‘Saturday Night Live’ Cancels Pete Davidson’s Episode Due to Writers’ Strike
As was to be expected, Saturday Night Live is being affected by the writers’ strike.
NBC announced that the May 6 episode, which was to feature Pete Davidson returning to the late-night sketch comedy show, this time as host, and musical guest Lil Uzi Vert, has been canceled due to the writers’ strike. Repeats will air on Saturday nights until further notice beginning on May 6.
The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is officially on strike after they and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) did not reach an agreement. And as a result, we already know that late-night talk shows such as Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Late Night With Seth Meyers, and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will be dark for now, with reruns airing.
The last writers’ strike came in 2007 and lasted for 100 days. That took place from November 2007 through February 2008, in the middle of the season. Most season finales for scripted series should be finished by now, with many slated to air over the next few weeks of May. Daily and weekly shows (like SNL) are obviously a different story.
Davidson’s SNL hosting gig was to come as promotion for his new Peacock series, Bupkis, about a fictionalized version of himself. (SNL‘s Lorne Michaels is among its executive producers.) Davidson was one of several cast members to leave the late-night sketch show in May 2022 at the end of Season 47.
We’ll have to wait to see if Davidson’s episode is rescheduled as well as how long the writers’ strike goes on.
Saturday Night Live, Saturdays, 11:30/10:30c, NBC
