After creating “Saturday Night Live” in 1975, longtime producer Lorne Michaels has been tied to the long-running variety show for nearly 50 years. Stick to the same job for long enough, one might start to wonder who will take over the position after one steps out of it. Michaels was asked about the matter on the Emmy Awards carpet by Entertainment Weekly, whose reporter floated “30 Rock” creator and previous “SNL” cast member Tina Fey as a potential successor to take over the series.
“It could easily be Tina Fey, but you know, there are a lot of people who are there now who are also, you know,” Michaels said, acknowledging that there are plenty of people who could be a successor. “Tina’s brilliant and great at everything … She’s a very important person in my life.”
Fey has been one of the most mentioned names in the industry on the topic of who could take the reins from Michaels on “Saturday Night Live.” She joined the series as a writer in 1997 before becoming head writer only two years later. After leaving the show in 2006, Fey became the showrunner and star of her NBC sitcom “30 Rock,” parodying the very offices that had launched her career in comedy.
During the same carpet interview, Michaels confirmed that he doesn’t see his time on “Saturday Night Live” coming to a close in the near future. The 79-year-old producer still plans to stay with the series through its 50th anniversary, which it will celebrate with a special in February 2025.
“I will definitely be there for that, and definitely be there until that, and sometime before that we’ll figure out what we’re gonna do,” Michaels said.
“Saturday Night Live” returns after a year-end hiatus this week, with Jacob Elordi hosting and Reneé Rapp as musical guest.
