NBC’s ‘Saturday Night Live’ canceled its May 6th episode after the Writers Guild of America (WGA) went on strike because of a failed negotiation for higher compensation.
According to a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, “SNL will air repeats until further notice starting Saturday, May 6.”
The upcoming episode was supposed to be hosted by SNL alum Pete Davidson, with musical guest Lil Uzi Vert.
It was supposed to be Davidson’s comeback to SNL and his hosting debut for a one-time deal after leaving the show in May 2022. However, nothing is said about whether Davidson will return when the strike ends.
Relatively, ‘Please Don’t Destroy’ members, Martin Herlihy, John Higgins, and Ben Marshall, and ‘Weekend Update’ anchors Michael Che and Colin Jost are all part of SNL’s writing staff.
The last strike in 2007, which lasted for 3 months and 8 days, also put SNL off the air, where they returned in February of 2008, 11 days after the strike ended.
SNL is among the shows that have been shut down, along with NBC’s Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Late Night with Seth Meyers, ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!, CBS’ Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, and HBO’s Real Time With Bill Maher and Last Week Tonight With John Oliver.
The WGA strike, joined by more than 11,000 writers, started after their contract expiration on May 2 (PST).
According to a statement by WGA, after negotiating for six weeks with Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Disney, Discover-Warner, NBC Universal, Paramount, and Sony under the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), “the studios’ responses to our proposals have been wholly insufficient, given the existential crisis writers are facing.”
WGA’s demand includes an increase and standardization of compensation and residual terms, an increase in contributions to the Pension Plan and Health Fund, and regulation of the use of AI-produced materials, among other things.
The strike is set to have an impact on the production of broadcast programs, streaming shows, films, and series; the last strike, in 2007, cost the L.A. economy $2.1 billion at the time.
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