‘SNL’s Weekend Update Taps Cecily Strong as New Anchor
The girl at the party you wish you hadn't started a conversation with is about to get a whole lot more informed. As 'SNL' shores things up for its 39th season, recruiting new members to replace the multiple departures of the previous year and those still to come, it would seem Seth Meyers has an heir apparent to the Weekend Update throne in that of regular contributor and current castmate Cecily Strong.
'SNL' head honcho Lorne Michaels broke news to the New York Times that Strong will join Seth Meyers as co-host of Weekend Update during the coming season, as herself rather than frequent character "The Girl You Wish You Hadn’t Started a Conversation With at a Party." It isn't known yet if Strong will take the gig for good as a solo host once Seth Meyers departs for his 'Late Night' gig, though Michaels believes the comedian's lack of a Friday show could mean he stays with the 'SNL' cast after all.
“Cecily, from the first show, was right there,” Michaels said of Strong’s first year with the 'SNL' cast. “She exploded.” As for her popular Weekend Update character, Meyers himself speculated over Twitter that "As for The Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started a Conversation with, it's prob safe to assume that she died somewhere, mid-conversation."
In addition to the star-studded hosts of season 39's initial weeks, including Tina Fey and Arcade Fire for the September 28 premiere, followed by Miley Cyrus, Bruce Willis, Katy Perry and Lady Gaga, equal attention will likely be paid to reported cast additions Mike O’Brien, John Milhiser, actress Noël Wells, and “Good Neighbor” performers Kyle Mooney and Beck Bennett, all of whom step in to replace past season departures Bill Hader, Fred Armisen and Jason Sudeikis.
Well, what say you? Are you more confident in 'SNL's future now that Cecily Strong has joined the Weekend Update cast? Preview the pair's dynamic below, and give us your predictions for the new season in the comments!