Fred Armisen, Jason Sudeikis To Leave SNL; Senior Cast Members Join Bill Hader, Seth Meyers In Saturday Night Live Exits

Longtime Saturday Night Live staples Fred Armisen and Jason Sudeikis are reportedly not returning to SNL for its 2013-2014 season.

An inside source at NBC confirmed to the New York Post that SNL cast member Fred Armisen has decided to make his exit from the Saturday Night show after 11 hilarious seasons. The same source told the Post that Jason Sudeikis would "probably" leave the show this year.

NBC hasn't formally commented on Armisen's and Sudeikis's exits, and neither of the comedians' representatives responded to multiple requests for confirmation.

Armisen's departure makes sense, as his presence on SNL has become less frequent over the years. Armisen has stated his devotion to his own sketch series on IFC, Portlandia.

However, the Huffington Post reminded readers that in January, Armisen said he wasn't ready to leave SNL. He said, "I thrive most when I have to juggle things. The more I keep myself occupied and jump from thing to thing, the more I think it enriches both. I'm having such a good time on 'SNL,' it's still so much fun."

Sudeikis has reportedly been considering leaving the NBC show for almost a year.

SNL has been plagued by departures recently. If Armisen and Sudeikis do decide to leave, they'll join Bill Hader, another staple on SNL, who announced his exit this week.

The New York Times broke the news of Hader's exit. Producer Lorne Michaels, in the piece, was asked if Armisen and Sudeikis had made up their minds to stay or to go. Michaels said, "I don't think so. I think they're making their decisions, and we'll know soon enough."

Head-writer Seth Meyers will also exit in 2014, since he's recently been hired to replace Jimmy Fallon as host of NBC's Late Night.

The most senior cast member on SNL after all of these big-name exits would be Kenan Thompson, who has been on the show for 10 seasons.

Chris Kattan, SNL cast member until 2003, told the Post that Hader, Armisen, Sudeikis, and Meyers are "tent poles," who play the majority of the show's most beloved characters.

Kattan said, "If all four leave, it's a lot for someone else to take on. Especially losing Seth, it seems like a lot."

Meyers talked about his departure to the Post, "When you're at a show for 12 years, you realize that no one is irreplaceable. When I go down on the list of people who've left since I've been here, the urge has been to hit the panic button. But then I remember that it always sort of works out."

Although Lorne Michaels will be producing "The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon" next year and rebranding "Late Night" with Seth Meyers, in addition to salvaging the cast of SNL, he has proven to be a capable producer. Michaels has even saved SNL from almost-certain cancellation in the past. So, we're confident that SNL will continue to provide the hilarious entertainment it always has. 

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