After seven seasons it was the \u201cbest move\u201d for Chloe Fineman to leave \u201cSaturday Night Live\u201d \u2014 as the comedian found herself up against rising stars like Ashley Padilla and Veronika Slowikowska, insiders said.<\/p>\n
Fineman, 37, made the decision to depart the NBC sketch show just hours after she was offered a role on David E. Kelley\u2019s new Netflix drama, \u201cMyron Bolitar,\u201d Page Six is told.<\/p>\n
It \u201call unfolded in one day \u2026 It happened very quickly,\u201d an industry insider told us. \u201cChloe went back and forth, but it was a smart move \u2014 she knew she couldn\u2019t say no.<\/p>\n
Chloe Fineman announced this week that she is leaving \u201cSaturday Night Live\u201d after seven seasons. The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images<\/p>\n
Fineman (right, with Kirsten Wiig) is set to sign up to a new Netflix drama from producer David E. Kelley. chloeiscrazy\/Instagram<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter seven seasons on the show, and with all the new faces, it was probably the best move for her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Breakout star Padilla, 33, is set to be upped to a fully fledged cast member, after two years as a featured player, when the show returns in the fall.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not yet known who else, if anyone, might leave the show, and announcements about cast changes are typically made in August. <\/p>\n
Padilla became a bona-fide hit this past season, featuring in 92 sketches, according to the website Consequence of Sound.<\/a> Her most-watched sketch was the season 51 opener, \u201cParent Teacher Conference,\u201d <\/a>featuring guest host Bad Bunny.<\/p>\n Fineman (right, with Sarah Sherman, Colin Jost and Lorne Michaels) posted a lengthy ode to \u201cSNL\u201d on Instagram Thursday. chloeiscrazy\/Instagram<\/p>\n Ashley Padilla (far right, with Fineman and former cast member Ego Nwodim) is the breakout star of \u201cSNL\u201d and will be upped to a full-fledged cast member in the fall. Will Heath\/NBC<\/p>\n The clip garnered 9.6 million views on YouTube alone, ranking as the season\u2019s second most-watched video overall.<\/p>\n Veteran Fineman appeared in 81 sketches for the 2025-2026 season, and Slowikowska was in 50. Featured player Kam Patterson was in the fewest with 48. <\/p>\n Announcing her exit, Fineman wrote on Instagram, \u201cIt\u2019s really hard to leave SNL but it does feel like the right time. I\u2019m going to miss it a lot. But the people who work there are my family and that place is my home, and I know I\u2019ll never be too far away.\u201d<\/p>\n Nwodim and former castmate Heidi Gardner (above, with Mikey Day) have said \u201cSNL\u201d is a challenging place to work. Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cChloe made the time-honored calculation that\u2019s a big part of the \u2018SNL\u2019 experience: weighing future opportunities against affection \u2014\u00a0and sometimes burnout \u2014 for the show,\u201d said James Miller, who wrote the \u201cSNL\u201d oral history, \u201cLive From New York.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHer versatility was a big boon, and the audience trusted her ability to make them laugh,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Fineman\u2019s exit comes a year after the show lost popular cast members Bowen Yang<\/a>, Heidi Gardner <\/a>and Ego Nwodim.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n Bowen Yang (above with Fineman) quit \u201cSNL\u201d at the end of 2025. Will Heath\/NBC via Getty Images<\/p>\n