{"id":9038,"date":"2026-07-17T23:25:35","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T18:25:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=9038"},"modified":"2026-07-17T23:25:35","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T18:25:35","slug":"why-chloe-fineman-is-really-leaving-snl-couldnt-say-no","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=9038","title":{"rendered":"Why Chloe Fineman is really leaving \u2018SNL\u2019: \u2018Couldn\u2019t say no\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F3%2F2026%2F07%2Fnewspress-collage-7jwfsz38h-1784311073200.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall%261784296692\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>After seven seasons it was the \u201cbest move\u201d for Chloe Fineman to leave \u201cSaturday Night Live\u201d \u2014 as the comedian found herself up against rising stars like Ashley Padilla and Veronika Slowikowska, insiders said.<\/p>\n<p>Fineman, 38, made the decision <a href=\"http:\/\/Fineman, 38, made the decision to depart the NBC skit show just hours after she was offered a role on David E. Kelley's new Netflix drama, Myron Bolitar, Page Six is told.\">to depart the NBC sketch show<\/a> just hours after she was offered a role on David E. Kelley\u2019s new Netflix drama, \u201cMyron Bolitar,\u201d Page Six is told.<\/p>\n<p>It \u201call unfolded in one day \u2026 It happened very quickly,\u201d an industry insider told us. \u201cChloe went back and forth, but it was a smart move \u2014 she knew she couldn\u2019t say no.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Chloe Fineman announced this week that she is leaving \u201cSaturday Night Live\u201d after seven seasons. <span class=\"credit\">The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Fineman (right, with Kirsten Wiig) is set to sign up to a new Netflix drama from producer David E. Kelley. <span class=\"credit\">chloeiscrazy\/Instagram<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cAfter seven seasons on the show, and with all the new faces, it was probably the best move for her.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>Breakout star Padilla, 33, is set to be upped to a fully fledged cast member, after two years as a featured player, when the show returns in the fall.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not yet known who else, if anyone, might leave the show, and announcements about cast changes are typically made in August. <\/p>\n<p>Padilla became a bona-fide hit this past season, featuring in 92 sketches, according to the website <a href=\"https:\/\/consequence.net\/tag\/saturday-night-live\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-nyp-affiliate=\"true\">Consequence of Sound.<\/a> Her most-watched sketch was the season 51 opener, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=jGbsnHzvrbQ\">\u201cParent Teacher Conference,\u201d <\/a>featuring guest host Bad Bunny.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Fineman (right, with Sarah Sherman, Colin Jost and Lorne Michaels) posted a lengthy ode to \u201cSNL\u201d on Instagram Thursday. <span class=\"credit\">chloeiscrazy\/Instagram<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Ashley Padilla (far right, with Fineman and former cast member Ego Nwodim) is the breakout star of \u201cSNL\u201d and will be upped to a full-fledged cast member in the fall.  <span class=\"credit\">Will Heath\/NBC<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The clip garnered 9.6 million views on YouTube alone, ranking as the season\u2019s second most-watched video overall.<\/p>\n<p>Veteran Fineman appeared in 81 sketches for the 2025-2026 season, and Slowikowska was in 50. Featured player Kam Patterson was in the fewest with 48. <\/p>\n<p>Announcing her exit, Fineman wrote on Instagram, \u201cIt\u2019s really hard to leave SNL but it does feel like the right time. I\u2019m going to miss it a lot. But the people who work there are my family and that place is my home, and I know I\u2019ll never be too far away.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Nwodim and former castmate Heidi Gardner (above, with Mikey Day) have said \u201cSNL\u201d is a challenging place to work. <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cChloe made the time-honored calculation that\u2019s a big part of the \u2018SNL\u2019 experience: weighing future opportunities against affection \u2014\u00a0and sometimes burnout \u2014 for the show,\u201d  James Miller, who wrote the \u201cSNL\u201d oral history, \u201cLive From New York.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHer versatility was a big boon, and the audience trusted her ability to make them laugh.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Fineman\u2019s exit comes a year after the show lost popular cast members <a href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/2025\/12\/23\/entertainment\/lorne-michaels-desperately-wanted-bowen-yang-to-stay-on-snl-but-heres-why-the-unhappy-star-left-in-a-hurry\/\">Bowen Yang<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/09\/04\/entertainment\/heidi-gardners-snl-contract-was-not-renewed-for-season-51\/\">Heidi Gardner <\/a>and<a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/09\/12\/entertainment\/ego-nwodim-leaving-snl-after-7-years-before-season-51\/\"> Ego Nwodim.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Bowen Yang (above with Fineman) quit \u201cSNL\u201d at the end of 2025. <span class=\"credit\">Will Heath\/NBC via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>While hosting Gardner on her <a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/heidi-gardner\/id1766189578?i=1000733837308\">\u201cThanks Dad\u201d<\/a> podcast, last October, Nwodim said the long days and pressure-cooker environment of \u201cSNL\u201d can help people become \u201cclose quick\u201d but \u201cit could also not make you close. It can make you not like each other.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She also explaiend that it can be challenging to feel like the \u201cSNL\u201d cast is \u201cwinning together,\u201d which can make the show \u201cnot the easiest place to work.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>However, she praised Gardner for being \u201csuch a light in what can be such a challenging place \u2026 where it can get so competitive and you can become so self involved.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Featured player Veronika Slowikowska is another new favorite. <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Of Fineman, Miller added, \u201cYou had the feeling she placed the interests of the show above her own.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHer levels of ego and paranoia \u2014 two key indicators of whether someone is meant for an ensemble \u2014 seemed healthy, and you couldn\u2019t help but root for her.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After seven seasons it was the \u201cbest move\u201d for Chloe Fineman to leave \u201cSaturday Night Live\u201d \u2014 as the comedian found herself up against rising stars like Ashley Padilla and Veronika Slowikowska, insiders said. Fineman, 38, made the decision to depart the NBC sketch show just hours after she was offered a role on David&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9039,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/07\/newspress-collage-7jwfsz38h-1784311073200.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&1784296692&w=1200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9038","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrity-gossip"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9038","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9038"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9038\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9039"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9038"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9038"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9038"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}