Lorne Michaels reveals key to keeping ‘SNL’ ‘fresh’ amid major cast shakeups: ‘It’s essential’
Lorne Michaels has revealed that new blood is key to keeping “Saturday Night Live!” as “fresh” as possible.
The NBC honcho, 80, shared some rare insight into the major cast shakeups taking place behind the scenes of the late-night sketch comedy show after a slew of well-known names announced they would not be returning.
Speaking to Derek Hough on the red carpet at the 2025 Emmy Awards on Sunday, Michaels told Extra he was “thrilled” with how Season 50 of “SNL” turned out.
“The 50th anniversary was like two years in the making, but we were really happy about it,” he said.
When asked how he manages to keep the comedy show “fresh” after a whopping 50 years onscreen, Michaels admitted that “new people” is the only way to go.
“It’s essential that we bring new people in every year,” he explained, before sharing how the show’s demographic has a knock-on effect on casting.
“The longest four years of your life are high school, and I think that’s when people tend to attach to a cast, and that is the age of our audience in a way,” he said. “The old audience is there, but they fall asleep early.”
Michaels added that as the audience changes, so “does the comedy.”
While the longtime producer was expected to retire at the end of the show’s 50th season this past spring, insiders told The Post that Michaels isn’t going anywhere just yet.
Ahead of the Season 51 premiere on Oct. 4, “Saturday Night Live!” introduced five new featured players following a brutal cast shakeup saw the sudden departure of four beloved stars.
Comedians Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Ben Marshall, Kam Patterson and Veronika Slowikowska will all make their “SNL” debuts when the sketch comedy series returns to Studio 8H next month.
The Post has confirmed that Bowen Yang, Ego Nwodim, Chloe Fineman, Kenan Thompson, Colin Jost and Michael Che are all coming back.
Other stars set to return include Mikey Day, Sarah Sherman, Marcello Hernández, Andrew Dismukes and James Austin Johnson, as well as Season 50 newcomers Ashley Padilla and Jane Wickline.
However, viewers will not be seeing a slew of beloved “SNL” names back on their screens next month, including Devon Walker, Emil Wakim, Michael Longfellow and Heidi Gardner.
Walker, who was promoted to the main cast in 2024, was the first to confirm his exit. Wakim, who was an “SNL” newcomer and only appeared in a single season, quickly followed suit.
Perhaps the most surprising departure so far ahead of Season 51, however, is Gardner.
Although she has not addressed her departure, an insider claimed her contract with “SNL” was not renewed.
Michaels, for his part, teased a cast change last month during an interview with Puck News.
Although the “SNL” creator did not mention any new featured players at the time, he did respond “Yes” when asked if he planned to “shake things up” for the new season.
Credit to Nypost AND Peoples
