Photo: Noam Galai/NBC via Getty Images

The Please Don’t Destroy era — on Saturday Night Live, at least — has come to an end. Following a season marked by fewer on-camera appearances than fans had grown accustomed to, the sketch-comedy trio — Ben Marshall, John Higgins, and Martin Herlihy — is moving in different directions. When SNL’s 51st season kicks off on October 4, Marshall will be part of the show’s cast, joining fellow new performers Kam Patterson, Veronika Slowikowska, Tommy Brennan, and Jeremy Culhane. Higgins will depart the show to pursue acting projects, while Herlihy will remain on the SNL writing staff, according to sources close to the show. It’s the latest in a series of recent shake-ups at SNL, which include the departures of Heidi Gardner, Michael Longfellow, Emil Wakim, and Devon Walker.

After developing an online following during the pandemic, Please Don’t Destroy was initially hired by SNL in 2021 as writers and performers who starred in their own pretaped shorts. They quickly became fan favorites by adapting their banter- and non-sequitur-heavy sketch sensibility to the show. They starred in sketches in which Taylor Swift called them “three sad virgins” and Bad Bunny dressed like Shrek, and their success led to writing and starring in their own feature film, Please Don’t Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain, in 2023.

Despite the news of Marshall’s SNL casting, a source tells Vulture that Please Don’t Destroy is not breaking up. The trio is presently on tour and currently has two movies in development for major studios that have yet to be announced. In addition to their collaborative work, the members of the group will pursue opportunities separately. Herlihy has booked a number of roles this year including Happy Gilmore 2, Roommates, The Breadwinner,  and The Running Man, while Higgins will have projects to announce soon.

For fans who want to celebrate the group’s time together on SNL rather than mourn it, Please Don’t Destroy dropped a sketch-comedy special and tour documentary using footage shot during their 2023 sketch tour on YouTube last month. It’s full of big laughs that, in hindsight, may feel a tad bittersweet.

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