Chloe Fineman, SNL vets react to Ego Nwodims…
She’s in good company.
Ego Nwodim, 37, was met with help from her former “Saturday Night Live” co-stars after saying her resolution to depart the sketch comedy after seven years and forward of Season 51 on Friday.
Cecily Strong, who was on “SNL” from 2011 to 2022 and labored with Nwodim for 5 seasons, was one of the first to react to the shocking news.
Ego Nwodim during New York Fashion Week at the Brant Foundation on September 12, 2025. GC Images
Former “SNL” star Ego Nwodim during the “Clothing Ad” sketch on May 3, 2025. Caro Scarimbolo/NBC via Getty Images
“I just texted you but I also want to say it loud and proud here: it was an honor and total joy to get to work with you,” Strong, 41, wrote in the feedback part of Nwodim’s Instagram announcement post. “One of the best to ever do it.”
Chloe Fineman, who joined “SNL” in 2019 and has confirmed her return when Season 51 kicks off on Oct. 4, shared a related sentiment.
“One of the best to ever do it my friend,” she wrote with a goat emoji. “GOAT.”
Cecily Strong and Ego Nwodim during a Philadelphia 76ers vs. New York Knicks recreation at Madison Square Garden on April 22, 2024. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Chloe Fineman, Ego Nwodim and Ashley Padilla during an “SNL” sketch on October 5, 2024. Will Heath/NBC
Punkie Johnson, meanwhile, welcomed Nwodim to the “outside” and the long record of “SNL” stars who have left the show across its 50-year run.
“YOU DID YOUR DUTY EZ…. WELCOME BACK TO OUTSIDE…. WE HAVIN A TIME,” Johnson, who was on from 2020 to 2024, wrote. “LETS PLAY.”
“Baby baby baby! You’re a star and made your mark HUGE,” Molly Kearney, who made her exit after two seasons in 2024, added. “And it is very fun out here! Welcome!”
Punkie Johnson attends “SNL50: The Homecoming Concert” at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on February 14, 2025. Getty Images
Molly Kearney as Molly during the “American Girl Doll Movie Trailer” sketch on April 15, 2023. Rosalind O’Connor/NBC via Getty Images
Ana Gasteyer at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles, California, on July 17, 2025. Getty Images
However, Nwodim’s former colleagues weren’t the only ones to weigh in on her departure from the Lorne Michaels-created sketch program, because some “SNL” alums with whom the comic never overlapped shared their help as properly.
“Congratulations on a fantastic run!!” wrote Ana Gasteyer, who labored on the show for six seasons from 1996 to 2002. “Excited for what’s next.”
Nwodim, who joined during Season 44 in 2018, announced her resolution to depart “SNL” in an emotional Instagram post shared on Friday, Sept. 12.
Will Ferrell and Ana Gasteyer during “SNL50: The Homecoming Concert” on February 14, 2025. Kevin Mazur/Peacock via Getty Images
Ego Nwodim with Colin Jost and Michael Che during “Weekend Update” on May 17, 2025. Will Heath/NBC via Getty Images
Ego Nwodim’s Instagram post. eggyboom/Instagram
“The hardest part of a great party is knowing when to say goodnight,” she started. “But after seven unforgettable seasons, I have decided to leave SNL.”
“I am immensely grateful to Lorne [Michaels] for the opportunity, to my castmates, the writers, and the crew for their brilliance, support, and friendship,” the comic continued. “Week after week on that stage taught me more than I could have ever imagined, and I will carry those memories (and that laughter) with me always.”
“Now invite me to your weddings please!” she concluded after a praying palms and kiss emoji.
Ego Nwodim at the Marc Jacobs 2026 Fashion Show at the New York Public Library on June 30, 2025. GC Images
Nwodim is just the latest “SNL” solid member to depart the show forward of Season 51 next month, although her exit appeared to be voluntary.
Devon Walker, Emil Wakim, Michael Longfellow and Heidi Gardner all departed shortly after Michaels, 80, teased a solid shakeup before the new season.
Walker, 34, was the first to announce his exit after three seasons on the show.
Devon Walker at “SNL50: The Anniversary Special” in New York City on February 16, 2025. Variety via Getty Images
Emil Wakim seems at “SNL50: The Homecoming Concert” in New York on Feb. 14, 2025. Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
“Me and the show did three years together, and sometimes it was really cool,” he shared on Instagram. “Sometimes it was toxic as hell. But we made the most of what it was, even amidst all of the dysfunction. We made a f – – ked up lil family.”
Wakim and Longfellow soon adopted go well with.
“It was the most terrifying, thrilling and rewarding experience of my life, and I will miss it dearly and all the brilliant people that work there that made it feel like a home,” Wakim, 27, announced in a post of his own.
Michael Longfellow attends “SNL50: The Anniversary Special” at 30 Rockefeller Center in New York City on February 16, 2025. FilmMagic
Emil Wakim, Devon Walker and Michael Longfellow at the American Museum of Natural History’s Museum Gala in New York on Dec. 5, 2024. Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
“Will not be returning for a 4th season at SNL,” Longfellow, 31, added. “Wish I was but, so it goes. It was the best three years of my life so far.”
As for Gardner, The Post confirmed her exit after eight seasons on Aug. 28.
Although she has not addressed her departure, an insider claimed her contract with “SNL” was not renewed.
“It’s time for a new cast,” the source shared earlier this month.
Heidi Gardner at the Television Academy in North Hollywood, California, on June 2, 2025. Todd Williamson/NBC via Getty Images
Heidi Gardner in Kansas City, Missouri, on May 31, 2025. Getty Images
Bowen Yang, who will return to Studio 8H on Oct. 4 for Season 51, was the first to handle Gardner’s exit during an episode of his “Las Culturistas” podcast launched Wednesday, Sept. 10.
“You are one of the greats,” Yang, 34, said of his former co-star. “You will go down in history.”
Yang, who joined “SNL” in 2019 during Season 45, addressed Walker, Wakim and Longfellow’s exits as properly.
“Shout out Devon, Emil, Michael Longfellow,” the “Wicked” star said. “They were fantastic comedians going in. They are fantastic comedians coming out. Those are some A+ gems.”
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