Barrie, Ont.'s Veronika Slowikowska joins SNL, sole Canadian among 5 new cast members

Live from New York, Canadian comic Veronika Slowikowska will soon grace the stage of NBC's venerable sketch comedy show on Saturday nights starting this fall.

Slowikowska, from Barrie, Ont., will be among five new cast members joining Saturday Night Live when its 51st season premieres on Oct. 4.

She has grown a large following on Instagram and TikTok, going by @veronika_iscool on both platforms, creating viral sketch content with her roommate Kyle Chase.

In a post on her Instagram account, on Tuesday, Slowikowska said it was her "dream come true."

"See you Saturdays," she wrote.

The 29-year-old, who is based in Toronto and New York, graduated from Randolph College for the Performing Arts in 2015 and was a member of the CBC Actors Conservatory in 2019, developed by the Canadian Film Centre.

Aside from her comedic content on social media platforms, she starred in the Amazon Prime teen comedy Davey and Jonesie's Locker, for which she won the 2025 Canadian Screen Award for best lead performer in a children's or youth and program or series, and had a recurring role in Netflix's Tires.

She has also appeared in television shows including Poker Face and What We Do in the Shadows.

Other credits include Homeschooled, Murdoch Mysteries, Baroness Von Sketch Show and Degrassi: Next Class.

Aside from being the only Canadian among the new cast, she is also the only woman to join the new season.

Her fellow new recruits include Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Ben Marshall and Kam Patterson.

Last week, four previous cast members — including fan-favourite Heidi Gardner — announced their departures from the show, sparking criticism from fans.

Saturday Night Live, created and developed by Canadian Lorne Michaels, premiered on Oct. 11, 1975.

Canadian talent has featured prominently on SNL over it's more than five decades on the air, including actors Phil Hartman, Norm MacDonald, Mike Myers, Dan Aykroyd and Martin Short.