"Saturday Night Live (SNL) facing potential changes with John Higgins' departure, raising concerns about the fate of the show's beloved sketches"

The 51st season of Saturday Night Live is fast approaching, and with it comes some changes to the show's cast and writing team.

NBC has announced that Ben Marshall will be joining the cast for the upcoming season. Marshall, who has been a member of the Saturday Night Live writing staff since 2021, is best known for his work in the filmed sketches "Please Don't Destroy" alongside John Higgins and Martin Herlihy.

The trio formed "Please Don't Destroy" while they were students at New York University, and their sketches have been a staple of Saturday Night Live for the past four seasons, with 34 of their shorts airing during that time.

Unfortunately, this means that Higgins and Herlihy will no longer be employed at Saturday Night Live. They have both left the show to pursue other opportunities and have deals to co-write a pair of features at two different studios outside of SNL.

Marshall, Higgins, and Herlihy's departure from Saturday Night Live also means that the "Please Don't Destroy" sketches will no longer be produced.

In addition to Marshall, several other members of the Saturday Night Live cast have also left the show ahead of the 51st season. Heidi Gardner, Devon Walker, Michael Longfellow, Emil Wakim, Celeste Yim, and Rosebud Baker have all departed from the show.

Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Kam Patterson, and Veronika Slowikowska have been announced as the new featured players for season 51.

The 51st season of Saturday Night Live premieres on Oct. 4.

In other news, the trio's 2023 film "The Treasure of Foggy Mountain" premiered on Peacock earlier this year.

Stay tuned for more updates on the 51st season of Saturday Night Live!

"Saturday Night Live (SNL) facing potential changes with John Higgins' departure, raising concerns about the fate of the show's beloved sketches"