Meet the New Members Joining the Saturday Night Live Season 47 Cast

Will Heath/NBC

They're here for funny business!

Saturday Night Live is returning to TV screens for its 47th season on Oct. 2, and viewers can expect to see three new cast members when it does. The NBC show recently confirmed which cast members will be departing, who's staying, and who new is joining the cast.

Longtime cast member Beck Bennett announced his departure from the NBC sketch show after joining in 2013. Featured player Lauren Holt, who joined last season, will also be leaving the show.

The complete 2021-2022 SNL ensemble cast consists of: Aidy Bryant, Michael Che, Pete Davidson, Mikey Day, Chloe Fineman, Heidi Gardner, Colin Jost, Kate McKinnon, Alex Moffat, Kyle Mooney, Ego Nwodim, Chris Redd, Cecily Strong, Kenan Thompson, Melissa Villaseñor and Bowen Yang. Featured members will be Aristotle Athari, Andrew Dismukes, James Austin Johnson, Punkie Johnson and Sarah Sherman.

Keep scrolling to meet the three newcomers joining the cast!

Aristotle Athari

Mary Ellen Matthews/NBC

Although new to SNL, you may recognize this actor, director, writer, and funny man from his various appearances in Silicon Valley as Gabe (the comedic constant annoyance to Kumail Nanjiani's Dinesh Chugtai). Athari is no stranger to sketch comedy; he got his start appearing alongside Hasan Minhaj in Goatface: A Comedy Special. He has also performed standup for Comedy Central.

The comedian expressed his excitement about the SNL gig on Instagram, saying, "Today I get to celebrate the two greatest things to ever happen to me. Marrying the woman of my dreams @mauragracephotography and getting the job of my dreams @nbcsnl. I've been pinching myself a record number of times."

Mary Ellen Matthews/NBC

James Austin Johnson

Skilled impressionists are always welcome on Saturday Night Live, and Johnson's got plenty in his arsenal. (He's gone viral for his impression of Donald Trump.) In addition to the slew of characters and impersonations he's ready to bring to the SNL stage, this Nashville native has a long list of acting credits as well, including Better Call Saul, Hail, Caesar!, Future Man, All Rise, and Tuca & Bertie.

Johnson has racking up millions of views across platforms, making him a good addition to the show, which often makes news for its viral clips the day after its late night airing.

Sarah Sherman

Mary Ellen Matthews/NBC

Better known by her stage name "Sarah Squirm," she's a joke machine with a big social media following and lots of experience writing comedy. In addition to her traveling stand-up show Helltrap Nightmare, Sarah wrote for Netflix's Magic For Humans and the Eric Andre Show (before opening up for the comedian on tour).

She was also featured on fellow SNL member Bowen Yang's podcast, Las Culturistas, where she explained her passion for body horror and special effects. So we imagine she'll have no problem getting into costume or going the extra mile for a good gag on the show.

Check out what she tweeted when SNL announced the news below.

You can see all three comedians in action when season 47 of Saturday Night Live premieres Saturday, Oct. 2 at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC. The first week's host will be Owen Wilson with musical guest Kacey Musgraves. Other first-time hosts this season will include Kim Kardashian and former SNL cast member Jason Sudeikis.