After five seasons as a cast member on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” Chris Redd has announced he won’t be returning when the show premieres new episodes on Oct. 1.
A Chicago native, he came up through the local comedy ranks as a stand-up comedian as well as an improviser and sketch comedy performer at iO Theater as well as Second City (where he is a touring company alum), before joining “SNL” in 2017.
It didn’t take for him long to distinguish himself on the show, both as a writer and a performer. Just a few weeks into his tenure, he helped create and co-starred in the R&B parody “Come Back Barack,” which would end up winning Redd and his fellow writers an Emmy for original music and lyrics.
His celebrity impressions during his time on “SNL” have included politicians such as U.S. Sen. Cory Booker and New York Mayor Eric Adams, as well as pop culture figures including Kanye West.
Redd is also the co-creator and co-star of the very funny Peacock comedy series “Bust Down,” about a group of friends working low-rent jobs at an Indiana casino. Later this year, he has a HBO Max comedy special coming called “Chris Redd: Why Am I Like This?”
News of Redd’s departure from “SNL” follows last week’s announcement of four new additions to the show, including one-time Chicago comic Molly Kearney, Marcello Hernandez, Michael Longfellow and Devon Walker.
When Season 48 premieres next month, seven other familiar faces will not be returning as well: Aidy Bryant, Kate McKinnon, Pete Davidson, Kyle Mooney, Melissa Villasenor, Alex Moffat and Aristotle Athari.
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