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‘Saturday Night Live’ Adds Saidah Belo-Osagie and Grace Reiter as Featured Players for Season 52
Confirmed
In Short: Saturday Night Live is set to welcome Saidah Belo-Osagie and Grace Reiter as new featured players for its 52nd season.
Belo-Osagie, a Queens, NY-based comedian, is known for creating the event series Afrobeats Futura and the solo show Saidah Gets Closure. Her addition to the cast is generating buzz, following her successful online presence and creative ventures.
Reiter, a member of the TikTok-based sketch show Stapleview, is also joining the cast. Her inclusion is part of a trend of younger, more digitally savvy talent being brought into the show, reflecting its ongoing efforts to stay relevant and engaging for a modern audience.
The new additions join as Ashley Padilla and Jane Wickline find themselves promoted to repertory players, a move that follows the departures of Chloe Fineman and Bowen Yang. Both Padilla and Wickline debuted on SNL during the landmark 50th season, which started in 2024.
Kenan Thompson, the longest-running cast member, will also return for season 52, ensuring continuity and stability for the show. The new season is set to kick off on Saturday, September 26, with new episodes dropping on Wednesdays during hiatus weeks.
Background
Saturday Night Live (SNL) is an American late-night live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. The show's premiere was hosted by George Carlin on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title NBC's Saturday Night.
What's confirmed
- Saturday Night Live has two new featured players for Season 52: Saidah Belo-Osagie and Grace Reiter.
- Saidah Belo-Osagie is a Queens, NY-based up-and-comer who created the event series Afrobeats Futura and solo show Saidah Gets Closure.
What's still developing
- Sources said SNL may shoot its new title sequence featuring the new players as soon as tomorrow.
- This adds to recent SNL news which included the departure of Chloe Fineman and Martin Herlihy after seven and five seasons, respectively.
- Saturday Night Live is adding some new faces for its 52nd season.
- Their promotions, as well as Belo-Osagie and Reiter’s casting, follow last week’s news that writer Martin Herlihy would leave SNL.
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