SNL adds Saidah Belo-Osagie and Grace Reiter to Season 52 cast
The two comedians will join the NBC sketch series as featured players when its new season premieres later this month.
“Saturday Night Live” is adding comedians Saidah Belo-Osagie and Grace Reiter as featured players for its 52nd season, bringing two new faces to Studio 8H ahead of the show’s Sept. 26 return.
The SNL Season 52 cast addition brings a Black woman back to the lineup after Season 51 began without a Black woman following Ego Nwodim’s departure. Meanwhile, Jalen Brunson is set to host the season premiere.
According to Variety reports, Belo-Osagie and Reiter will join the NBC sketch series after emerging from the show’s summer audition process, which included showcases in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York.
Belo-Osagie is a Queens, New York, native whose work spans comedy, filmmaking and live events. Her credits include the short film “Tinge,” the Afrobeats-focused event series “Afrobeats Futura,” and her solo show “Saidah Gets Closure.” She has also built an audience through comedy sketches and digital work.
Her casting restores Black female representation to the on-screen ensemble after Nwodim left the series following seven seasons. Nwodim’s exit ahead of Season 51 marked the first time in several years that “SNL” began a season without a Black woman among its regular cast.
Reiter, who is from Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, has worked across television and online comedy. Her credits include HBO’s “The Chair Company,” the forthcoming series “Minimum Wage,” and the online parody “The Hunger Games (but Better).”
The two newcomers join a cast reshaped by departures. Chloe Fineman left after seven seasons, while Bowen Yang departed during Season 51, and writer Martin Herlihy also left the show. The rest of the Season 51 cast is returning, including Kam Patterson, Jeremy Culhane, Tommy Brennan, Veronika Slowikowska, and Ben Marshall.
The SNL Season 52 cast will return Sept. 26 with Brunson making his hosting debut and KATSEYE appearing as the musical guest. Dakota Johnson, Shane Gillis, and Inde Navarrette are among the other hosts already announced for the opening stretch of episodes.