Michael Che’s usual trolling aside, there’s been no official word on whether Colin Jost and Michael Che will be back at the “Weekend Update” anchor desk for Saturday Night Live’s 51st season, but LateNighter can exclusively report that the show has screen-tested at least one new anchor combination.
An insider tells us that cast member Michael Longfellow and SNL writer KC Shornima taped a screen test at the “Update” desk last May.
At the time, Jost and Che were widely presumed to be leaving SNL, with most expecting they would announce as much on the season finale. That did not happen, but in an interview with Puck’s Matt Belloni late last week, Lorne Michaels signaled that Season 51 would bring with it reinvention—one that Belloni reported could include a recasting of the “Update” desk.
Ahead of previous “Weekend Update” anchor transitions, the show has tested various combinations of cast members, writers, and even outside comics for the roles. It’s not clear whether Longfellow and Shornima were the only pair who screen-tested last spring.
Longfellow joined the SNL cast in 2022 ahead of the show’s 48th season, and has arguably made his biggest mark on the show on “Weekend Update,” where he’s delivered commentaries on topics including Real ID, TikTok, and celebrating the holidays as a child of divorced parents.
Thirty-year-old stand-up comic KC Shornima is a three-year veteran of SNL’s “Weekend Update” writing team. Just prior to joining SNL, she was selected as a “New Face” at Just For Laughs in 2022. She was also previously a writer on Stephen Colbert’s Tooning Out the News.
It remains to be seen whether anything will come of Longfellow and Shornima’s screen test.
Matt Belloni reported last week that Lorne Michaels and his team would be making casting decisions this week, with Michaels saying we could expect some sort of announcement in “a week or so.” There’s expected to be at least some turnover among the show’s cast and writers’ room.
Sunday night brought the first official departure confirmation of the season, with five-year veteran of the writing staff Celeste Yim announcing their exit. SNL’s 51st season kicks off Saturday, October 4.
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Double edged sword. I LOVE Che and Jost together. I wish they could be at the desk forever.
But season 50 feels like a natural ending to their time, and I know a lot of us would LOVE to see Longfellow at the desk. Especially after his lack of screen time, which we all (at least me) are dying for more of. Writers tend to do very well on update.
Seems like a win-win.
I swear to god they better not get rid of them. I literally only watch SNL for Weekend Update with these two. If Lorne Michaels scrubs them from SNL, then I will scrub NBC from my set on Saturday Nights.
Oops I accidentally replied to you my bad
Is it true that Michel Shay and Miss Odem are preparing to take over the Week End Update desk and kick Collin Farrell to the curb????
Nooo! I love the chemistry of Che and Jost!
Colin Jost is the only reason I watch snl
do not change colin. & Mic cha. will not watch. you should add Nate b
the best weekend update duo. It won’t be the same without them at all.
Change can be refreshing. However, Colin and Michael serve as “anchors” on “SNL.” But again, change can be invigorating.
This is confirmed false. Michael Longfellow himself refuted this rumor at a recent James Austin Johnson show.
I don’t know who your “insider” is, but this report was denied by Michael Longfellow himself on stage at a recent stand up show with James Austin Johnson. He participated in no such screen test. You need to cut ties with your “insider” immediately because they’re giving you false information.