Last year, Andy Samberg parted ways with “Saturday Night Live.” Now, he’s being joined by two of his former castmates, Seth Meyers and Bill Hader, as they too have confirmed they are leaving the late-night comedy staple.
Meyers’ post-“SNL” plans include a takeover of the spot left vacated by fellow “SNL” vet Jimmy Fallon on “The Late Show.” With Fallon moving up to man “The Tonight Show” beginning next year, the “Weekend Update” anchor will host the NBC talk show. And Samberg is excited to see what Meyers will bring to it.
“I’m thrilled for Seth Meyers taking over ‘Late Night.’ He’s a good friend of mine and he’s gonna kill it,” the Lonely Island rapper told MTV News at the Fox upfront earlier this week where he was promoting his new cop sitcom, “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.” “And Seth, if you’re out there watching: Can I borrow $100,000 dollars? Just think about it.”
Meyers will stay on with “SNL” through the fall before transitioning over to his new gig at the start of 2014, according to the New York Times. In the days since Meyers announced his departure, Emmy-nominated Hader revealed he also wants to call it a day on the long-running Saturday night sketch comedy program. He has several movie projects lined up, including this summer’s comedy, “The To Do List,” which was written and directed by his wife, Maggie Carey.
Both departures have stirred up speculation that more casting shakeups may come down the line. Jason Sudeikis and Fred Armisen are both rumored to also be mulling departures from the show. Sudeikis’ name was tossed around last season, when both Samberg and Kristin Wiig left the series, before he signed on for more “SNL.” Wiig recently returned to host the show.
Neither Sudeikis nor Armisen have commented about the chatter, but “SNL” executive Lorne Michaels noted to the New York Times, “I think they’re making their decisions, and we’ll know soon enough. I’ve said what I wanted to say to both. You never keep anybody there who doesn’t want to be there, and there is a right time to leave, but it’s more about where they are in their lives.”
The “SNL” season finale airs on May 18 with Kanye West set to perform and Ben Affleck hosting.
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