Lorne Michaels Teases SNL Cast Shakeup, Details in ‘A Week or So’

Puck‘s Matt Belloni got the first interview of the season with Lorne Michaels late Thursday, with the Saturday Night Live creator and executive producer weighing in on the cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, how he’s feeling about the prospects for Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers (whose shows he produces), and teasing a coming reinvention for SNL51.

Belloni reports that auditions for the new season took place last week in Studio 8H, after the usual scouting trips for new cast members to Los Angeles and Chicago. Michaels also spent part of the summer in London, working on casting for the forthcoming U.K. version of SNL.

According to Belloni, the shape of SNL‘s new season will be determined early next week, when Michaels makes final calls on returning cast, new hires, and even who will be behind the “Weekend Update” desk. Belloni characterized the changes as a “significant shake-up,” with several current cast members expected to exit.

Asked about the cancellation of Colbert’s Late Show, Michaels said, “I was just stunned. I’m on the side of the people who do shows, but there’s two audiences now. There’s the audience that is [watching on] TikTok and YouTube, and there’s a linear audience. Both Seth [Meyers] and [Stephen] Colbert are heirs to David Letterman… Conan [O’Brien] as well. They’re going to be doing that [type of show], just as I’m still doing SNL, as if everybody’s watching that night. But Jimmy [Fallon] does a lot of stuff that you can watch all day.”

Pressed on whether Colbert’s cancellation might have been political, Michaels said, “I don’t think any of us are going to ever know that.” He compared the moment to the cancellation of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in 1969, recalling, “Being a martyr is thrilling, and everyone’s cheering, and then it’s show business. It just goes on.”

As for Fallon and Meyers, he expressed confidence in NBC’s support: “I think [Comcast CEO] Brian Roberts—who I will be working for for the rest of my life, who I have very high admiration for—has integrity. But at the same time, everyone has [broadcast] licenses, everyone has… you know. But I really don’t believe that we affect things.”

“Whatever crimes Trump is committing, he’s doing it in broad daylight,” Michaels added. “There is absolutely nothing that the people who vote for him—or me—don’t know.”

Turning back to SNL51, Michaels reflected on why he kept the core cast together last season. “I wanted people coming back and being part of [the 50th season]… And that meant there couldn’t be those kind of disruptions [to the cast], or anything that was going to take the focus off [the 50th season].”

Asked whether he feels pressure to reinvent this season, Michaels responded, “Yeah, for sure. It’ll be announced in a week or so.”

One thing he did confirm is that James Austin Johnson will continue in his role as Trump. (Michaels memorably left Johnson twisting in the wind in similar interviews last year, when he suggested he might recast the role.)

On succession and delegation, Michaels said he has expanded responsibilities within his team over “the past year or so.”

Ultimately, he added, “There’s a lot of people in that room with a lot of opinions. I make the final decision, obviously. But it’s not as if people don’t let me know how strongly they feel.”

Belloni’s full interview with Michaels (which includes details about the SNL creator’s surprisingly emotional reaction to SNL’s 50th) is available to Puck subscribers at this link.