“Saturday Night Live” is undergoing a significant roster refresh for its upcoming 51st season, with new additions, promotions, and several notable departures. Ben Marshall, a member of the comedy trio Please Don’t Destroy, has been promoted to the featured cast. He is joined by new featured players Veronika Slowikowska, Jeremy Culhane, Kam Patterson, and Tommy Brennan.

This wave of new talent coincides with the exits of several cast members: Heidi Gardner after eight seasons, Michael Longfellow and Devon Walker after three seasons each, and Emil Wakim after one season. Season 51 of the iconic NBC sketch show is set to premiere on October 4, following a landmark 50th-anniversary celebration earlier in the year.

The changes particularly impact the popular comedy trio Please Don’t Destroy, which consists of Ben Marshall, John Higgins, and Martin Herlihy. While Marshall moves into a featured cast role, John Higgins has announced his departure from “SNL” to pursue other acting projects. Martin Herlihy will remain on the writing staff. Despite the changes at “SNL,” the trio has confirmed they will continue to work together on projects outside of the show, with Marshall expressing, “This is a new chapter, but we’re not going to stop working together anytime soon.” Please Don’t Destroy gained popularity for their off-beat, often self-deprecating digital shorts on “SNL,” following in the footsteps of the Lonely Island.

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They frequently featured A-list celebrity hosts in their videos. The trio formed in 2017 while students at NYU, gaining a following for social media sketches during the COVID-19 pandemic before joining “SNL” as writers in 2021. Their work outside the show includes the 2023 film “Please Don’t Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain.” Notably, both Herlihy and Higgins come from families with deep “SNL” ties; Martin is the son of former head writer Tim Herlihy, and John is the son of writer-producer Steve Higgins.

Among the departing cast members, Devon Walker has been particularly vocal about his three-year tenure on “SNL.” Announcing his exit on Instagram, Walker shared mixed feelings, stating, “Sometimes it was really cool. Sometimes it was toxic as hell. But we did what we made the most of what it was, even amidst all of the dysfunction. We made a fucked up lil family.” In an interview, Walker expressed gratitude for his time at the show, acknowledging both the good and bad parts, and the valuable lesson of trusting his comedic gut instinct. He noted that the show, by its nature, is a temporary job, and his departure was a mutual decision.

Walker is proud of his popular “Weekend Update” features, including his portrayal of “Milly Pounds and Shirty” with James Austin Johnson, and his impression of Draymond Green. He also discussed the “toxic” aspects of the show, particularly the lack of humanity in employment decisions, where cast members are often left hanging for months about their job status, impacting major life decisions. He hopes for “a sprinkle of humanity” to be added to the show’s future practices.

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Looking ahead, Walker is keen to pursue other creative endeavors, including developing his podcast “My Favorite Lyrics” for distribution and exploring film and TV projects. He is drawn to telling honest and true stories and expressed an interest in dramatic roles, noting, “Sketch has never been the medium I’ve felt most drawn to.” He advises new “SNL” cast members to make content that feels truest to their sensibility, encouraging them to swing and miss their own way rather than conforming.

Walker highlighted examples like Tim Robinson and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, whose best work flourished outside of “SNL,” emphasizing that the show is not the entire world for an artist. He also hinted at a potential stand-up hour to fully detail his “SNL” story, asserting it “won’t be free when it comes.” The new season will continue to feature celebrity guests, a common practice that, while challenging for cast members to stand out, is understood as part of the show’s strategy to attract eyeballs.