'SNL' Creator Lorne Michael Reveals the Real Reason Why Pete Davidson Left

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Saturday Night Live is officially back, but the season 48 cast has undergone major changes.

The NBC comedy sketch show’s 2022 premiere is welcoming home familiar faces and introducing new names after nearly a dozen comedians left. During the SNL season 47 finale in May, longtime cast members Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, Pete Davidson and Kyle Mooney said goodbye to viewers with heartfelt segments paying homage to their popular characters. Most recently, in September, Melissa Villaseñor, Alex Moffat, Aristotle Athari and Chris Redd left as well.

With a new season of SNL here again, creator and executive producer Lorne Michaels isn’t concerned about the cast overhaul. Speaking with The New York Times, he revealed he saw it coming.

“The pandemic had put us in this position where no one could really leave, because there were no jobs,” he told the newspaper. “And at the same time, if I don’t add new people every year, then the show isn’t the show. There have to be new people, for both our sake and also for the audience.”

Though the news of eight cast members leaving the show is historic because a shake-up like this hasn’t happened since 1995, Lorne shared that having two dozen performers was difficult. What’s more, he wants spots to be filled by folks who want to be there. But he still understands the need to continue evolving as a comedian.

“We got to a point where we had a lot of people, and people weren’t getting enough playing time,” he said to the outlet. “The way the series has survived is by that level of renewal. The price of success is that people go off and do other things; their primary obligation is to their talent and to keep pushing that.”

He continued: “There’s something so much better about the show when all that matters is the show. There’s a time to say goodbye and there’s a natural time for it, but the natural time just got interfered with by the pandemic.”

After Lorne teased that at least “four new people” would be joining the SNL crew, he confirmed fans would see them — Marcello Hernandez, Molly Kearney, Michael Longfellow and Devon Walker — in the new season premiere. But despite his optimism, he still anticipates some challenges. “This will be a transition year. Change years are always difficult but always exciting,” he told Deadline.

While the new NBC roster settles into a rhythm (season 48 is kicking off with three consecutive episodes!), folks can also look forward to the celebrity hosts, starting with Miles Teller accompanied by musical guest Kendrick Lamar.

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