Chris Redd announces exit from Saturday Night Live! Image Source: EW 

Chris Redd is ready to leave Saturday Night Live!

Comedian Chris Redd, who has been a part of Saturday Night Live since 2017, has announced that he would not be returning for season 48, which is set to return on October 1st.

Being a part of Saturday Night Live, according to Chris Redd, has been a once-in-a-lifetime event for him. He continued by saying that five years ago when he first entered 30 Rock, he knew it would be an incredible opportunity for him to develop. Now, with friends whom he now refers to as a family, he said that the moments they shared will be something he will treasure forever. Chris concluded by expressing his gratitude to Lorne Michael and the entire Saturday Night Live crew and saying that he cannot express his gratitude to everyone enough.

Chris Redd began watching the program in 2017, and in 2019 he was added to the cast as a regular. He is well-known for his impersonations of Kanye West, Mayor Eric Adams, and Barak Obama. A Primetime Emmy was also awarded to the comedian in 2018 for Outstanding Music and Lyrics for "Come Back, Barack," which he co-wrote with Kenan Thompson, Will Stephen, and composer Eli Bruggemann.

After leaving the program, the comic will star in Chris Redd: Why Am I Like This, an HBO Max comedy special that will premiere this year. In addition to playing the lead in Universal's upcoming feature picture Cyber Monday, the comedian has been tapped to provide his voice for a leading role in a project from Broadway Video and Audible.

After numerous cast members left the show after the season 47 finale, including Kate McKinnon, Pete Davidson, Kyle Mooney, and Aidy Bryant, Chris Redd is the latest to leave. In addition, Melissa Villasenor, Alex Moffat, and Aristotle Athari will not be returning for season 48, according to a report in People magazine, producer of long-running comedy shows and head of talent Lindsay Shookus made her departure from the show official in August.

Marcello Hernandez, Molly Kearney, Michael Longfellow, and Devon Walker were among the new cast members whose names were announced by Saturday Night Live last week as they will be joining the program ahead of the upcoming season. Creator of Saturday Night Live Lorne Michaels noted that season 48 will be a transition year for the program but also noted that transition years are always challenging during his presentation on the red carpet of the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards.

The program will undergo many changes as new cast members come on board, and the audience's generational makeup will alter as a result, according to Lorne. He added that the new cast members are going to bring in the freshness needed. As of the time of publication, show regular including Michael Che,  Chloe Fineman, Colin Jost, Ego Nwodim, Heidi Gardner, Cecily Strong, Kenan Thompson, Mikey Day, and Bowen Yang, as well as featured players Andrew Dismukes, James Austin Johnson, Punkie Johnson, and Sarah Sherman, will be returning for season 48. The show's "Weekend Update," presented by Colin Jost and Michael Che, is one of the portions that won't change. The midterm elections this year require "that part to be as solid as it is," according to Michaels.

Season 48 of SNL is set to premiere on October 1st with actor Miles Teller hosting and Kendrick Lamar as the musical guest.