'SNL' loses Alex Moffat, Melissa Villaseñor, Aristotle Athari - Los Angeles Times
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Entertainment & Arts

‘Saturday Night Live’ loses three more cast members: Moffat, Villaseñor and Athari

A split image of a man, a woman and a man posing in formal attire against a blue background
“Saturday Night Live†cast members Alex Moffat, left, Melissa Villaseñor and Aristotle Athari are exiting the show.
(Evan Agostini / Invision/AP; Evan Agostini / Invision/AP; Charles Sykes / Invision/AP)
By Christi CarrasStaff Writer 
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Melissa Villaseñor, Aristotle Athari and Alex Moffat are exiting “Saturday Night Live†ahead of the sketch comedy show’s 48th season.

The Los Angeles Times confirmed Thursday that the trio of comedians are the latest cast members to leave the series following the bombshell departures of Pete Davidson, Aidy Bryant, Kyle Mooney and Kate McKinnon in May.

Repertory player Villaseñor joined “Saturday Night Live†during the show’s 42nd season in 2016. The actor and musician from Whittier was known during her time on the program for delivering lively impressions of Dolly Parton, Lady Gaga, Gwen Stefani and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

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A split image of a woman in a black dress, left, a man in a beige jacket, a woman in a turquoise suit and a man in a black tuxedo

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‘SNL’ will never be the same: Say goodbye to Davidson, McKinnon, Bryant and Mooney

‘SNL’ is entering a new era as veteran cast members Pete Davidson, Aidy Bryant, Kyle Mooney and Kate McKinnon prepare to depart the series.

Repertory player Moffat also made his “Saturday Night Live†debut during Season 42. The Chicago-born comic and writer specialized in impressions of Eric Trump and Mark Zuckerberg, as well as portraying “Weekend Update†characters Guy Who Just Bought a Boat and Film Critic Terry Fink.

Featured player Athari just started on “Saturday Night Live†last year during Season 47 alongside fellow newcomers James Austin Johnson and Sarah Sherman. During his short stint on the program, the comedian and writer from L.A. and Texas played standout characters such as improv artist Angelo and stand-up robot Laughingtosh 3000.

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Kate McKinnon and Pete Davidson bid farewell to ‘SNL’ in emotional season finale

‘Lorne [Michaels] accidentally gifted me a sock, so I’m free,’ Pete Davidson said during his last ‘Weekend Update’ appearance as an ‘SNL’ cast member.

Athari, Moffat and Villaseñor’s exits come several months after Davidson, Bryant, Mooney and McKinnon received warm and emotional sendoffs during the Season 47 finale of “Saturday Night Live.â€

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Remaining members of the “SNL†ensemble include Sherman, Johnson, Mikey Day, Chloe Fineman, Heidi Gardner, Ego Nwodim, Chris Redd, Cecily Strong, Kenan Thompson, Bowen Yang, Andrew Dismukes and Punkie Johnson, as well as “Weekend Update†co-hosts Michael Che and Colin Jost.

The 48th season of “SNL†is set to premiere on NBC this fall.

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Christi Carras

Former staff writer Christi Carras reported on the entertainment industry for the Los Angeles Times. She previously covered entertainment news for The Times after graduating from UCLA and working at Variety, the Hollywood Reporter and CNN Newsource.

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