SNL fans speculate about whether or not Lorne Michaels is going to retire at the end of every season. I suppose that’s just part of the deal when you’re eighty-one years old and still in charge of one of the longest running and most beloved shows on television. This year has actually been a bit quieter on that front, especially compared to Season 50, but after the host and musical guest combination were announced for the season finale, the same old conversation started happening again.
NBC announced earlier this week that Season 51 is going to end with the epic tag team of Will Ferrell and Paul McCartney as host and musical guest. The former is, of course, arguably the biggest star the show has produced in at least a few decades, and the latter is one of the most famous musicians ever and friends in real life with Michaels. It’s about as star-studded as SNL can possibly get, at least for a traditional episode, and it’s leading some fans to say hmmmmmmmm.
Numerous fans responded to social posts about the upcoming hosts and musical guests with comments about Michaels’ future. A popular Reddit post asking whether he’s going to retire generated hundreds of comments and thousands of engagements, and the following tweet gained a ton of steam amongst SNL fans…
I’m not saying it’s gonna happen, all I’m saying is that if Lorne was finally going to retire, it would probably be with a lineup that looks like Will Ferrell/Paul McCartney https://t.co/opECecFk7ZApril 8, 2026
So, is there any truth to the speculation? Well, obviously only Lorne Michaels knows where his head is at, but in my opinion, all of the signs point to him coming back for another season. His biographer told us she thinks he’ll scale down his involvement as a first step before considering retirement, and Lorne himself told Showbiz 411 earlier this week at the premiere of his own movie that he “can’t imagine” not doing the show.
It’s possible he’s the type of guy who would rather quietly step away at the end of his run rather than pre-announcing it, but by all accounts, he’s pretty happy still working. He’s built an infrastructure of creatives around him that he trusts, and I think the schedule of the show, while it might be hell on others, is sustainable for him since he’s not doing most of the writing or dirty work of blocking the sketches and putting them together. He’s more of the decision-maker now, which is highly demanding but more from an intellectual rather than physical standpoint.
Regardless, it’s been a good season for Saturday Night Live, and there’s no reason to think the show doesn’t have many years ahead, regardless of who is running it. Ashley Padilla seems to be emerging as the next breakout star, and the old guard cast members seem to really be bonding well with the next generation. SNL UK also recently launched to a very buzzy response, and both Peacock and YouTube have proven to be great ways to get the sketches seen by a new generation of viewers not watching through standard television.
SNL typically makes all its personnel and casting announcements late in the summer prior to the next season. I expect at that point we’ll hear Michaels is coming back, but as the tweet says, if he were going to go out, this season finale would certainly be a fitting end.
