Beck Bennett and Lauren Holt are leaving SNL, making way for three newcomers

Aristotle Athari, James Austin Johnson, and Sarah Sherman (a.k.a. Sarah Squirm) are joining SNL for its 47th season

By Tatiana Tenreyro  |  September 27, 2021 | 5:17pm
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Beck Bennett and Lauren Holt are leaving SNL, making way for three newcomers
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Aristotle Athari, James Austin Johnson, and Sarah Sherman Screenshot: NBC

There’s been so much speculation over who’s leaving Saturday Night Live, with concern that Pete Davidson, Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, and Cecily Strong would be heading out. But SNL put those rumors to rest, confirming that the four will stay on the show. But that doesn’t mean everyone in the cast is staying. Beck Bennett and Lauren Holt are exiting. Bennett was on the show since 2013 and Holt was promoted to key player in the past season.

In an Instagram post announcing his exit, Bennett wrote, “Love you, SNL. Gonna miss you so much. Thank you for 8 years of remarkable people and incredible experiences that completely changed my life. I had so much fun.”

But enough about the old cast members, let’s talk about the new ones.

Aristotle Athari, James Austin Johnson, and Sarah Sherman are becoming featured players for the upcoming season. Sherman, who’s best known by her stage name Sarah Squirm, is the most exciting addition. She’s not someone you’d ever expect to be on SNL, in the best way. Her comedy’s absurdist and colorful (both literally and figuratively). The comedian actually made a parodic audition tape for SNL in October 2020, where she did imitations of Austin Powers, Donald Trump, The Joker, and other characters using the same British voice, then she has a “meltdown” where she pukes into the camera. Hiring Sherman is a positive risk that will surely make new viewers tune in to see how the comedian’s distinct comedy style fits within SNL.

As for the other newcomers, Athari is an actor and director, who played Gabe in Silicon Valley and Derrick in The Coop. Johnson’s also been in tons of TV shows and movies, including Better Call Saul, Hail, Caesar!, and Tuca And Bertie. But he’s best known for his viral Donald Trump impressions that were shared around extensively on Twitter last year.

[Deadline]

 
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