X

Four Stars Leaving 'SNL': Their Best Sketches, What They're Doing Next

Pete Davidson, Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant and Kyle Mooney are moving on.

Gael Cooper
CNET editor Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, a journalist and pop-culture junkie, is co-author of "Whatever Happened to Pudding Pops? The Lost Toys, Tastes and Trends of the '70s and '80s," as well as "The Totally Sweet '90s." She's been a journalist since 1989, working at Mpls.St.Paul Magazine, Twin Cities Sidewalk, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and NBC News Digital. She's Gen X in birthdate, word and deed. If Marathon candy bars ever come back, she'll be first in line.
Expertise Breaking news, entertainment, lifestyle, travel, food, shopping and deals, product reviews, money and finance, video games, pets, history, books, technology history, generational studies. Credentials
  • Co-author of two Gen X pop-culture encyclopedia for Penguin Books. Won "Headline Writer of the Year"​ award for 2017, 2014 and 2013 from the American Copy Editors Society. Won first place in headline writing from the 2013 Society for Features Journalism.
Gael Cooper
4 min read
Heidi Gardner, Aidy Bryant, Kyle Mooney, Kate McKinnon and Natasha Lyonne in an SNL skit

Heidi Gardner, Aidy Bryant, Kyle Mooney, Kate McKinnon and host Natasha Lyonne are seen in a sketch from the SNL season finale, which marked the final show for Bryant, Mooney, McKinnon and Pete Davidson (not shown).

Will Heath/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

Four Saturday Night Live cast members are leaving the show. Saturday night was the last show for Pete Davidson, Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant and Kyle Mooney.

Davidson and McKinnon acknowledged their departure in sketches. Davidson appeared on Weekend Update and thanked show creator, Lorne Michaels, for giving him a chance. Michaels, he said, told him he didn't think Davidson was right for the show, but added, "So let's screw this up together."

McKinnon's farewell was a bit more subtle. She reprised a character, Ms. Rafferty, who gets abducted by aliens, but the words she spoke at the end of it turned out to be a show farewell.

"Earth, I love ya! Thanks for letting me stay a while," she said in the sketch.

Bryant addressed her departure briefly in a Weekend Update segment where she and Bowen Yang play trend forecasters. At one point, Bryant almost chokes up when she declares "10 nice years," as in her own time on the show, to be "in." Yang responds that she's "a friend I couldn't have done this without," all in character. Update host Michael Che then hands her a farewell bouquet.

Here's where you can see all four of the departing actors, and a classic sketch for each.

Pete Davidson

What's next?

Davidson is famously dating reality show star Kim Kardashian, so you'll almost certainly see him in TMZ and tabloid headlines going forward. You can also see him in a bunch of movies coming out soon. He's in Bodies, Bodies, Bodies, a murder mystery coming out Aug. 5. He has a role in Good Mourning, a new stoner comedy that's on a variety of streaming services. He stars with Kaley Cuoco in Meet Cute, an upcoming rom-com with no release date yet. Davidson also voices Marmaduke, the giant dog from the comic strips, in a new Netflix movie that's been dogged by critics.

Iconic sketch: Chad

Davidson plays a lot of characters who seem like they might just be him in slight disguise. Chad is a laid-back guy who doesn't seem bothered by anything ever, including ghosts in a haunted mansion.

Kate McKinnon

What's next?

The amazing and versatile Kate McKinnon has been an SNL mainstay for 10 years, and has two Emmy Awards to show for it. No fear, she'll be a presence in the entertainment world for years to come. Recently, she could be seen in The Bubble, a Netflix movie that's not exactly critically acclaimed. She'll voice Lulu, a hairless guinea pig, in DC League of Super Pets, an animated kids' film coming out July 29. And she's got a role in the 2023 Barbie feature film, which stars Margot Robbie as the famed fashion doll.

Iconic sketch: Rudy Giuliani

McKinnon could impersonate just about anyone, but her stints as former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani are perhaps the most memorable. In this Weekend Update appearance, McKinnon's Giuliani defends the infamous Four Seasons Landscaping press conference, and explains how he plans to help former president Donald Trump challenge the 2020 election results. One part of the plan: He's suing all the states where Trump lost, for "I dunno, child support?"

Aidy Bryant

What's next?

Aidy Bryant is another 10-year SNL vet departing this year. If you haven't already caught her in the Hulu series Shrill, based on Lindy West's book, tune in now -- there are three fabulous seasons to catch up on. She also stars as the voice of Emmy Fairfax in the animated workplace comedy Human Resources, which is on Netflix.

Iconic sketch: Wine signs

Bryant has plenty of great sketches, but she's especially funny as a gift recipient who slowly discovers the cutesy signs her friends are pushing on her have some not-so-cute messages. "It wasn't until I became sober that I realized how forcefully this 'wine mommy' stuff is pushed on women," wrote one YouTube commenter. "It makes the big bucks. Love this sketch."

Kyle Mooney

What's next?

Curly-haired Kyle Mooney spent nine years on SNL, and while he didn't make off-screen headlines like Davidson did, he has been a steady presence. He hasn't announced his future projects, but you can catch him starring in Saturday Morning All Star Hits!, a parody of 1980s-'90s cartoons, on Netflix.

Iconic sketch: A New Kyle

Mooney has a classic sketch where he pokes fun at his own nerdy image and tries to steal Davidson's style and friends. It's a weirdly fun bit of meta-humor that shows off Mooney's range. Plus, host Adam Driver gets an arrow shot into his leg.

New Movies Coming in 2023 From Marvel, Netflix, DC and More

See all photos