NBC’s acclaimed sketch comedy show, Saturday Night Live (SNL), will cease production and air reruns starting Saturday, May 6, due to the ongoing Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike. The strike began after the WGA’s contract expired on May 1, causing numerous late-night shows to shut down as well.
The May 6 episode was scheduled to feature the hosting debut of former SNL cast member Pete Davidson, accompanied by musical guest Lil Uzi Vert. However, due to the strike, SNL will broadcast repeats until further notice.
The show originally planned to air new episodes for three consecutive weeks, leading up to the season finale on May 20. This programming has now been disrupted by the strike. SNL’s writing staff, including “Weekend Update” anchors Michael Che and Colin Jost, as well as Please Don’t Destroy members Martin Herlihy, John Higgins, and Ben Marshall, are also affected by the strike.
SNL experienced a similar situation during the 2007-08 WGA strike, which saw the show off the air until 11 days after the strike’s conclusion in February 2008.
NBC mistakenly sent out an automated listings email on Tuesday, suggesting that this week’s SNL would proceed as scheduled. The network promptly followed up with a “Disregard” message to correct the error.
