Saturday Night Live has announced its full cast for Season 51, following a few surprise exits. The lineup includes both fan favorites and some new faces. Returning players are Michael Che, Colin Jost, Bowen Yang, Sarah Sherman, Mikey Day, Chloe Fineman, Marcello Hernandez, Ego Nwodim, James Austin Johnson, Andrew Dismukes, and the ever-iconic Kenan Thompson.
Featured players Jane Wickline and Ashley Padilla are also back. Ben Marshall, known from the comedy trio Please Don’t Destroy, has been promoted to the main cast. And joining the show for the first time are Jeremy Culhane, Kam Patterson, Tommy Brennan, and Veronika Slowikowska. But when it comes to LGBTQ+ representation on screen, there’s only one out cast member: Bowen Yang. Yang first joined SNL as a writer in 2018 before being bumped up to a featured player just one year later.
He’s since become a fan favorite, with unforgettable sketches like the Sara Lee Instagram meltdown with Harry Styles. It’s worth noting that not every cast member has publicly labeled their identity, so there could be others. Still, for now, Yang stands alone. Throughout its 50-year history, SNL has only had nine openly LGBTQ+ cast members. That makes Season 51 feel like a step backward at a time when queer visibility matters more than ever.
Fans are hoping the show balances this out with queer hosts and musical guests. But many are still waiting for the milestone moment when SNL finally adds its tenth out cast member. Television historians point out that last season’s SNL had the largest number of Gay embracements, skits and references of any season in its 50 year history. Season 51 will premiere “Live From New York” on October 4.
