Saturday Night Live season 29

Cast

Season 29 saw some major cast shake-ups. Chris Kattan and Tracy Morgan, both SNL fixtures since 1996, chose to leave the show, while featured player Dean Edwards was cut after the previous season ended. Kattan and Morgan popped up as guests in a few episodes that year, and Morgan would go on to host in 2009 and 2015. Will Forte, Seth Meyers, and Jeff Richards all moved up to repertory status, but Fred Armisen stayed a featured player.

Two new Black cast members joined: stand-up comic Finesse Mitchell and Kenan Thompson, a former Nickelodeon star from All That and Kenan & Kel. Thompson, born in 1978, became the first cast member born after SNL’s 1975 debut, and as of 2026, he holds the record for longest tenure on the show. This was also the last season for Jimmy Fallon, who had been around since 1998, and for Jeff Richards, who left partway through after three years. Richards initially said he wanted to try other things, but later admitted his substance abuse played a role.

Writers

The writing team saw some new faces in season 29, including future cast member Jason Sudeikis and comedian J. B. Smoove. John Lutz and Liz Cackowski joined later, starting with the Megan Mullally episode. This season marked the end for longtime writers Michael Schur, after six and a half years, and Dennis McNicholas, a nine-year veteran who had been head writer since 2001. McNicholas later returned to produce Weekend Update in 2014.