- SNL creator Lorne Michaels has discussed leaving the show after its 50th anniversary in 2024.
- Comedian Seth Meyers, a potential successor, says he is not interested in taking up the role.
- Meyers says he believes Lorne Michaels might be “irreplaceable” in the job.
There has been speculation about who might take over as the head of Saturday Night Live (SNL) when creator Lorne Michaels eventually steps down. Michaels has previously mused about potentially leaving the show after its 50th season in 2024, stating in 2021, “I think I’m committed to doing the show until its 50th anniversary, which is in three years. I’d like to see that through and I have a feeling that would be a really good time to leave.”
SNL veteran Seth Meyers, who has been named as a possible candidate for Michaels’ successor, has said that he has no interest in the job. Although he feels “flattered” that his name has been mentioned, he told Deadline in a recent interview, “With that said, it is not a job for me.”
Meyers currently hosts NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers and had been an SNL cast member from 2001 to 2014, during which time he also served as head writer and Weekend Update co-anchor. He believes that replacing Michaels might be impossible, stating, “I really think everybody underestimates the idea that Lorne Michaels might just be irreplaceable.” He goes on to say, “The people who love that show the most, don’t agree with every choice Lorne’s made, but there is a consistency to the taste and tone of that show that I don’t think another person could replicate. I also think every host walks in that place and trusts him because he’s an icon and if you take over for an icon, you don’t get to be an icon.”
Whoever may eventually succeed Michaels as the head of SNL remains to be seen.