— Saturday Night Live named five new featured players for its upcoming season, with Please Don’t Destroy’s Ben Marshall elevated to on-air status and actor-comedian Veronika Slowikowska among the additions, according to industry trade reports.
Key Takeaways
- Five performers were added as featured players, per reports published Sept. 2, 2025.
- Ben Marshall, known from SNL’s Please Don’t Destroy shorts, is moving into the featured cast.
- Veronika Slowikowska was also named among the new featured players.
- Three additional featured players were reported but not independently verified here at press time.
- The move further integrates Please Don’t Destroy’s on-screen presence into SNL’s weekly lineup.
- No premiere date or season number was specified in the material reviewed.
- No official quotes accompanied the initial trade coverage.
Verified Facts
Industry outlets reported that NBC’s Saturday Night Live has expanded its ensemble with five new featured players. The announcements were circulated on Sept. 2, 2025.
Ben Marshall — one-third of SNL’s in-house digital trio Please Don’t Destroy — will step into the role of featured player. Marshall has contributed writing and on-camera work in pre-taped comedy pieces since joining the show’s digital unit.
Veronika Slowikowska was also identified among the new featured players. Additional details about her role on the show were not included in the reports reviewed for this article.
The names of the remaining three featured players were referenced in coverage but were not available for verification in the materials we accessed at publication time. We will update this report as networks or outlets release full rosters.
Context & Impact
Featured players are traditionally the entry point to SNL’s ensemble, offering newcomers on-air opportunities that can expand as they develop recurring characters and impressions. Adding five featured performers at once signals a meaningful refresh of bench depth heading into a new season.
Elevating a Please Don’t Destroy member to featured status underscores SNL’s continued investment in short-form, digital-forward comedy that has resonated with younger audiences. Integrating a creator from the show’s in-house shorts into the main cast could further blur lines between pre-taped and live segments.
For viewers, a larger cohort of featured players typically means a broader mix of voices and sketch styles early in the season, as the show experiments to see which performers and characters catch on.
Unconfirmed
- Names of the other three featured players were not verified in the documents reviewed.
- Season number and premiere date were not included in the reports we accessed.
- Contract terms and whether all five will debut in the same episode remain unclear.
Bottom Line
SNL is making a sizable cast refresh with five featured additions, elevating Please Don’t Destroy’s Ben Marshall and adding Veronika Slowikowska. Expect an early-season period of experimentation as the show tests new voices and formats across live and pre-taped segments.