Chloe Fineman exits Saturday Night Live after seven seasons

Chloe Fineman exits Saturday Night Live after seven seasons

Chloe Fineman announced her departure from Saturday Night Live on Thursday, July 16, ending a seven-season tenure with the NBC sketch comedy series. The 37-year-old comedian shared the news via Instagram, stating that she has decided it is time for her next chapter.

Fineman joined the show in September 2019 during the 2019-2020 season as a featured player. She was later promoted to the main cast in 2021 for Season 47. During her time at Studio 8H, she became known for celebrity impersonations of Melania Trump, Jennifer Coolidge, Drew Barrymore, Timothee Chalamet, and SNL alum Kate McKinnon. She also appeared in the Domingo sketches alongside Marcello Hernández and worked on pieces such as Forever 31 and Snack Homiez.

In her announcement, Fineman described working at the show as the greatest privilege of her life. She expressed gratitude toward the cast and crew, whom she described as family, and included a message to creator and executive producer Lorne Michaels, joking that he might be reading this on your burner account and noting that she is forever in your debt.

Fineman reflected on the high-pressure environment of live comedy, recalling the rapid pace of production. She cited examples such as writing a cold open at 2pm on a Saturday, finishing visual effects minutes before dress rehearsal, and costume designers sewing a JoJo Siwa costume in 10 hours.

She also opened up about the emotional toll of the creative process. Fineman wrote that cast members become so invested in their work that they may sob uncontrollably when a sketch is not picked or storm into a producer's office to tell them they made the biggest mistake of their lives.

"And then you look back a few years later and it was a sketch called 'lipstick for thicc dogs,'"

Chloe Fineman, via Instagram

Fineman noted that while the outcome may not matter years later, the intensity felt real in the moment because performers give everything they have to the show. She ended her statement by jokingly vowing that someone will eventually make lipstick for thicc dogs.

The departure follows a period of significant cast turnover. Before Season 51 began, the show saw the exits of Michael Longfellow, Emil Wakima, Devon Walker, Ego Nwodim, and Heidi Gardner. Bowen Yang also left partway through that season. To compensate for these losses, SNL added five featured players last season: Veronika Slowikowska, Kam Patterson, Ben Marshall, Jeremy Culhane, and Tommy Brennan.

Fineman's exit comes as she expands her work in other mediums. Her credits include Megalopolis, Summer of 69, Freakier Friday, and the Apple TV comedy film The Dink. She has also provided voice work for Despicable Me 4 and Big Mouth and is set to appear in the Prime Video movie Red, White & Royal Wedding.

Regarding her next steps, Deadline reports that Fineman is in negotiations to join the Netflix drama series Myron Bolitar, a Harlan Coben adaptation featuring Diane Guerrero, KJ Apa, and Colin Woodell.

Public interest in Fineman's personal life has increased following the announcement. Reports indicate she is in a long-term, low-key relationship with Jake Nordwind. Nordwind is a comedian and Emmy-winning writer who joined the SNL staff in 2021. He won an Emmy Award in 2025 for his work on SNL50: The Anniversary Special and previously served as a story producer for Your Daily Horoscope and a staff writer for the Netflix animated series Captain Climax. The couple reportedly met while working at SNL and have collaborated on sketches, including the Britney Spears Memoir Auditions.

This follows a previous online rumor from March 2020 suggesting Fineman was married to Casey Thomas Brown. However, that broadcast was a comedic skit staged on Instagram Live to entertain fans during the pandemic, featuring a toilet-paper wedding veil.

Fineman is the first cast member to announce a departure since the May 16 finale of Season 51. She will not return for Season 52, which is expected to premiere this fall.