Posted 4 minutes agoSubscribe to Screen Time NewsletterCaret Down"Change Is Good": "SNL" Creator Lorne Michaels Defended The "Essential" Cast Shakeup Ahead Of Season 51"It's always hard when people leave, but there's a time for that."by Ellen DurneyBuzzFeed StaffFacebookPinterestLink The 51st season of Saturday Night Live is just around the corner, and for better or worse, things are going to look pretty different. Nbc / Getty Images Back in August, it was teased that there would be some big changes to the cast lineup for Season 51, and since then, we've learned that five beloved cast members will not be returning to the show. Nbc / Getty Images Ego Nwodim, Michael Longfellow, Devon Walker, and Emil Wakim all announced their exits via Instagram, while Heidi Gardner's departure was reported by People and Variety. A number of writers will be leaving, too, including Celeste Yim, Rosebud Baker, and John Higgins of Please Don't Destroy. Nbc / Getty Images This is the biggest cast exodus since eight people left at the end of Season 47. The various departures have sparked a lot of discourse over the past few weeks, and even with the announcement of five new cast members for Season 51, some SNL fans are struggling to come to terms with a few of the notable exits. Nbc / Getty Images But now, SNL creator Lorne Michaels has reassured viewers that "change is good," and people should be excited for what's to come. Christopher Polk / Getty Images "The show has always brought people in from different ages and different generations, and it's how it revives itself," he told Entertainment Tonight on the red carpet at the Emmys on Sunday, where SNL50 took home the prize for Outstanding Live Variety Special. "It's always hard when people leave, but there's a time for that, and our audience has always stayed relatively young, and more so now with TikTok." Entertainment Tonight / Via youtu.be In another red carpet interview with Extra, Lorne reiterated the same point, saying: "It is essential that we bring new people in every year." Notably, a number of the Season 51 newcomers - namely Veronika Slowikowska and Jeremy Culhane - already have big followings on TikTok, and Lorne told ET he's "really excited" to have them join the team. Gilbert Flores / Getty Images There you have it! You can read all about the new cast members here. Season 51 kicks off on October 4. Do you love all things TV and movies? Subscribe to the Screen Time newsletter to get your weekly dose of what to watch next and what everyone is flailing over from someone who watches everything! BuzzFeed