‘SNL’ New Cast on Crazy Auditions, Lorne’s Advice and Season 52 Goals

Starting on “Saturday Night Live” is much like a typical freshman year, filled with new friendships, late nights, and the inevitable nerves.

That’s the sentiment shared by the five new cast members of Season 51, marking the largest single-season addition to the “SNL” cast since 2013, when six new members were introduced. 

The iconic sketch comedy series celebrated its 51st season with significant cast changes. Longtime members Heidi Gardner and Ego Nwodim departed Studio 8H, alongside Michael Longfellow, Devon Walker, and Emil Wakim. 

This departure made way for fresh faces, including Instagram comedy sensation Veronika Slowikowska and edgy stand-up comedian Kam Patterson, known for his work on the “Kill Tony” live roast podcast. Additionally, “SNL” welcomed L.A. improv artist Jeremy Culhane and Minnesota-raised comedian Tommy Brennan. Ben Marshall was elevated to the main cast after four years as a writer and part of the Please Don’t Destroy sketch trio.  

Before the season finale on May 16 featuring Will Ferrell and Paul McCartney, Slowikowska, Patterson, Culhane, Brennan, and Marshall gathered for an interview at 30 Rock to exchange insights and share their experiences from their inaugural year on “SNL.” 

Summarize the season in a single word. 

BEN MARSHALL: Fresh. 

TOMMY BRENNAN: OK, so we’re going positive … 

KAM PATTERSON: Quick. 

JEREMY CULHANE: Fantastic. 

VERONIKA SLOWIKOWSKA: Inspired. 

BRENNAN: Oh, God … 

MARSHALL: Grow up. 

SLOWIKOWSKA: Shut the fuck up! 

BRENNAN: Roller coaster. 

PATTERSON: What kind of roller coaster? 

BRENNAN: Mostly a fun one. 

What was the biggest cultural adjustment? 

CULHANE: Adapting to life in New York. In L.A., my life was easygoing, and I felt like I was on top. Moving here meant starting from scratch. While no one treats you like a newbie, given their experience, it feels like I barely know how to do this job.

Ben, your transition from writer to main cast member began in 2021. How has the shift been? 

MARSHALL: It feels like being both a senior and a freshman. Letting go of control is tough. As a writer, you make the final call. As a cast member, you follow someone else’s vision, especially in live performances compared to pre-taped segments where editing is possible.

In live shows, how do you manage to let go of some control? 

BRENNAN: It’s challenging. Sometimes you’re in a sketch with no control, and a line you loved is cut. You don’t know if it was your fault, but you have to roll with it.

CULHANE: Watching my dog taught me a lesson. He’s always calm, no matter what happens. That’s how this job is. If something works, great! If not, it’s fine. Let’s move on. 

SLOWIKOWSKA: Before this, we controlled our performances: stage time, set, videos. Now, it’s all beyond our control. 

BRENNAN: The main hurdle is believing your ideas haven’t been thought of already. It’s exciting to pitch something and hope Mikey Day and Streeter Seidell haven’t heard it a hundred times.

CULHANE: Ben has been like our uncle, guiding us through the process. It’s been comforting.

PATTERSON: “Unc” is a wild nickname.

MARSHALL: Jeremy and Tommy are both older than me.

Kam, there’s talk of you not having watched “SNL” before joining. Is that true? 

PATTERSON: I had seen it, but it wasn’t a big deal in my family. 

“SNL” holds a large cultural presence. Did you all watch it as kids?  

PATTERSON: After joining, I watched a lot of sketches. Hearing the music at the end of YouTube videos felt familiar. I realized I’d seen sketches my whole life without knowing they were from “SNL.” Being part of this legacy is incredible. In L.A., half the people on billboards are from this show! So, while I joked about not seeing it, “SNL” was always in my life. 

Who are your favorite “SNL” alumni? 

PATTERSON: Will Forte. 

CULHANE: That’s unexpected. 

MARSHALL: I know why. He voices a character in an animated show Kam watches: “Haunted Hotel.” 

PATTERSON: I love it so much. 

BRENNAN: It was funny when Will visited and Kam said, “That’s the guy from ‘Haunted Hotel.’” I didn’t even know what that was. 

MARSHALL: Similarly, when Mike Myers was around, Kam said, “That’s Shrek!” 

PATTERSON: Yeah, that was a surprise. He was also the Cat in the Hat. Did you know that? 

Could you share your audition stories? 

CULHANE: I submitted a tape each year for seven years, with new material every time, and eventually gave up. My manager encouraged me to try one last time. During my live showcase in L.A., I played a nunchuck pastor character. While swinging the nunchuck, it flew out and hit an audience member in the face. I lost the crowd; it went silent. My ex-manager shook his head, but my two best friends were laughing hysterically. It made me realize the absurdity of it all. Despite the seriousness of the job, it’s inherently silly and fun. I improvised my way out and won back the crowd, ending with a song titled “I’m Addicted to Giving Women Head.” I’ve never seen an audience go from hating to loving a performance so quickly. 

BRENNAN: I sent in a tape of my “Fallon” stand-up, and then they requested a character tape from me. I thought, “Great, something I don’t do.” I made a character tape, sent it, and they replied, “OK, skip the characters. Come audition.” I was 19th out of 20th at the showcase. I sang a song about nobody having sex in Washington, which was before the Epstein stuff came out, so it might be outdated now. 

MARSHALL: I auditioned with a trio. After our UCB show, Lorne shook our hands and said, “I think I’ll be seeing you soon.” We took it as a rejection. 

CULHANE: “I think I’ll be seeing you soon?” 

BRENNAN: “… in hell?” 

MARSHALL: Exactly. We were hired as writers and made videos. After four years, they didn’t require me to screen test again. 

SLOWIKOWSKA: I auditioned for the 50th season, doing back-to-back showcases in L.A. That’s when I met Jane [Wickline]. We had drinks and became friends. After a screen test, I was asked to do another completely new one in 10 days. I felt confident about the first, but bombed the second. 

BRENNAN: No way! 

SLOWIKOWSKA: It was here. I stared at my reflection in the Rockefeller Center J.Crew while my manager said, “It’s not happening this year.” I checked my phone and got an audition for “Tires,” which I booked. I spent a year doing my own thing and realizing I was fine without “SNL.” I was kinder to myself this time and just enjoyed it. 

PATTERSON: I wasn’t nervous because I didn’t think “SNL” was possible. 

CULHANE: The first time I met Kam was during that audition. Everyone was stressed, but he was on the floor saying, “I gotta charge my phone!” 

PATTERSON: I was in Mikey Day’s dressing room, and the outlets didn’t work! 

BRENNAN: That’s always how I see Kam: phone plugged in the hallway, sitting on the floor. 

PATTERSON: At the first UCB test, my dad was in the audience, clipboard in hand, asking, “That’s my son. You like him?” 

How did you learn you were cast? 

CULHANE: I was hungover and sulking in bed on Labor Day, thinking it didn’t happen. Then, I saw a missed call from [producer] Rebecca [Schwartz]. I waited an hour for her to call back, texting her repeatedly, “I’m available anytime!” She called back during my third nervous bathroom trip. 

BRENNAN: In Las Vegas for eight days at a comedy club, my rental car was stolen the day I was leaving. I called the rental company, and they said, “We’ll track it and call back.” Rebecca called back, offering me a spot in the cast. I responded, “OK. My rental car just got stolen!”  

I called her back an hour later, after learning insurance would cover it, and said, “Sorry for the earlier chaos, but yes! This is the best day of my life.” 

Reflecting on this season, what was each of your standout moments?

CULHANE: Should we highlight each other’s moments?

SLOWIKOWSKA: Jeremy’s was his Tucker Carlson impression.

PATTERSON: Tucker was significant, but I loved “Pinwheel.”

CULHANE: When you were writing that with Mikey [Day], I thought, This is ridiculous. It won’t work. But it was fantastic.

PATTERSON: Anna! Anna!

CULHANE: It became “SNL’s” earworm for a week and a half. Everyone would just say, “Anna!”

PATTERSON: That was great. Anna! It was hilarious.

CULHANE: For Kam, your stand-up is great, but Black Snape was when I thought, Kam is established. You were doing sharp commentary as a character.

SLOWIKOWSKA: I also loved Tyson.

PATTERSON: Ben has a habit I dislike. He’ll say, “This is nothing,” and it becomes the week’s biggest sketch. It’s frustrating.

SLOWIKOWSKA: The “Harry Potter” “Heated Rivalry” parody was the season’s most viral piece.

CULHANE: And “I Miss My Ex’s Dad.” That was Tommy and Ben’s breakthrough, and I was envious because the previous week, Tommy and I wrote a terrible country song [that was cut].

BRENNAN: For Veronika, it was “Guy’s Girl.” 

CULHANE: You’d done other sketches, but “Guy’s Girl” showed, “This is Veronika.”

Veronika, you recently performed Alix Earle. How do you decide if you can do an impression?  

SLOWIKOWSKA: Chloe Fineman invited me to join her, which was nice. I’m not usually an impressions person, but the wig and fake boobs do half the work. 

Jeremy, how about your Tucker Carlson impression? 

CULHANE: We were initially planning something else with another political figure, but it wasn’t working. I remembered developing a Tucker impression for my “SNL” audition two years ago, but no one knew I could do it, including me! With the writers, we found key phrases. I had “Huh! Really?” and someone suggested “What’s going on? What are we doing? That’s the goal now.” We built the whole thing on those.

Do you read online comments or avoid them? 

CULHANE: I’m a bit twisted; hate comments often make me laugh. The nice ones can sting. One woman wrote, “I love your stuff! Here’s a link to reduce your double chin.” Another said, “You’re so cute. I love how close your eyebrows are.” 

PATTERSON: That’s hateful. 

SLOWIKOWSKA: I read comments early in the season, but they hurt too much. I’m too sensitive. Now, I read the top three and stop. 

Your career started online, and you built a large audience before “SNL.” Do you perceive public feedback differently than the others? 

SLOWIKOWSKA: Yes. On my page, it’s my fans who know what to expect. “SNL” comments are tougher; you can’t please everyone. I thought I had thick skin. I’ll read a million positive comments but focus on the one bad one. “She’s trying too hard,” or something I’m already self-conscious about. 

What was the most nerve-racking moment this season? 

SLOWIKOWSKA: “Update” is always nerve-wracking. 

PATTERSON: In the first episode, I was thrown into “Update.” I wasn’t big on reading growing up.

MARSHALL: Growing up!?

PATTERSON: Fuck you! I never enjoyed reading. My first day on national TV, and I’m reading? The cue card guy moved between cameras, and even danced at one point, I think. I was reading as I went. 

SLOWIKOWSKA: Sometimes, they fall behind. 

MARSHALL: That happened to me recently in the cold open. The cue cards switched to the wrong camera mid-sentence. I had to pause and say, “Umm …” 

BRENNAN: I was most nervous during my first “Update” feature at the table read. The table read is scarier than the show for me. 

CULHANE: You’re right. The first table read is daunting. Everyone I know and respect is now judging my work. 

PATTERSON: The first one was wild, seeing everyone do voices. My favorite Jeremy story: I needed a British spy sketch but can’t do a British accent. I asked Jeremy, “Can you do a British accent?” He replied, “What region and year?” I said, “Man, shut the fuck up.” 

CULHANE: [In British accent] “I just need to know the neighborhood.” The most nerve-racking moment for me was delivering the first line of the first episode.

Indeed, you opened Season 51! 

CULHANE: I found out that day. I nearly threw up. 

MARSHALL: Last week was crazy in a sketch with Ashley [Padilla]. I had to switch shirts with her, and the sweater wasn’t in place 15 seconds before we went live. A wardrobe person ran with it, and they counted down from 10 as she threw it to me. I set it behind Ashley’s chair just in time.

BRENNAN: I can’t imagine what would have happened without it.

SLOWIKOWSKA: During the second episode with Sabrina [Carpenter], my costume fell apart. I had to hold it together, literally and figuratively. But that’s part of the show. 

Are any of you holding onto a character or sketch that didn’t air? 

CULHANE: Tommy and I have a failed country song, “Outlaw Guys.” 

BRENNAN: Cowboys who are movers dreaming of being country rock stars. That one’s still going to happen. 

CULHANE: At 3 a.m. on a Tuesday, we thought, “This will change comedy.” Crying with friends, we believed there’d be a before and after “Outlaw Guys.” Then it got no laughs, and we wondered how we were so wrong. 

BRENNAN: We bombed on page 6, thinking, “Page 7 has a song.”

CULHANE: Last week, Jack Bensinger and I wrote a sketch. Tommy helped with the idea. We pitched it, Jack wrote a draft, we pitched it again, I wrote another draft. We thought it was gold. We included Martin [Herlihy], a writer, and he emailed back immediately: “Hey guys, the host isn’t in this sketch.” We’d completely forgotten them.

Has Lorne given you advice that made sense later? 

CULHANE: Lorne’s notes are like Gandalf, but sassy: “There’s a show in there; we just need to find it.” It sounds mystical, but it’s true. It just needs a little tweaking. 

BRENNAN: My first big sketch was “Karaoke Night” with Nikki Glaser. At the after-party, Lorne said, “Do you feel different now?” I said, “Uh, yeah! I felt confident.” He said, “You can stop auditioning soon.” I didn’t understand then, but now it’s clear: “You’re on the show. Stop proving yourself.” 

PATTERSON: When I had to shave my mustache for a sketch, I asked, “Can I keep it?” Lorne replied, “Flip Wilson shaved his whole body.” I agreed, “For sure.” 

What are your ambitions for Season 52? 

BRENNAN: To return. 

SLOWIKOWSKA: Keep our positions.

CULHANE: Be featured in the opening credits.

MARSHALL: Enjoy the process.

SLOWIKOWSKA: Become more comfortable. It’s still nerve-racking to perform live, but in a thrilling way.

BRENNAN: Take bigger risks.

CULHANE: Learn to capture our unique voices in sketches, like senior members Andrew [Dismukes] and James [Austin Johnson]. That’s a goal I’d love to achieve.

SLOWIKOWSKA: Collaborate more. This year, we focused on getting our own work out there. Next year, I hope we find characters together.

---

Photographs by: Mary Ellen Matthews; Photo team: Alex Schaefer, Will Crakes, Rosalind O’Connor, Caro Scarimbolo, Colin Cauldwell; Styling: SNL Costume Department and Billie Rose Owen; Makeup: Amy Tagliamonti; Hair: Jodi Mancuso, Elliott Simpson