> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.theomnicosm.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # ‘SNL’ elevates Please Don’t Destroy’s Ben Marshall to cast, hires four more - URL: https://www.theomnicosm.com/snl-elevates-please-dont-destroys-ben-marshall-to-cast-hires-four-more/ - Published: 2025-09-02T22:15:36.000Z - Updated: 2026-02-03T03:03:24.000Z - Description: The show adds Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Kam Patterson and Veronika Slowikowska for Season 51. - Author: Bill Kuchman - Tags: The Cold Open • News, The Cold Open, SNL [![CTA Image](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f4/8b/f48be8ca-23c6-4d81-b0cf-da2fb0785911/content/images/2026/02/the-cold-open-logo-square-3.png)](https://www.theomnicosm.com/deep-snl-thoughts-is-now-the-cold-open) ****Deep SNL Thoughts** is now **The Cold Open**. New name. Same extensive **SNL* coverage. [Read more ](https://www.theomnicosm.com/deep-snl-thoughts-is-now-the-cold-open) After news broke that **Heidi Gardner**, **Michael Longfellow**, **Devon Walker** and **Emil Wakim** would not be part of the upcoming season of *SNL*, we’ve now learned that the show had added five(ish?) new cast members to replace them. [Heidi Gardner leads the ‘SNL’ exodusIt turns out Michael Longfellow won’t be anchoring ‘Weekend Update’ this season. PLUS: Amy Adams and Matt Smith join ‘Star Wars: Starfighter,’ ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ sequel is in the works, and Jimmy Fallon loves advertising.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f4/8b/f48be8ca-23c6-4d81-b0cf-da2fb0785911/content/images/icon/the-omnicosm-logo-square-new-3.png)The OmnicosmBill Kuchman![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f4/8b/f48be8ca-23c6-4d81-b0cf-da2fb0785911/content/images/thumbnail/lede-082925-1-1.png)](https://www.theomnicosm.com/heidi-gardner-leads-the-snl-exodus/) ## Sign up Join the hundreds of ****Deep SNL Thoughts** subscribers who already get free editions including the episode recaps, news and more. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. ➕ Already a ****Deep SNL Thoughts** subscriber? ****Please consider becoming a supporter** by [****upgrading your account**](https://www.popculturology.news/?ref=theomnicosm.com#/portal/). 🍪 Wanna add ****Snackology** to your subscription? ****Update your email preferences** [****on your account page**](https://www.popculturology.news/?ref=theomnicosm.com#/portal/). **Ben Marshall**, one of the three members of Please Don’t Destroy, has been elevated to *SNL*’s cast. He’ll be joined by **Tommy Brennan**, **Jeremy Culhane**, **Kam Patterson** and **Veronika Slowikowska**. Here’s the official word on the new cast: > **Tommy Brennan** > Tommy Brennan joins the cast of *Saturday Night Live* for his first season. Brennan was selected as a Just for Laughs New Face of Comedy in 2023 and has performed on *The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon*. Brennan is from Saint Paul, Minn., and his birthday is June 1. > > **Jeremy Culhane** > Jeremy Culhane joins the cast of *Saturday Night Live* for his first season. Culhane is known for his viral TikTok and online videos and is a regular on Dropout TV. He also performs with the Upright Citizens Brigade in Los Angeles. Culhane is from Altadena, Calif., and his birthday is Feb. 17. > > **Ben Marshall** > Ben Marshall joins the cast of *Saturday Night Live* for his first season. Marshall joined the *SNL* writing staff in 2021 and has appeared on-camera as part of the comedy trio Please Don’t Destroy. Marshall is from Savannah, Ga., and his birthday is May 1. > > **Kam Patterson** > Kam Patterson joins the cast of *Saturday Night Live* for his first season. Patterson is a stand-up comedian and a regular on live comedy podcast *Kill Tony*. He can next be seen in Netflix’s *72 Hours*. Patterson is from Orlando, Fla., and his birthday is April 10. > > **Veronika Slowikowska** > Veronika Slowikowska joins the cast of *Saturday Night Live* for her first season. Slowikowska is known for her viral sketch comedy content on Instagram and TikTok. She has appeared in *Tires* and *What We Do in the Shadows*. Slowikowska is from Barrie, ON, Canada and her birthday is Oct. 29. We haven’t seen this many new cast members (and I’m including Marshall here) added to the cast since Season 38 when **Tim O’Brien** made the jump from the writers room and was joined by **Beck Bennett**, **Kyle Mooney**, **John Milhiser**, **Noël Wells** and **Brooks Wheelan**. And what does this mean for Please Don’t Destroy? The trio, which had been positioned as the heirs to The Lonely Island, took a backseat during Season 50 — not only appearing in very few sketches but also getting cut for time during a sketch with an actual Digital Short. “I love these boys so much,” Marhshall [wrote on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/p/DOHKheajx5s/?ref=theomnicosm.com). “I couldn’t be more grateful to have gotten into this business with my two best friends. Getting to write for *SNL* together and make our own videos for the show was beyond our wildest dreams — and I’m so proud of everything we’ve made so far. This is a new chapter, but we’re not going to stop working together anytime soon.” **John Higgins** also addressed the news, writing on Instagram: “I can’t believe how lucky I was to be a part of this show. It was my dream and I got to live it. And to do it with my two best friends and my dad was an unbelievable experience. Thank you to everyone who made my time there so special, it made this decision that much harder. But for now, I’m excited to pursue acting opportunities that I’ll announce soon but today I’m just grateful for everything we got to do.” [*Deadline* reports](https://deadline.com/2025/09/snl-new-cast-season-51-ben-marshall-please-dont-destroy-1236504076/?ref=theomnicosm.com) that **Martin Herlihy** is expected to stay with the show as a writer. *SNL* returns on Oct. 4. ****Deep SNL Thoughts** is written and produced by ****Bill Kuchman**. Copyediting by ****Tim Kuchman**. 💰 Like what you’re reading on ****Deep SNL Thoughts**? 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