Tina Fey ‘Could Easily’ Take Over ‘Saturday Night Live,’ Says Lorne Michaels

After nearly 50 years of running the show behind the scenes of Saturday Night Live, longtime producer Lorne Michaels may have an idea of who his potential successor could be.

When speaking to Entertainment Weekly on the red carpet at the Emmy Awards, Michaels was asked if he had “ever thought about” who would take over the reins at SNL. When former cast member and 30 Rock creator Tina Fey was suggested as a candidate, Michaels replied, “It could easily be Tina Fey.”

However, he referenced the list of possible applicants already at the show, adding, “There are a lot of people who are there now who are also, you know.” Still, Michaels made sure to state the obvious: “Tina’s brilliant and great at everything.” He also noted, “She’s a very important person in my life.”

During the same interview, Michaels said that he’ll still be with the series to celebrate its upcoming 50th anniversary on February 2025. “I will definitely be there for that, and definitely be there until that, and sometime before that we’ll figure out what we’re gonna do,” Michaels told EW.

After Fey departed SNL in 2006, she went on to establish herself as a powerhouse in the film industry and collaborated with Michaels on several projects. He helped co-produced 30 Rock, a sitcom based on Fey’s own experiences as a writer at SNL and that parodied the long-running sketch comedy show. Michaels also served as producer on Fey’s blockbuster Mean Girls (including the original, Broadway musical, and 2024 film musical).

During this year’s Emmys, Fey and fellow SNL alum Amy Poehler returned to the Weekend Update desk to present the award for Outstanding Variety Special. “We’ve reached the stage in life where we’ll only present awards sitting down,” Fey quipped.