Saturday Night Live is set to return to the 2024 TV Schedule for its historic 50th season on September 28th. While the host has yet to be announced, the cast has been taking shape. However, with the exciting news comes the sad, as we've learned about a few surprising exits like Punkie Johnson, who was on the show for four seasons, and Molly Kearney, who is leaving after two seasons. Newcomer Chloe Troast has now joined the unfortunate list too, and fans are not happy about the news.
Troast joined the cast of SNL at the start of Season 49, and she made quite an impression on fans and her co-workers. She appeared in some of the season’s best sketches, including the hilarious “Little Orphan Cassidy,” where she sang to a moon played by host Timothée Chalamet. A frequent collaborator with the Please Don’t Destroy trio, Troast also brought her incredible singing abilities to the series.
Unfortunately, her incredible voice and impeccable comedic timing were not enough to secure her a spot as a featured player, and she will now join a list of over 30 actors who only lasted one season on the variety show. The news was devastating to the comedian as well as her fellow cast members, who showered her in comments and good wishes on her most recent Instagram post that announced the news.
While her co-workers have focused on showing her support, many fans have taken a different approach, calling out Lorne Michaels and the SNL creative team for making a mistake by not asking her back. Users on X (formally known as Twitter) didn’t hold back with their disappointment in the news:
- Maybe this is the bias talking but losing Chloe Troast after she had a phenomenal first season, being SNL’s musical girlie whose voices carried every show tuned sketch is a beyond idiotic decision. She deserves the world, and I can feel, will soon, fly so high. - @rendy_jones
- Chloe Troast not being asked back to #SNL for a 2nd season is one of the most surprising SNL firings in the last 20 years Hoping she joins a long list of one-and-done SNLers who found strong success after their brief tenures at the show - @ericcsilverman
- Chloe Troast had potential to be the next Cecily Strong, a backbone multi-talented player that SNL desperately needs. Can’t believe they let her go. - @rohallma
- Chloe Troast felt like the future of SNL, with many stand out moments in her first season. Genuinely shocked she was not asked back. - @WillTheLandMan
Fans on Instagram took a slightly different approach, following in her co-star’s footsteps by rallying behind the comedian as she broke the news to her nearly 60 thousand followers:
- they’re gonna regret this. they will rue this day. chloe hive 4 life 🤞 - @rileyjohnsavage
- your sketches were some my faves, excited to see what’s next for you!! - @samsched
- Time to be in movies…… or your own show on Netflix. Your super talented 👏🏾 - @sasha_ssp
It seems like Troast’s freshman season really made an impact on SNL fans. It’ll be interesting to see how her absence affects Season 50 when it premieres later this month.
Fortunately, for all the negative news coming out of Studio 8H, there is some good news for a handful of cast members. SNL favorite Marcello Hernandez has been promoted to featured player after two years as a repertory player. Michael Longfellow and Devon Walker have also been promoted to featured players, making way for three new comedians to join the show: Ashley Padilla, Emil Wakim, and Jane Wickline.
The historic season is also set to feature appearances by big-name former cast members to celebrate the momentous anniversary. Maya Rudolph is also slated to appear regularly, reprising her role as Kamala Harris as the show gets ready to follow the 2024 Presidential Election.
While some of the cast shake-ups have been disappointing, Season 50 shouldn’t be missed. It will begin airing on NBC on Saturday, September 28th at 11:30 p.m. ET, and it will be available to stream with an active Peacock subscription afterward.
