- Season 50 of SNL has wrapped up
- There were jokes throughout the show about possible cast members leaving
- Things remain uncertain for now
Last night’s episode of Saturday Night Live brought the show’s 50th season to an end., but with that, there brings questions about cast changes.
There wasn’t any clear suggestions of who, if anyone, could end up leaving the show. Indeed, there weren’t any cast goodbyes at the episode’s conclusion.
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It’s still possible though. SNL has 17 regular cast members now, six of whom have been around for seven seasons or more – Colin Jost, Michael Che, Mikey Day, Heidi Gardner, Ego Nwodim and Kenan Thompson. Added to that, Thompson is the longest-tenured SNL cast member in history, having starred in the show since 2003.
“It’s been a great season/And Sarah is leaving”
The cast made fun of the looming possibilities at various points during the episode.
“It’s been a great season / and Sarah is leaving / we’re all gonna miss you next year,” host Scarlett Johansson sang in the opening monologue. A shocked Sherman replied: “Wait, what? Did you guys hear something? What do you mean leaving?”
The joke was such because Sherman is an unlikely suspect for departure.
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However, a question mark remains over Michael Che’s future on the show. He has said publicly that he was planning to leave after the current season, but it came in a standup special, and it’s not the first time he’s mentioned it.
What about Lorne Michaels’ future?
There were more jokes made about SNL founder Lorne Michaels’ retirement. Around the show’s 50th anniversary special, there was talk of him leaving, but he ended up going back on this.
During the semi-annual Joke Swap during Weekend Update, Colin Jost made a jokey appeal for Michaels’ job when he eventually vacates the chair.
“It’s SNL‘s 50th season, so I want to take a moment to say something to our boss, Lorne Michaels. Lorne, retire b*tch! Let me run the show,”Jost said, reading out a joke Che had written.
At the end, the topic came up again in another joke Che had thought of. “Lorne, I’ll do anything to run this show.”
Johansson, Jost’s wife, gave Michaels a shoutout, congratulating him on SNL‘s 50-year run. “You are a singular man, we love you and thank you,” she said.
When will we hear about the cast members’ future?
Generally, cast members who are leaving confirm their departures a few weeks after the end of a season.
Michaels will likely have a break and then come back to work in July, with more confirmation of who’s coming back expected for August or September.
