Lorne Michaels confirms he's sticking with SNL after Season 50

[TMC]

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv...re-1236005680/

Michaels' comment in 2020 to Willie Geist that Season 50 would be his last set off a wave of speculation on who would replace him. But in recent years, Seth Meyers and other Saturday Night Live vets have insisted that Michaels is not retiring. In a Hollywood Reporter cover story on Saturday Night Live's 50th anniversary, Michaels — who turns 80 on Nov. 17 — says he's not ready to give the show up. “It’s always going to be described the same way, which is ‘uneven,’ and yet people have decided somehow that it’s important,” says Michaels. “And so as long as it’s important and I can be useful, I’ll stay.” As for Season 50 taking place during a presidential election year, Michael says: "I think there’s two things happening at the same time at SNL: an election — and I’m tired of everybody telling us it’s the most consequential one in history because there’ve been a lot of big elections — and the 50th anniversary. And I want to celebrate this season with people coming back who’ve been part of the show and who love the show — not so much as hosts but just making appearances, and so the election is a chance for that because that’s five or six shows. So, Maya (Rudolph) and some others coming back for the election will be fun for everybody. And, at the same time, there will be new people emerging, a different generation."

ALSO:

• Lorne Michaels says SNL is reinventing Donald Trump again for Season 50: "Trump has morphed," Michaels tells The Hollywood Reporter. "James (Austin Johnson), who I think is brilliant, played Trump as the sort of diminished Trump. The guy at the back of the hardware store holding court, and that played because it felt relevant. But we are going to have to reinvent it again because, well, you saw the debate. One of the great parts of show business is that you can’t come back with the same show. So, all of these characters have to be reexamined, and if it makes sense and feels relevant, you know you’re on the right track. But if it feels like you’re talking to the audience and want to be supported because your values are the same as their values, you really shouldn’t be in comedy."
  
• Lorne Michaels calls out the "overreaction" to Shane Gillis' racist slurs that led to his 2019 SNL firing: "We had a bad time when I added Shane Gillis to the cast (in 2019)," he tells The Hollywood Reporter. "He got beat up for things that he’d done years earlier (racist and homophobic jokes) and the overreaction to it was so stunning — and the velocity of it was 200 Asian companies were going to boycott the show. It became a scandal and I go, 'No, no, he’s just starting and he’s really funny and you don’t know how we’re going to use him.' And when he came back to the show last year (to host), we saw, 'Oh right, he’s really talented, and he would’ve been really good for us.' Now, his life turned out well without SNL, but my point with it is everything became way too serious. It was like a mania. And the velocity of cancellation — and lots of people deserved to not be liked — it just became not quite the Reign of Terror, but it was like you’re judging everybody on every position they have on every issue as opposed to, 'Are they any good at the thing they do?' I do think that period is winding down and, I believe, the people who do awful things will still be punished."
  
• Michael Che dressed as Donald Trump and Colin Jost transformed into Melania Trump for The Hollywood Reporter's SNL cover story
  
• Chloe Fineman: I hope SNL will allow me to make my debut as Melania Trump this season

[Chocolate Moose]

Either that means he's taking a diminished role or he'll be there until he drops dead.

I'm sure he wanted Tina to take his place!!!