'Saturday Night Live' Season 39 Cast: Six Actors Added & Cecily Strong Joins Weekend Update [VIDEO]
Six new cast members have been added to Saturday Night Live, according to a new report by The New York Times.
Comedians Beck Bennett, John Milhiser, Kyle Mooney, Mike O'Brien, Noel Wells and Brooks Wheelan will be debuting on SNL this fall, according to a Sunday report by The New York Times. The news confirms the rumors previously reported by Enstars about the first five of those comedians being cast.
Of the six new cast members, the most easily recognized are Mike O'Brien, who has been a writer for SNL for several years and has appeared on the show occasionally and Beck Bennett, who has appeared in numerous AT&T commercials in 2013.
It was also announced on Sunday that cast member Cecily Strong will be co-anchoring with Seth Meyers in the show's Weekend Update segment this fall. Strong has only been a featured player for one season but has proven her worth as a valuable member the cast, according to showrunner Lorne Michaels.
"Cecily, from the first show, was right there," Michaels told The New York Times. "She exploded."
Though Meyers had announced that he was leaving the show after December to work on his new late night talk show, Michaels said that he might still be able to film the Weekend Update segment. Meyers' talk show will not film on Friday, allowing him enough time to potentially work on it and film for Saturday.
The report also discusses the status of another featured player: Tim Robinson. The comedian, who was only featured on the show for one season, will not be a cast member when the show returns in late September. Instead, he will become a member of the show's writing staff.
Season 39 of Saturday Night Live kicks off on Saturday, Sept. 28 at 11:30 p.m. on NBC with host Tina Fey and musical guest Arcade Fire.
Watch this highlight of Strong on Weekend Update:
