Chris Redd is leaving Saturday Night Live, Deadline reports. His departure marks the eighth such exit from the comedy show this year.
Redd joined SNL as featured player for 2017’s Season 43 and stayed on the program for five years. In a statement, the comedian shared, “Being a part of SNL has been the experience of a lifetime. Five years ago, I walked into 30 Rock knowing that this was an amazing opportunity for growth. Now, with friends who have become family and memories I will cherish forever, I’m grateful to Lorne Michaels and to the entire SNL organization. From the bottom of my heart, I can’t thank you all enough.”
Redd has appeared in Saturday Night Live alum projects like The Lonely Island’s Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, Kenan Thompson’s NBC sitcom Kenan, and Kyle Mooney’s Netflix series Saturday Morning All Star Hits! According to Deadline, he’s developing a film called Cyber Monday for Universal and has a standup special set to premiere on HBO Max.
Redd’s departure from SNL comes after Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, Kyle Mooney, Pete Davidson, Alex Moffat, Melissa Villaseñor, and featured player Aristotle Athari all announced that this year’s Season 47 would be their last. With eight cast members leaving at once, the mass exodus signals the biggest cast turnover the show has faced since Kristen Wiig, Andy Samberg, Jason Sudeikis, Bill Hader, and Fred Armisen moved on from the show in 2012 and ’13.
As such, SNL has added four new faces to its featured players lineup: Marcello Hernandez, Molly Kearney, Michael Longfellow, and Devon Walker. Those comedians will make their Saturday Night Live debut when the series’ Season 48 premieres on October 1st.