Kenan Thompson teases 'a lot of change' may be coming to 'SNL'
Will they stay or will they go? As "Saturday Night Live" fans speculate about which cast members may not return to Studio 8H, Kenan Thompson is teasing change on the horizon.
Speaking with Page Six, the "SNL" star, 47, hinted that the show may look different when it resumes in the fall as he reflected that the end of its latest season was "bittersweet."
"Especially this year where it feels like there's maybe, possibly, a lot of change next year," he said.
"You want everyone to stay forever, knowing that people may be making decisions this summer ... it's always like you want your kids to stay young," Thompson added.
It has not been announced which "SNL" cast members may leave the show between seasons. The Season 50 finale, which aired May 17, did not appear to give any of its stars an obvious sendoff, though it did poke fun at the speculation about who might be on their way out.
In host Scarlett Johansson's opening monologue, the actress sang that "Sarah is leaving," referring to cast member Sarah Sherman, who then pretended to be distraught and confused as if hearing this for the first time.
The Season 50 finale also joked about rumors that Colin Jost could leave his position as anchor on "Weekend Update," either to get a promotion or to exit the show entirely. During a joke swap segment, where Jost and co-anchor Michael Che made each other read jokes they wrote for one another, Jost was forced to read a message urging "SNL" creator Lorne Michaels to retire and let him run the show.
Despite speculation that Michaels might retire from "SNL" after the landmark 50th season, the producer told The Hollywood Reporter last year he would stick around as long as he can. "There's no immediate plan," he said of retirement.
Some fans also noticed that "SNL" star Bowen Yang appeared emotional during the finale's closing credits, sparking theories that it could have been his last episode. Yang later told Entertainment Weekly he "was just processing that being one of the last 'last nights' that I would have, and that is a huge thing." But when asked directly if he would return for Season 51, Yang would not say.