
In a poetic twist of fate, Lorne Michaels will be at the helm of a new episode of Saturday Night Live at the very moment he turns 80 years old.
Michaels, whose tenure as creator/executive producer of Saturday Night Live began one month before his 31st birthday, will turn 80 on Sunday, November 17. Since a new SNL episode is scheduled to air that same weekend, that means his signature creation will be live on the air as he officially enters his ninth decade.
It remains to be seen whether the show will acknowledge his milestone birthday (which comes as his show celebrates its own milestone 50th season), although if history is any guide, we wouldn’t count on it.
As of now, six SNL episodes have aired on November 16 and thus wrapped on the creator’s birthday. None have seen his birthday mentioned on-air. The first such instance occurred in 1985 (age 41), just one week after he resumed his executive producer duties following a five-year hiatus.
The remaining cases were in 1991 (47), 1996 (52), 2002 (58), 2013 (67) and 2019 (73). The only one of the six episodes in which he made an on-screen appearance was the third, where he appeared in the cold open alongside that year’s presidential election runner-up, Bob Dole, and cast member Norm Macdonald (who played Dole on the show).
Michaels has appeared on screen just four times over the last three seasons, including twice during Season 49 to help welcome Emma Stone and Kristen Wiig to the Five-Timers Club.
No host or musical guest has yet been announced for the November 16 episode.