felt ready to leave the show, and I think the show felt ready to leave me. I was just ready to do something else. We both felt like it was time. This was such a big time commitment, and life commitment. There’s been a lot of life stuff that I feel like I’ve had to miss out on. And I felt ready to do a different version of my life. I think that me and the show are both ready to turn the page.
The long-running NBC comedy may be called Saturday Night Live, but episodes are being pitched, written, and rehearsed all week leading up to the broadcast, so it's not hard to see Devon Walker's point about the show being a big "time commitment" and "life commitment." Nearly sixty episodes were produced during his three seasons in the cast, and that was evidently enough.
Lorne Michaels had confirmed a shakeup was happening; Devon Walker was just the first to be announced. The departing SNL cast member went on to share what he sees as the next level of his career:
The thing that’s really awesome about doing the show is it makes people aware of you. I got to do some work that I liked a lot. People got to see me. And now it’s about expanding from there. I want to work with people that make things that I think are good, that I think are cool.
When Devon Walker announced his SNL exit on social media, he also promoted his My Favorite Lyrics podcast, which has already enabled him to work with some people outside of Saturday Night Live. He also kicked off a summer standup comedy tour back in June, and it will continue through mid-September. He clearly isn't out of work just because he's out of SNL, and he went on to pitch some A+ shows that he'd be interested in joining:
I really like the show Industry on HBO. It’s one of my favorite shows. You know, they need a comedic relief of some sort. Harper needs it, like a stand-up comedian boyfriend that she doesn’t take seriously. I’m trying to get involved with that type of action. I’m trying to be on The Bear. If Lionel [Boyce] needs a brother, like, I’ve been Black and sad for years. I got all of that really locked down. Succession, there’s black stories to tell in that world. Jesse Armstrong, let’s talk about it. The Severance folks, come on now, let’s get involved. Let’s have a conversation. I’ve got time now.
Devon Walker doesn't have many scripted TV credits to his name as an actor at the time of writing, although he notably was a writer for Big Mouth and Everything's Trash. He also appeared in Ayo and Rachel Are Single, a miniseries starring The Bear's Ayo Edebiri. Maybe she could be an in for him at The Bear? Whatever the future holds, I think everybody should be able to agree that those are some great shows to aspire to join. While Succession is over, Industry, The Bear, and Severance are still going.
News of Walker's exit from Saturday Night Live was followed by Emil Wakim, who brought his Middle Eastern perspective to the sketch comedy show over the course of his one and only season. Michael Longfellow is out as well, having joined SNL in Season 48. The biggest surprise for me was the news of Heidi Gardner's exit. She was part of the cast for eight years.
It remains to be seen if these were the only four cast members to be cut from Saturday Night Live ahead of Season 51, but you can always revisit any episode from their seasons streaming with a Peacock subscription now.
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