SNL Retirement: Lorne Michaels may exit the show after its 50th anniversary season

Saturday Night Live creator and producer Lorne Michaels is thinking about exiting his position on the long-running variety-sketch comedy program. While speaking with CBS Mornings, Michaels floated the idea of leaving the show after its 50th anniversary season. What? SNL retirement? Say it ain’t so, Lorne!

“You know, I think I’m committed to doing this show until its 50th anniversary, which is in three years,” he explained. “I’d like to see that through and I have a feeling that’d be a really good time to leave. But … I won’t want the show ever to be bad. I care too deeply about it. It’s been my life’s work. So I’m gonna do everything I can to see it carry on.”

Now, before you start freaking out, Michaels is positive that the show will soldier on without him. “Of course,” said Michaels when asked about SNL‘s future after his possible retirement. “I have a sense of where we’re headed with that, you know.” Naturally, the question of who would replace him was breached, but Michaels was reluctant to answer. “I’m not gonna go on about it – it’s three years away.”

This is not the first time that Michaels has stepped away from Saturday Night Live. He once took a five-year break from the comedy series in the early 1980s, but obviously, that didn’t stick. It’s also worth noting that the climate of comedy has changed dramatically in the past several years, and it’s getting harder to elicit yuks across a variety of audience members. When asked about how writers will cope with the ever-changing parameters of comedy, Michaels replied, “I think it’s up to the writer or the performer to figure out how to do it.” Adding, “There are lots of things that, when you hear the idea, sound awful. But if they can do, I don’t think anything’s out of bounds, is what I’m saying, if there’s enough talent to figure out how to get it across.”

With the omicron variant running rampant in New York City, forcing many live shows to shutter operations once again, it could be a while before SNL regains its live audience. Last week’s show was already executed using a reduced cast and no live audience, which does not bode well for the weeks to come. Perhaps Michaels is onto something, and retiring after a few more years is a sound move.

What do you think of the idea of Lorne Michaels retiring from Saturday Night Live? Who do you think will replace him? Do you still watch SNL? I haven’t checked in with it since the days of David Spade, Chris Farley, Phil Hartman, and Adam Sandler. What have I been missing? Sound off in the comments section below and let me know.