Friday, December 5, 2025

Lorne Michaels Axes First “SNL” Cast Member, Devon Walker, Who Never Really Broke Through: “Sometimes it was really toxic”

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Lorne Michaels said he’d be culling his cast for the 51st season of “SNL.” He meant it.

Gone today is three year vet Devon Walker, who was fine but never broke out like Sarah Sherman or Marcello Hernandez. Two writers also exited.

Walker posted a notice to Instagram that didn’t indicate whether he left or was sent home. I’d guess the latter is true.

Michaels said recently there’d be more changes. We know Sherman and Hernandez will be ok. So will the rest of the main cast including Michael Che, Mikey Day, Andrew Dismukes, Chloe Fineman, Heidi Gardner, James Austin Johnson, Colin Jost, Michael Longfellow, Ego Nwodim, Kenan Thompson, and Bowen Yang. (Jost can’t leave. He’s paying off that ferry boat he bought with Pete Davidson.)

It’s the supporting players that will probably be switched out, like Ashley Padilla, Emil Wakim, and Jane Wickline, who would be in trouble. Stay tuned..

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Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.

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