"Molly Shannon confides about potential new host for 'Saturday Night Live' helmed by Lorne Michaels"
In a recent interview with PEOPLE, Kenan Thompson, the longest-tenured cast member in the history of *Saturday Night Live* (since 2003), expressed uncertainty about the future of the iconic sketch comedy show, particularly heading into season 51[5]. Thompson's comments come as the show faces potential changes, with the looming question of who will take over from legendary showrunner Lorne Michaels.
Former cast member Molly Shannon, who is currently a star on the show *White Lotus*, has publicly thrown her support behind Thompson as a potential successor to Michaels. Shannon, who is 60 years old, praised Thompson as "the greatest" and expressed her admiration for him, emphasizing that she loves the idea of Kenan running the show one day[1][2][3][4].
Shannon believes that Thompson has the talent and the vision to carry forward Michaels' legacy on *SNL*. She also praised Michaels as a genius and brilliant showrunner, but expressed the view that Thompson could potentially replace him in a way that is unique and meaningful[6][7].
However, Thompson himself seems to be hesitant about taking on the role of showrunner. He compared the uncertainty of the show's future to wanting one's children to stay young, expressing a concern about not wanting to be a stale old man riding the same thing on *SNL*. Despite this, Thompson did mention the possibility of changes next year in the show[8].
Molly Shannon, on the other hand, believes that Michaels is one-of-a-kind and irreplaceable for *Saturday Night Live*. She thinks that Thompson could potentially replace Michaels, but also emphasized that Michaels is a brilliant showrunner who has created a legacy that is difficult to replicate[9].
In May, Thompson's comments were made to Page Six, while Shannon's interview was conducted by PEOPLE. Both interviews provide insight into the potential future of *Saturday Night Live* and the possibility of Thompson taking on a larger role within the show.
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- Molly Shannon, who currently stars on HBO's 'White Lotus', has thrown her support behind Kenan Thompson as a potential successor to legendary 'SNL' showrunner Lorne Michaels.
- In a recent interview with PEOPLE, Thompson expressed uncertainty about the future of 'SNL' and his potential role as showrunner, comparing the uncertainty to wanting his children to stay young.
- Shannon believes that Thompson has the talent and vision to carry forward Michaels' legacy on 'SNL', but also believes that Michaels is irreplaceable and emphasized his brilliant showrunning legacy.
