Lorne Michaels has teased a shakeup to the cast of Saturday Night Live, and some fans are convinced that TikTok star Veronika Slowikowska is set to join the iconic sketch show.
ICYMI, Michaels — who created and produces the show — revealed that he is making some changes ahead of SNL’s 51st season, which is set to premiere in October.
When asked whether he plans to “shake things up” in a recent interview with Puck, Michaels responded with a firm “yes”, and confirmed he felt pressure to “reinvent this season”.
Michaels said cast updates will be announced “in a week or so”, fuelling fan speculation as to who is in (or out) ahead of the new season.
The rumours have been intensified by comments made by longstanding staple castmates, many of whom have played coy about their potential involvement in SNL 51.
Wicked star Bowen Yang, for example, refused to deny speculation that he was leaving the show after a six-year stint back in May, while Michael Che — who co-hosts the show’s Weekend Update segment with Colin Jost — has alluded to his departure multiple times over the years.
While those are two members of the 17-strong cast who might just bid farewell to SNL, there is another name floating around as a potential newcomer for season 51, and it’s none other than queen of cringe comedy herself, Slowikowska.
You might know her as @veronika_iscool, the TikTok skit iconic who has amassed nearly 700k followers for a brand of comedy that never fails to make me both chuckle and tighten my sphincter.
The source of the rumours is twofold: Last week, Slowikowska appeared on the Take Your Shoes Off podcast with host Rick Glassman, where she seemed noticeably cagey when asked of her potential SNL casting.
“I don’t know what to say… Cut it!” she said.
On top of that, the rumours coincided with the announcement that Nevermind, the podcast Slowikowska co-hosts with Kyle Chase, would be going on hiatus as the pair got “deep into some exciting projects”.
Though Slowikowska’s casting is not yet officially confirmed, the TikTok-to-SNL pipeline is not without precedent.
Last year, Jane Wickline — known for her awkward skits and comedic songs on TikTok — was cast for the show’s 50th season.
Elsewhere on the late-night comedy circuit, fellow TikTok comedian Grace Kuhlenschmidt joined The Daily Show as a correspondent back in 2023.
It remains to be seen whether Slowikowska will make the transition from TikTok to the SNL stage, but at least her painfully awkward skits will always live on our FYP forever.
Lead images: SNL/YouTube and @veronika_iscool/TikTok
