Tina Fey, Miley Cyrus To Host ‘Saturday Night Live’
Tina Fey will be hosting the Saturday Night Live season opener on September 28, with Arcade Fire as the musical guest, NBC announced Monday.
Fey was hired as a writer for SNL in 1997 after submitting several scripts to the sketch comedy and meeting with creator Lorne Michaels. She played an extra in 1998, and became head writer — and the first female head writer — in 1999 after Adam McKay stepped down.
Fey began performing in sketches in 2000, and became a Weekend Update anchor with Jimmy Fallon, even though she didn’t audition for the role — Michaels approached her first. The pairing lasted until 2004, when Fallon was replaced by Amy Poehler. It was the first time two women co-anchored Weekend Update, and the pairing was well-received. Fey left after the 2005-06 season to work on 30 Rock. During her time on SNL, Fey and the writing staff won a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program.
Fey has hosted SNL three times since her departure as a cast member, most recently in 2011.
NBC also announced that Miley Cyrus will be hosting and performing as the musical guest on October 5. Cyrus made her SNL debut in 2011.
Bruce Willis is scheduled to host for the second time on October 12, with musical guest Katy Perry.
Season 39 of Saturday Night Live will feature some new faces, after veterans Fred Armisen, Jason Sudeikis, and Bill Hader departed at the end of season 38. Seth Meyers will remain with the sketch comedy until December 2013, when he’ll make the move to hosting Late Night.
Although the new members haven’t been officially confirmed, Beck Bennett, Noel Wells, Kyle Mooney, and John Milhiser are rumored to be joining the cast. While Bennett’s name might not sound familiar, his face is certainly familiar. He’s the guy in the AT&T commercials with the little kids.
[Photo credit: Featureflash / Shutterstock.com]
