While there's not much news about who's joining the cast, there sure seems to be a landslide of reports on who's leaving. Earlier this week, the grapevine was abuzz with the news that SNL veterans Taran Killam and Jay Pharaoh will not be making it to season 42 this fall. The two stars have been a part of the show for six seasons now.
TV Line states that an NBC spokesperson confirmed their departures. Although it was initially reported that the duo will be leaving the show to pursue other goals, a report by Uproxx confirmed that Killam may have been fired. The actor revealed that SNL producer Lorne Michaels didn't go ahead with the final year of his seven-year contract. The reasons behind this move are, as yet, unknown. The actor went on to add, "I had sort of had it in my head I would make this upcoming year my last year, but then heard they weren't going to pick up my contract. I was never given a reason why, really."
With NBC maintaining a strong silence on the departure of cast members, no official source is available to offer an explanation. Killam, meanwhile, posted a rather sardonic status on his Twitter account that read, "A big thank you for all the Love from my fans. Lorne was kind enough to understand I needed more time to dedicate to my undefeated @RamsNFL."
Another member who's leaving the team is Jon Rudnitsky, who joined the show last fall. In such a short span of time, Rudnitsky did make a mark with his "Dirty Dancing" parody. This happened, as fans will recall, during the episode hosted by Larry David on the 6<sup>th of February. Rudnitsky is also remembered for his impression of Anderson Cooper. As with the previous exits, there has been no word from NBC on Rudnitsky's parting.
