From ‘SNL’ succession plan to Lorne Michaels’ quirky habits, here’s what to know about ‘Lorne’ doc

 

Lorne Michaels, the mastermind behind “Saturday Night Live,” is pulling back the curtain and allowing Oscar-winning documentarian Morgan Neville into his inner circle.

The director says Michaels gave him unrestricted access to interview him and his closest friends, producers, writers and cast members.

In “Lorne,” Michaels jokes about how he doesn’t even know himself, giving Neville quite the task of unravelling the inner thoughts of the “SNL” creator and executive producer.

Neville’s previous films include “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?,” about the life of Fred Rogers, and his Paul McCartney documentary “Man on the Run.” 

Here are five burning questions fans may have and a look at how “Lorne,” which opens in theatres Friday, addresses them.

SUCCESSION PLAN?

Michaels will turn 82 years old this year and there has been no public announcement about a succession plan for “SNL,” which has been on air for five decades. 

This has left room for much speculation from fans and industry insiders, with Tina Fey among those talked about as someone who could potentially take over as showrunner. Michaels addressed the rumours on the 2024 Emmys red carpet, telling Entertainment Weekly that Fey could “easily” step in, but suggested there were other candidates as well. 

The doc doesn’t offer much more clarity. 

In the film, Steve Martin, who has hosted the sketch show 16 times, asks Michaels if he will ever retire. Michaels shakes his head and says, “I’m not there.” 

It’s a brief moment but a very important one for Neville. 

“In his attitude, he’s just there for as long as he can be there,” Neville said in a video interview from New York last week.

In the documentary, Neville suggests ratings are closely watched and that the show in the past has been at risk of being cancelled.

During the interview with The Canadian Press, Neville says when Lorne came back to the show for Season 11 after a five-year hiatus, he had to work to keep it on air.

“He gets the call, ‘do you want to come back to SNL?’ And he debates whether he should do it, but then he realizes that the show is him,” Neville said.

“And so he came back, and then they said, ‘And if the ratings aren’t better by Christmas, we’re gonna cancel you.’ So he has to prove himself.”

Neville said Michaels still wants to protect “SNL” and not cede any power, but the “Lorne” director acknowledges he won’t be running the show for another 50 years. 

“Those are tough shoes to fill. And I think whoever takes over the show, I think it might even be two people would take over the show because it’s a big job that has many different parts,” Neville said.

RECOGNIZING TALENT

Michaels says in the documentary “Comedy is like pornography, you know it when you see it,” and there is no doubt in Neville’s mind that over his tenure at “SNL” he’s hired a lot of comedians and turned them into stars.

“He’s seen people go from being tiny sketch performers on a tiny stage to being world-famous celebrities.”

Canadian Mike Myers is shown saying Michaels has a “good picker for talent,” and he’s used that over the years to find the best comedians out there.

Some of the stars who got their start on “SNL” include Tina Fey, Amy Poehler,  Eddie Murphy, Bill Murray, Adam Sandler and Chris Rock.

During an interview in the film, Rock says he once asked Michaels why he picked him and Sandler to be on “SNL”. 

He says Michaels told him, “When I see original thoughts I gravitate towards that.”

A CREATURE OF HABIT

The documentary suggests Michaels is a creature of habit.

It says he will get up at noon every day, and that he goes for a workout with singer-songwriter Paul Simon, whom he’s known for over 50 years. 

His office always has Tootsie Rolls candy available and he takes the celebrity “SNL” host and cast to the same restaurant, Lattanzi, every week.

The documentary also showcases Michaels’ love of popcorn. 

Neville said they may have exaggerated just slightly, but he does love a buttery treat.

“Whenever word comes that Lorne is approaching the office the popcorn machine is fired up. It’s always in his office, there in baskets. He does eat it a lot.”

HE CAN BE BRUTALLY HONEST

While the documentary cameras rolled, Colin Jost, writer and Weekend Update anchor, told a story about watching Michaels sit under the stage bleachers for rehearsals. When the “SNL” creator doesn’t like a skit he would breathe out powerfully. 

Jost said it felt like he was “blowing your soul out of your body,” with Michaels at one point yelling, “Can they take Emmys back?” because he didn’t like what he saw.

The documentary shows the Toronto native’s reaction to people breaking character — also known simply as breaking — and laughing when they’re supposed to be acting. Michaels is shown with a bucket beside his chair, chucking ice cubes into it out of frustration.

Neville captured all of these moments on camera, over the course of a year, and he says there was no creative or editorial control from Michaels, a rarity for the 112-time-Emmy-nominated producer who is normally in complete control. 

And last week the Studio 8H boss got a chance to see the film for the first time at the New York premiere. Neville asked for his brutally honest opinion. 

“He nodded and said, ‘Good,’ which for Lorne is a very, that’s like a five star review.”

‘FAMILY ENVIRONMENT’

Conan O’Brien was a writer on “SNL” from 1988 to 1991 and during his interview in “Lorne,” he says Michaels’ superpower is that everyone wants to make him happy.

Andy Samberg and Fred Armisen said they felt the same, explaining how if they got a compliment or laugh from him, it lived on for weeks in their minds.

“I think that’s the kind of family environment that ‘SNL’ increasingly, I think, has become. People talk about it that way,” Neville said.

John Mulaney, who was also a writer on the show, told Neville about Michaels picking up the phone and calling him while he was in rehab and telling him he would stay on the phone for as long as he wanted.

“He became the guy that shows up … I heard many times of people saying when my parent died, or when I had a child, Lorne was the first person to come to me. When people talk about Lorne as a father figure, I think a lot of it is that, he wants to help you navigate those things,” Neville said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 15, 2026.