KEY POINTS

  • Beck Bennett is leaving “Saturday Night Live” after eight seasons
  • The comedian thanked the show for completely changing his life
  • The NBC series welcomed three new featured players after Bennett’s exit

Beck Bennett is leaving “Saturday Night Live” after being part of the sketch comedy and variety series for eight seasons.

The 36-year-old comedian — mostly known for portraying Russian President Vladimir Putin and former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on the show — is officially departing the NBC late night series, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Following the announcement, Bennett took to Instagram to share a series of black and white photos he took with his co-stars on the set of the comedy show through the years. He then grabbed the opportunity to thank the series for changing his life.

“Love you, ‘SNL.’ Gonna miss you so much. Thank you for 8 years of remarkable people and incredible experiences that completely changed my life. I had so much fun,” he wrote in the caption.

Bennett joined the show back in 2013. He was promoted to regular cast member status in 2015. He is exiting the long-running series ahead of its 47th season premiere. Aside from him, Lauren Holt, who debuted just last season, is also leaving, as per the New York Post.

On the other hand, the rest of the cast members are returning. The list includes Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, Colin Jost, Mikey Day, Kyle Mooney, Heidi Gardner, Chris Redd, Alex Moffat, Ego Nwodim, Cecily Strong, Pete Davidson, Michael Che, Melissa Villaseñor and Kenan Thompson.

Chloe Fineman and Bowen Yang are also returning for the show’s 47th season after they were promoted to regular cast members.

Meanwhile, “SNL” will be welcoming three new featured players when it returns to the small screen. Aristotle Athari, James Austin Johnson and Sarah Sherman are the new additions to the NBC show.

In the past, executive producer Lorne Michaels wanted cast members to primarily focus on their work on the show. But things have changed recently. A source told Variety this week that veteran members are likely to appear less this time around, so they are able to pursue other projects outside of the comedy series.

“Saturday Night Live” is set to return on Oct. 2, with Owen Wilson hosting the season premiere, while Kacey Musgraves will serve as the musical guest.

SNL star Beck Bennett
Pictured: Actor Beck Bennett attends the 2017 Los Angeles Film Festival Gala Screening Of Sony Pictures Classic's 'Brigsby Bear' at ArcLight Hollywood on June 16, 2017 in Hollywood, California. Matthew Simmons/FilmMagic/Getty Images