Saturday Night Live will be leaving another veteran cast when its 48th season premieres.

Chris Redd, who has been on the show since 2017, is leaving.  He becomes the eighth cast member to depart the long-running NBC sketch show before Season 48 debuts on October 1. 

Redd’s departure follows those of Aidy Bryant, Pete Davidson, Kate McKinnon and Kyle Mooney — who all left at the end of Season 47 in May — and the summer departures of Alex Moffat, Melissa Villaseñor and player Aristotle Athari.

“Being a part of SNL has been the experience of a lifetime,” Redd said in a statement.  “Five years ago, I joined 30 Rock knowing that this was an amazing opportunity for growth.  Now, with friends who have become family and memories I will cherish forever, I am grateful to Lorne Michaels and the entire SNL organization.  From the bottom of my heart, I can’t thank you all enough.”

Redd joined Saturday Night Live as a featured player in the 2017-18 season and was promoted to the main cast ahead of season 45 in 2019. He won an Emmy for Outstanding Music and Lyrics in 2018 for the song “Come Back Barack,” sharing the award with fellow lyricists Kenan Thompson and Will Stephen and composer Eli Brueggemann.

Redd also co-starred with Thompson on the Michaels-produced NBC series Kenan , which was canceled earlier this year after a two-season run.  She also stars in Peacock’s series Bust Down, which has yet to hear word on its future after a six-episode run in March. 

He will headline an HBO Max comedy special, Chris Redd: Why Am I Like This?, later this year and will tie in with Universal’s Cyber ​​Monday feature, which is currently underway.  He also co-created and will star in a full-length project from Michaels’ Broadway Video and Audible.

SNL has yet to officially announce which cast members are returning for season 48.  as of press time, those remaining from last season are regulars Michael Che, Mikey Day, Chloe Fineman, Heidi Gardner, Colin Jost, Ego Nwodim, Cecily Strong, Thompson and Bowen Yang and join players Andrew Dismukes, James Austin Johnson, Punkie Johnson and Sarah Sherman.  The show also added major players Marcello Hernandez, Molly Kearney, Michael Longfellow and Devon Walker. 

Season 48 of SNL is scheduled to premiere on October 1st.  A host and musical guest have yet to be announced.