Tina Fey Doesn’t Want to Take Over ‘SNL’ When Lorne Michaels Leaves

Lorne Michaels’s retirement is still a long way away, but one can’t help but wonder who’s going to get his high-profile job as SNL’s head honcho when he does leave. Tina Fey seems like she’d be a frontrunner for the gig, having spent seven seasons as the show’s head writer, but when asked about taking the job by a Huffington Post reporter, Fey didn’t have any interest in it. “I feel like SNL is so defined by Lorne’s taste and his sensibility,” Fey responded. “That’s why any time people have tried to imitate the format and make their own version of it, you’ll notice it never really quite happens. And I think that’s because he is the center of that show.”

Fey went as far to say she thinks the show should end when Lorne Michaels retires, adding, “When he wants to stop, it should just stop.” It’s hard to imagine SNL going off the air when Michaels retires - or ever. I doubt NBC would want to let go of  the long-running franchise, but Fey makes a good point. This is Lorne Michaels’s show, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it continued after his retirement - whenever that happens. As for who will end up taking the reins, it’s anyone’s guess. Seth Meyers and Paula Pell seem like obvious choices, but we’ll have to wait ‘till a reporter asks them this same question to see if they’re interested, I suppose.