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Molly Shannon thinks Lorne Michaels is a “superstar.”
The White Lotus actress, 60, revealed during a PEOPLE in 10 interview why “Lorne is irreplaceable” as Saturday Night Live’s showrunner.
“It’s his show, his vision,” Shannon, an SNL cast member from 1995 to 2001, says of Michaels, 80, who created the show in 1975.
“There’s no one who could replace him. It would not be the same show,” she continues. “He’s just a one-of-a-kind genius. Brilliant. Smart.”
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Asked what her thoughts were on longtime SNL cast member Kenan Thompson, 47, stepping in as a potential replacement as showrunner whenever Michaels departs, Shannon sang Thompson’s praises.
“I love this idea. He’s the greatest — I adore Kenan,” Shannon says of Thompson, a cast member on SNL since 2003.
“[Kenan is] so talented. That’s an excellent idea,” adds Molly, who famously portrayed SNL character Mary Katherine Gallagher, the awkward Catholic school student who liked to smell her armpits and call herself “superstar.”
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In May, Thompson hinted at major shakeups for SNL before season 51.
“Especially this year where it feels like there’s maybe, possibly, a lot of change next year,” the All That alum told Page Six. “You want everyone to stay forever, knowing that people may be making decisions over the summer … it’s always like you want your kids to stay young.”
“You just never know what the future holds,” Thompson, a cast member for 22 seasons, added. “I don’t want to be in the way of someone else or I don’t want to be the stale old man riding the same thing. That doesn’t really happen that much at SNL, but there’s no guarantees, I guess.”
