Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels responded to the latest round of rumors that he may be considering retirement.
The 79-year-old was running the sketch show when it debuted in 1975 and has remained there ever since, except for a hiatus from 1980 to 1985.
Lorne rose to become one of the most powerful figures in television comedy, earning a record 102 Emmy nominations and winning 21.
He has also taken the show through more choppy waters, such as the explosive controversy when an NBC executive who was a friend of OJ Simpson fired Norm MacDonald for mocking the former football player over his murder trial.
Now, as the show approaches its 50th anniversary, Lorne has given his thoughts on speculation that he will finally leave his role, speaking to the New York Times.
Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels responded to the latest round of rumors that he might be considering retirement; photographed last week at the Paley Honors in New York
“I’m going to do it as long as I feel like I can do it,” he commented cryptically in his new interview. “But I depend on other people and always have.”
During her time on Saturday Night Live, she launched the careers of a wide variety of stars, from John Belushi and Bill Murray to Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.
Eddie Murphy, arguably the biggest name to emerge from the franchise, starred on the show from 1980 to 1984 during Lorne’s hiatus.
Lorne commented in his final interview that “nobody can handle the fame” that comes with becoming one of the comedy world’s top stars.
‘We’re generally more tolerant of this, but you know it’s going to turn people into a hole. Because it’s just part of that process, because nobody grew up that way.’
He also confessed that he himself tends to “just see the mistakes” immediately after an episode airs.
Last year, Lorne commented that he would definitely remain on the show at least until the 50th anniversary special, which is scheduled for February 2025.
“We’re doing the 50th anniversary show in February of the 25th, so I’ll definitely be there for that, and I’ll definitely be there until that, and at some point before that we’ll figure out what we’re going to do,” he said. explained to Entertainment tonight at the Emmys.
The 79-year-old was at the helm of the iconic sketch show when it debuted in 1975 and has remained there ever since, except for a hiatus from 1980 to 1985; in the photo 1976
On Saturday Night Live, Lorne hosted a wide variety of stars, from John Belushi and Bill Murray to Tina Fey and Amy Poehler; Bill photographed on the show in 1981.
Lorne Gas said Tina Fey, his protégé and frequent collaborator, could “easily” replace him when he eventually retires; the couple is photographed in 2014
Lorne also addressed rumors that Tina Fey, his protégé and frequent collaborator, could replace him when he finally retires.
“It could easily be Tina Fey, but you know, there are a lot of people that are out there now that are too (it could be good),” Lorne said. ‘Tina is brilliant and great at everything. She is a very important person in my life.’
Saturday Night Live will celebrate its 50th anniversary with a three-hour live special that will air on a Sunday, two days after Valentine’s Day next year.
Sunday night’s broadcast, which was announced in May, will come at the end of what NBC described as a full “celebration weekend” of programming.