Three More 'SNL' Stars Exit: Melissa Villaseñor, Alex Moffat and Aristotle Athari Won't Join Season 48

Mar. 15, 2025

Photo: Emma McIntyre/Getty; Patrick McMullan via Getty; Theo Wargo/GettySaturday Night Liveis now three more cast members down ahead of its upcoming fall premiere — full-time starsMelissa VillaseñorandAlex Moffatand featured comedianAristotle Athariwon’t return for season 48.Villaseñor was perhaps best known for her portrayal ofRep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Moffat often portrayedEric Trump(and even had a stint as both presidentsDonald TrumpandJoe Biden) in addition to joining “Weekend Update” regularly as the memorably sleazy “Guy Who Just Bought a Boat.“A rep forSNLdeclined to comment on the three additional exits.Will Heath/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via GettyFour more longtimeSNLstars —Aidy Bryant,Kate McKinnon,Pete DavidsonandKyle Mooney— kicked off the cast exodus in May with announcements of their departures at the end of season 47.McKinnon, 38,opened upin July about why it was her time to leave the series after 11 seasons.“I thought about it for a very long time, and it was very, very hard,” she said onLive with Kelly and Ryan. “All I ever wanted to do in my whole life was be onSaturday Night Live. So, I did. I loved it, I had the best decade, and then I was just like, my body was tired, and I felt like it was time.“Bryant also revealed shewould have leftSNLsoonerhad it not been for the coronavirus pandemic. “If it weren’t for COVID, I probably would have left a few years earlier. But it was such a huge change,” she toldVariety. “When COVID hit, it was so jarring that we were all like, ‘I’m definitely going to come back next year.'“Of her final season, Bryant admitted, “This year wasn’t the normal year that I hoped for, but it was closer to that. It was like, ‘OK, it’s really time now.’ And 10 [seasons] felt like a nice, solid round number.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest storiesSeason 48 ofSaturday Night Liveis expected to return to NBC this fall.

Photo: Emma McIntyre/Getty; Patrick McMullan via Getty; Theo Wargo/Getty

Saturday Night Liveis now three more cast members down ahead of its upcoming fall premiere — full-time starsMelissa VillaseñorandAlex Moffatand featured comedianAristotle Athariwon’t return for season 48.Villaseñor was perhaps best known for her portrayal ofRep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Moffat often portrayedEric Trump(and even had a stint as both presidentsDonald TrumpandJoe Biden) in addition to joining “Weekend Update” regularly as the memorably sleazy “Guy Who Just Bought a Boat.“A rep forSNLdeclined to comment on the three additional exits.Will Heath/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via GettyFour more longtimeSNLstars —Aidy Bryant,Kate McKinnon,Pete DavidsonandKyle Mooney— kicked off the cast exodus in May with announcements of their departures at the end of season 47.McKinnon, 38,opened upin July about why it was her time to leave the series after 11 seasons.“I thought about it for a very long time, and it was very, very hard,” she said onLive with Kelly and Ryan. “All I ever wanted to do in my whole life was be onSaturday Night Live. So, I did. I loved it, I had the best decade, and then I was just like, my body was tired, and I felt like it was time.“Bryant also revealed shewould have leftSNLsoonerhad it not been for the coronavirus pandemic. “If it weren’t for COVID, I probably would have left a few years earlier. But it was such a huge change,” she toldVariety. “When COVID hit, it was so jarring that we were all like, ‘I’m definitely going to come back next year.'“Of her final season, Bryant admitted, “This year wasn’t the normal year that I hoped for, but it was closer to that. It was like, ‘OK, it’s really time now.’ And 10 [seasons] felt like a nice, solid round number.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest storiesSeason 48 ofSaturday Night Liveis expected to return to NBC this fall.

Saturday Night Liveis now three more cast members down ahead of its upcoming fall premiere — full-time starsMelissa VillaseñorandAlex Moffatand featured comedianAristotle Athariwon’t return for season 48.

Villaseñor was perhaps best known for her portrayal ofRep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Moffat often portrayedEric Trump(and even had a stint as both presidentsDonald TrumpandJoe Biden) in addition to joining “Weekend Update” regularly as the memorably sleazy “Guy Who Just Bought a Boat.”

A rep forSNLdeclined to comment on the three additional exits.

Will Heath/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty

Four more longtimeSNLstars —Aidy Bryant,Kate McKinnon,Pete DavidsonandKyle Mooney— kicked off the cast exodus in May with announcements of their departures at the end of season 47.

McKinnon, 38,opened upin July about why it was her time to leave the series after 11 seasons.

“I thought about it for a very long time, and it was very, very hard,” she said onLive with Kelly and Ryan. “All I ever wanted to do in my whole life was be onSaturday Night Live. So, I did. I loved it, I had the best decade, and then I was just like, my body was tired, and I felt like it was time.”

Bryant also revealed shewould have leftSNLsoonerhad it not been for the coronavirus pandemic. “If it weren’t for COVID, I probably would have left a few years earlier. But it was such a huge change,” she toldVariety. “When COVID hit, it was so jarring that we were all like, ‘I’m definitely going to come back next year.'”

Of her final season, Bryant admitted, “This year wasn’t the normal year that I hoped for, but it was closer to that. It was like, ‘OK, it’s really time now.’ And 10 [seasons] felt like a nice, solid round number.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories

Season 48 ofSaturday Night Liveis expected to return to NBC this fall.

source: people.com