Seth Meyers can imagine a way Saturday Night Live ends

As Saturday Night Live nears its 50th anniversary, it’s hard to imagine late-night TV without the iconic sketch show. But Seth Meyers admits it’s not out of the question to imagine one way SNL ends sooner than later.

Meyers knows SNL as well as anyone. He spent 2001 to 2014 as a cast member, including a tenure as head writer and “Weekend Update” anchor. So if anyone has an idea of when and how SNL could end, it’s Meyers.

For the Late Night host, it all comes down to Lorne Michaels. The SNL creator has suggested that he’d walk away from the show after its 50th anniversary in 2025. Some fans have called for Meyers to replace Michaels when and if that happens. However, Meyers doesn’t want the gig.

Meyers also imagines a world where Saturday Night Live can’t exist without Meyers. Speaking to Deadline, the comedian admitted that there is a version where SNL doesn’t go on post-Michaels.

“I don’t think that’s the craziest thing in the world to imagine,” he said. “You can learn how to do things, but you can’t learn taste. It’s really easy to underestimate that. The people who love that show the most, don’t agree with every choice Lorne’s made, but there is a consistency to the taste and tone of that show that I don’t think another person could replicate.”

While the writers, producers, and cast members play an enormous role in setting Saturday Night Live‘s voice, it does all come down to Michaels. He’s the one selecting hosts, vetoing sketches, and making the ultimate decision on what gets on the air. Meyers is absolutely correct to suggest that SNL can’t function the same way without Lorne Michaels. It’s part of the reason why he wants no part of the job.

Seth Meyers praises SNL boss Lorne Michaels as an icon

Meyers continued to heap praise on his former Saturday Night Live boss. He told Deadline that Michaels’ reputation and status in the industry are another reason why it’s not outlandish to think SNL could end.

“I also think every host walks in that place and trusts him because he’s an icon,” he told Deadline. Meyers warned that “if you take over for an icon, you don’t get to be an icon.”

As far as who could keep SNL going after Lorne Michaels? Seth Meyers didn’t offer any suggestions, just as he didn’t exactly offer encouragement for a hypothetical successor.

“Whoever goes after the person who replaces in there, that’s the job. They should do a favor and just go to monster.com and hire somebody with no background in TV. Let them do it for six months and have the entertainment press f***ing put them on a spit. Tell that person coming in that you’re just here to take the heat and you’ll get a golden parachute. They should get someone’s who not in TV because after they’ll never work in TV again.”