Smosh adds four new cast members and says goodbye to Arasha Lalani

Smosh has made four recurring “Friends of Smosh” official. Courtney Theophin, Eli Gonzalez, Emily Wirth and Tatyana Guchi are now full cast members, according to an announcement from the comedy channel, reported by Bleeding Cool on Oct 9 and Net Influencer on Oct 12. Most of the details below, including the quotes, come from Smosh’s own announcement.

Who they are

Per Bleeding Cool, the four have been appearing in videos for the past few months as “Friends of Smosh.” Their résumés, as Smosh describes them:

• Courtney Theophin: comedian, actor and writer who has performed with Upright Citizens Brigade and works as a producer at NPR.
• Eli Gonzalez: credits include NBC’s “St. Denis Medical,” “Bosch: Legacy” and the upcoming “Baywatch” reboot.
• Emily Wirth: guest hosts NowThis’s “Are You Okay?” and has a series, “We Saw a Dragon,” in development with Funny or Die.
• Tatyana Guchi: a Laugh Factory Fresh Face and a finalist for a breakout comedian award at ABFF’s comedy festival.

Bleeding Cool says the move is a repeat of how Smosh added its last group in 2022: put people in videos as “friends of” first, then make it official.

Who’s leaving

Arasha Lalani is departing the brand to pursue independent projects, including a YouTube series called Fesspool, a call-in confession show produced by 7EQUIS, both outlets report. With the newcomers, the cast stands at 18, a count that includes co-founders Ian Hecox and Anthony Padilla, per Bleeding Cool.

What they said

Building the Smosh cast is something we approach with a lot of care because the chemistry among our performers is core to everything we create.— Alessandra Catanese, Smosh CEO, in the company’s announcement

Hecox and Padilla said each addition “brings a distinct background, comedic perspective, and energy that opens up new possibilities for what we can create together.”

The business behind it

Net Influencer puts the casting in a bigger context. Smosh named Cory Midgarden, a 14-year Paramount veteran, as its first chief content officer in May. His job includes talent and casting and building talent-driven formats that can grow into long-running franchises.

Net Influencer lists the programming Smosh is expanding, including the live horror-comedy show “We’re All Gonna Die,” “Dino Week” programming, and a multi-episode Halloween special called “Werewolf,” premiering Oct 23. The outlets do not say which cast members appear in which show.

What happens next

“Werewolf” premieres Oct 23. With an 18-person cast, the open question is how much screen time the new four get.