4 comedians who should take over for Lorne Michaels on Saturday Night Live

On October 11, 1975, George Carlin hosted the first Saturday Night Live. Lorne Michaels introduced the show to the masses, and over 50 years later, the series is going strong. It has launched some of the most notable comedians in history, like Eddie Murphy, Will Ferrell, and Tina Fey.

With Lorne Michael getting older, the biggest question is, who could take over for him? We explore the four comedians who we think could take over the popular series and keep it going for generations to come.

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When looking over the mass amounts of comedians who have come from Saturday Night Live, it wasn’t easy to narrow the list down to a select few. But when you look at who has been there the longest or who has returned even years after breaking away, the list condenses slightly.

There are big names like Eddie Murphy, Will Ferrell, and Chris Rock, but this almost seems like something they wouldn’t do. Because of that, I honed in on four people who would be an ideal fit and could make the series thrive for years to come.

Tina Fey

SNL Career: 1997-2006 (Writer), 2000-2006 (Weekend Update Anchor), Featured Player (2000-2001), 2000-2006 (Repertory Player)

Fey might be the most logical choice to take over for Lorne Michaels, as he even said it himself. He mentioned that he thought it would be easy for him to replace him in charge in an interview earlier in 2024. She became the first woman head writer in 1999 and started performing on the show, hosting the “Weekend Update” with Jimmy Fallon and, later, Amy Poehler.

There is no need to list all of Fey’s accolades, but with her creation of 30 Rock, many smash hit films, and the approval of Lorne himself, Fey should be the no-brainer to take over if she wants the job.

John Mulaney

SNL career: 2008-2012 (Writer), Has hosted Five Times

In 2008, Mulaney alongside Nick Kroll, and T.J Miller auditioned for SNL. He was hired on the spot and worked as a writer for four years. In 2011, Mulaney won his first Primetime Emmy Award for co-writing Justin Timberlake’s monologue.

Since his writing days, Mulaney has become a household name for his stand-up comedy specials and appearing on popular TV shows like The Simpsons, The Bear, and Big Mouth. The respect Mulaney has built within the industry is second to none, and they would be the perfect fit to take over for Michaels.

Kristen Wiig

SNL Career: 2005-2006 (Featured), 2006-2012 (Repertory), Has hosted Five Times

Very few people have as decorated of a career in the world of SNL quite like Kristen Wiig. Whether it’s been iconic characters Target Lady or Penelope or her incredible impressions of Katherine Hepburn or Drew Barrymore.

Outside of SNL, she was nominated for an Academy Award for her writing of Bridesmaids and is the voice of Agent Lucy Wilde in the billion-dollar franchise Despicable Me. Her track record in and out of SNL would provide the necessary experience to take the series to the next level for future generations.

Keenan Thompson

SNL Career: 2003-2005 (Featured), 2005-Present (Repertory)

The longest-tenured employee of Saturday Night Live, Keenan Thompson, has been making people laugh for over 20 years. It’s simple, he has watched many people come and go, what has and hasn’t worked, and could easily strap up the next generation of comedians to his back and carry them to the next level. Thompson has an incredible career that would be the perfect fit as the next man in charge.