Seth Meyers jokes about replacing Lorne Michaels as SNL boss

Lorne Michaels is the face Saturday Night Live. Several comedians have gotten their start by appearing on the sketch series, but Michaels created it, and remained the driving force for over five decades.

It's difficult to imagine a world in which he's not in charge, but it's a talking point that's become increasingly common among fans and industry insiders. A discussion about Michaels' possible retirement invariably leads to a discussion about who would replace him. Seth Meyers has been named as a possible successor, having worked under Michaels for two decades.

Seth Meyers says he won't take over Michaels' position

Meyers, who currently hosts the talk show with his name in the title, Late Night with Seth Meyers, talked about the replacement rumors during a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter. He claimed to enjoy the rumors, and encourages them, but asserted that he could never really do what Michaels did, and currently does:

"Let me just say, that part’s the best. I’m definitely not going to do it, but I never want any of you to stop saying that."

Meyers elaborated on his humorous answer by detailing why Michaels is so essential to the longevity of Saturday Night Live. He noted that the veteran producer has an "invisible" quality to what he does on the floor and in the writers room, and it would be hard for anybody to match it.

Michaels plans to stick around for SNL's 50th season

"Everybody underestimates what Lorne brings to the show, week in and week out, even though I think people estimate it quite highly," Meyers claimed. "Lorne has this invisible hand that gets things done in that building for a show that is unreasonable to even attempt. And I learned so much from watching Lorne, and yet I’m also acutely aware that there are things you just can’t learn."

There are no concrete plans for Michaels to retire, but he did address the concept during a red carpet interview at the 2024 Emmys. He asserted that he will be around for the 50th anniversary of the show in 2025, but doesn't know how much longer he plans to go beyond that.

Do you think Seth Meyers would make a good replacement?