I’m guessing it’s a way to boost ratings and get more people to tune in which should (in theory) bring more attention to the unique stuff the cast is doing in other sketches.

In a way, it’s just an extension of the logic behind a celebrity host. The cast interacts with the host or guest star and (in theory) the whole show benefits through improved ratings and sketch possibilities. Or is that too simplistic a view?

I agree that they can go overboard with cameos sometimes but I also think the cast has been given a lot of room to do their own weird things and the cameos might help to make that happen in a way (even though Kyle and Melissa etc. still needs more sketches imo)