Lorne Michaels Confirms: ‘SNL’ Shakeup Coming in About A Week
Lorne Michaels had a good reason to keep his SNL Season 50 cast relatively intact from the year before. Punkie Johnson and featured player Chloe Troast weren’t back, but 14 other cast members (plus Please Don’t Destroy) returned, ensuring stability for the show’s most visible season.
“I wanted people coming back and being part of (the 50th season),” Michaels told Puck’s Matt Belloni. “And that meant there couldn’t be those kind of disruptions, or anything that was going to take the focus off. And we had an election.”
But as for Season 51? It’s time to shake things up again for a show that famously turns over a portion of its cast from year to year. Is Michaels ready to reinvent the show once again? “Yeah, for sure,” he said. “It’ll be announced in a week or so.”
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Who’ll be back? Who’s coming aboard?
Michaels isn’t telling yet, although he did confirm at least two key SNL players who will return for the upcoming season — James Austin Johnson as Donald Trump and Michaels himself, back after hinting he’d retire following the 50th anniversary show.
But Michaels insists that a succession plan has been in motion for at least a year. “More people are involved in the choices and in the decisions,” he explained. Unprompted, he confirmed that ChatGPT won’t be running the show. “I’m not worried about A.I. because A.I. can’t guess what I’m gonna do between 10 and 11,” he said. “Because I have no idea.”
“There’s a lot of people in that room with a lot of opinions,” he continued. “It’s not as if people don’t let me know how strongly they feel.”
Oh, so Saturday Night Live is a democracy now? Not quite. “I make the final decision,” Michaels clarified. “Obviously.”
As for that cast shake-up? Current cast members have played coy, with long-time stars like Bowen Yang first hinting that they’re leaving, then suggesting they’ll be back. Michael Che, in particular, has alluded to a departure several times over the years, making him a likely candidate for an exit.
Reddit sleuths are sniffing out their replacements. One r/LiveFromNewYork thread speculates that TikToker Veronika Slowikowska is “seemingly set to join SNL,” based on a podcast appearance where she’s seen “biting her tongue” when the show is brought up. (It’s a dubious connection, but hey, it’s speculation season!)
Five seasons and done used to be the norm on SNL, so if Michaels is ready to reinvent, he should go all the way. If anyone on television has nothing to lose, it’s the 80-year-old comedy kingmaker. He played the hits during Season 50, so here’s hoping he shocks some life into the show as it begins its next half-century.
