Leslie Jones Is Leaving ‘Saturday Night Live’ & Kate McKinnon Signs On For Another Year
Aug. 28 2019, Updated 1:25 p.m. ET
When Saturday Night Live makes its highly-anticipated return for its 45th season, there will be one less comedienne extraordinaire. On August 27, Leslie Jones announced that she wouldn’t be returning. However, Emmy winner Kate McKinnon closed a deal to be part of the upcoming season.
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According to The Hollywood Reporter, Leslie, 51, will focus on upcoming feature film projects, along with a Netflix comedy special.
The Trainwreck actress joined SNL in 2014. Although she was originally hired as a writer and Featured Player for the sketch series, she became a Repertory Player for her hilarious appearances on the “Weekend Update” segments in 2016.
Meanwhile, her Ghostbusters costar 35, signed on to return for another season on the hit NBC series. Kate joined the show in 2012. She is known for her impressions of Justin Bieber, Hillary Clinton, and Ellen DeGeneres, among many others.
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Kate was nominated for an Emmy six times as an Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, and won in 2016 and 2017.
So far, Leslie is the only cast member departing from the show for the upcoming season.
Saturday Night Live is slated to return on September 28. Woody Harrelson will host the season premiere, and Billie Eilish will perform as the musical guest.
How do you feel about Leslie leaving Saturday Night Live? Sound off in the comments below!