Note: This article was originally published on September 22, 2024. It has been republished to include news of writer Gary Richardson leaving the show.
Saturday Night Live’s 50th-season premiere is now just a little over a week away, and following last week’s news of three new performers added to the cast, the show has also made additions to its writing staff in time for the landmark anniversary season. Ahead of the September 28 premiere, Vulture can confirm that Allie Levitan, Moss Perricone, and Carl Tart have all joined the show as writers.
Levitan is an actor, writer, and comedian based whose first job was as a writer for Showtime’s Our Cartoon President from 2019 to 2020. Her short film, Flail, was an official selection at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, and in May it was announced that she co-wrote Molly Gordon’s upcoming directorial debut, Small Parts. (She is also the daughter of Modern Family co-creator Steve Levitan.) Perricone is a stand-up comedian and writer who has worked on Patriot Act With Hasan Minhaj, the Beavis and Butt-Head reboot, The Other Two, and Velma. Tart is an actor, writer, and improviser who co-starred in two seasons of NBC’s Grand Crew and wrote for shows such as Kenan, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and the MADtv reboot. Tart is also a beloved figure in the comedy-podcast world, known for his frequent appearances on shows like Comedy Bang! Bang! (often alongside SNL’s Ego Nwodim) and Doughboys as well as his own podcasts, The Flagrant Ones and XOXO, Gossip Kings.
With these additions, three writers from last season will not be returning: Alex English, who revealed on Instagram on August 28 that he was not asked back after three seasons on the show; Vannessa Jackson, a writer for seasons 47-49; and Gary Richardson, who worked as a staff writer from 2017 to 2021 and then as a writing supervisor for seasons 48 and 49. Otherwise, the writing staff will remain largely the same. Alison Gates, Streeter Seidell, and Kent Sublette will serve as co–head writers for their fourth season together (Sublette has held the title since season 42), while Dan Bulla and Auguste White will be joining Will Stephen and Celeste Yim as writing supervisors.
Wishing everyone a great season! Get some rest, and we’ll see you next weekend.