Michael Longfellow out at 'Saturday Night Live' after 3 seasons: 'Wish I was' returning

"Saturday Night Live" isn't done shedding members of its cast.

Michael Longfellow is leaving the NBC sketch show after three seasons, he confirmed in an Aug. 28 Instagram post.

"Will not be returning for a 4th season at 'SNL,'" he wrote. "Wish I was but, so it goes. It was the best three years of my life so far. I feel nothing but gratitude for the experience and everyone there."

The comedian went on to thank "SNL" creator Lorne Michaels for giving him "the greatest job in the world," adding, "I'll miss it all, but I'll miss the friends I made and seeing them everyday the most."

USA TODAY has reached out to "SNL" representatives for comment.

Longfellow joined "SNL" in 2022 and has made numerous well-received appearances on "Weekend Update," which led some fans to suggest he could take over the satirical news segment in the future. In May, he provided dry commentary in a popular "Weekend Update" about refusing to get a Real ID.

"You already gave me an ID," he said. "If it's fake, you fix it!"

But in the May season finale, host Scarlett Johansson and the "SNL" cast sang a monologue song that included a meta joke about Longfellow not appearing in many sketches. "I've been in over 300 sketches," Ego Nwodim sang, followed by Longfellow quipping, "And by my count, I've been in four." During his Real ID "Weekend Update" segment, the comedian also joked, "I'm just not in that much stuff this season."

This continues a wave of cast departures coming off the landmark 50th season of "SNL," which wrapped in May.

Devon Walker exits 'SNL': 'Sometimes it was toxic as hell'

Devon Walker, who had starred on "SNL" since 2022 and joined at the same time as Longfellow, was the first cast member to announce their exit. "Me and baby broke up," he captioned an Aug. 25 Instagram post sharing the news.

"Me and the show did three years together, and sometimes it was really cool," Walker said. "Sometimes it was toxic as hell."

Emil Wakim calls leaving 'SNL' a 'gut punch'

Emil Wakim, a more recent addition who only starred on "SNL" for one season, was next to go. The comedian made it known that it was not his decision to leave and said he learned the news while celebrating his friend's birthday.

"I won't be returning to 'SNL' next year," Wakim wrote on Instagram. "It was a gut punch of a call to get but I'm so grateful for my time there."

Heidi Gardner reportedly leaving 'SNL' after eight seasons

Hours after news of Longfellow's exit became public, reports of costar Heidi Gardner's exit started trickling out. Vulture, Variety and The Hollywood Reporter were among the outlets reporting the news; USA TODAY has reached out to reps for Gardner and "SNL" for comment.

Gardner, who joined the show as a featured player in 2017, is one of the more veteran cast members. Kenan Thompson, Colin Jost, Michael Che and Mikey Day are the only current cast members whose tenure eclipses Gardner's on "SNL."

Over the course of her "SNL" tenure, the Groundlings comedy troupe alumna became known to fans for her over-the-top "Weekend Update" characters – including "every boxer's girlfriend from every movie about boxing ever" Angel – and impressions of first lady Jill Biden.

Who's returning for 'SNL' Season 51?

"SNL" writers Celeste Yim and Rosebud Baker have also confirmed they are not returning.

It is not known how many members of the "SNL" cast won't be back for Season 51. Before Season 50 in 2024, three stars left the show: Molly Kearney, Punkie Johnson and Chloe Troast. At the time, Troast shared that she was "not asked back."

"I wish I was going back to be with all the amazing friends I made there, it truly felt like home," she wrote on Instagram. "But it wasn't in the cards."

Two years earlier, "SNL" underwent a significant cast shake-up before Season 48 in 2022 as stars Pete Davidson, Kate McKinnon, Kyle Mooney, Aidy Bryant, Melissa Villaseñor, Alex Moffat, Aristotle Athari and Chris Redd all left.

Michaels recently told Puck that the show would be shaking up its cast, though he confirmed that James Austin Johnson will be back to play President Donald Trump.

Season 51 of "SNL" premieres Oct. 4.

This story has been updated to include additional information.