# SNL season 51 finale (May 16, 2026) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** talk-variety-show\ **Created:** [May 17, 2026, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-season-51-finale-may-16-2026/1030131 "2026-05-17T00:41:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2026, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-season-51-finale-may-16-2026/1030131/1 "2026-05-17T00:41:18Z")
Tonight’s the season finale with Will Ferrell as host and Paul McCartney as the musical guest. There’s a bubble of speculation online that this is Lorne Michaels’ swan song, with one of the show’s biggest stars hosting and one of Lorne’s favorite musicals performing. I’d love to see Ringo show up and try to collect on Lorne’s 1976 offer to reunite the Beatles. He and Paul do have a song out together right now… Anyway, I’ve been looking forward to this episode since these two were announced as the host/musical guest. “Get off the shed!” ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2026, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-season-51-finale-may-16-2026/1030131/2 "2026-05-17T01:06:04Z")
Has there been any speculation about Lorne’s potential replacement? I’ll look forward to Colin and Michael’s joke swap. Especially since the Christmas one was a dud. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2026, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-season-51-finale-may-16-2026/1030131/3 "2026-05-17T01:07:40Z")
Every year there’s speculation that Lorne Michaels will retire. Among the possible successors mentioned over the years, I can remember off the top of my head Al Franken, Tina Fey and Kenan Thompson. I’m sure there have been many others. I’m looking forward to the show, but I’m not holding my breath waiting for a big bombshell announcement. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2026, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-season-51-finale-may-16-2026/1030131/4 "2026-05-17T01:10:25Z")
I’ve heard Tina Fey’s name bandied about over the past several years. But Lorne just hangs onto this job like grim death. Death may be the only thing that forces his retirement. ---
**Author:** ![Awb78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/258eb7/32.png) [@Awb78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Awb78)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2026, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-season-51-finale-may-16-2026/1030131/5 "2026-05-17T01:29:09Z")
The finale is happening already? It seems like it just started. There hasn’t been too many memorable episodes this year, but I’m glad Jane Wickline has found her groove, and is getting more screentime. As far as successor, yeah, Fey gets mentioned quite a bit. I’ve heard Seth Meyers, but that may just be fans’ wish list. I do enjoy him though. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2026, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-season-51-finale-may-16-2026/1030131/6 "2026-05-17T13:19:27Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > But Lorne just hangs onto this job like grim death. Why shouldn’t he? The last time he gave up control of SNL, things did not go well. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2026, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-season-51-finale-may-16-2026/1030131/7 "2026-05-17T23:20:21Z")
Well, that season is done. Will Ferrell had his ups (Epstein) and downs (the Nudemans). But I really wanted to remark on Paul McCartney’s singing: Ouch! Obviously he can still handle the guitar, and his encore song was fine, but his vocals in his first two sets were so cringe-worthy that I felt sorry for him. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2026, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-season-51-finale-may-16-2026/1030131/8 "2026-05-18T04:12:59Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Why shouldn’t he? The last time he gave up control of SNL, things did not go well. Because he’s old and tired, and not the man he was when he re-took control. ---
**Author:** ![fedman1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2026, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-season-51-finale-may-16-2026/1030131/9 "2026-05-18T20:21:17Z")
I’m sorry, Seth is not funny–he may write funny, but his SNL schtick as Weekend Update was a one-trick pony; when he was host on SNL, he didn’t do well interacting with skit, and his other role was reporter, which he could handle. As host of his own show, he couldn’t even deliver on the jokes, even jokes borrowed from Jimmy–they fell flat, and then he’d sit there with fixed smile on his face hoping audience would respond, even uselessly repeating the joke ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2026, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-season-51-finale-may-16-2026/1030131/10 "2026-05-18T20:26:10Z")
The Colin-Michael Joke Swap was a hit (with me, anyway). It seems like the two of them talked things over and made a gentlemen’s agreement that Che wouldn’t bring Scarlett into this. They also broke the trope, used in previous iterations of this gag, that Jost=Racist and Che=Pervert. I was kind of bummed that Che didn’t hire an actor to portray someone that Colin would be ashamed to read his jokes in front of, like they did with the “civil rights activist” (just some actress) and the “rabbi” (also just some actress, I assume). ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2026, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-season-51-finale-may-16-2026/1030131/11 "2026-05-18T21:00:21Z")
> [@JohnGalt](#): > > Obviously he can still handle the guitar, and his encore song was fine, but his vocals in his first two sets were so cringe-worthy that I felt sorry for him. Yeah, his voice is certainly not what it was, but at least he has the backup singers to cover the high notes and carry the load. ---
**Author:** ![De\_La\_Rue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@De\_La\_Rue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/De_La_Rue)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2026, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-season-51-finale-may-16-2026/1030131/12 "2026-05-18T21:06:51Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > (also just some actress, I assume) No, she was/is a [real rabbi](https://latenighter.com/news/yes-weekend-updates-rabbi-jill-is-a-real-rabbi/). ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2026, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-season-51-finale-may-16-2026/1030131/13 "2026-05-18T21:08:30Z")
> [@De\_La\_Rue](#): > > No, she was/is a [real rabbi](https://latenighter.com/news/yes-weekend-updates-rabbi-jill-is-a-real-rabbi/). Well I’ll be damned. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2026, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-season-51-finale-may-16-2026/1030131/14 "2026-05-18T21:17:39Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > They also broke the trope, used in previous iterations of this gag, that Jost=Racist and Che=Pervert. I’m not sure what you were watching! 🤔 They kinda took Che=Pervert to Uncomfortable levels. ---
**Author:** ![De\_La\_Rue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@De\_La\_Rue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/De_La_Rue)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2026, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-season-51-finale-may-16-2026/1030131/15 "2026-05-18T21:28:06Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > Well I’ll be damned. I read somewhere last year that they (the SNL staff) dressed her up a bit more conservatively than she usually is, with a kippa and tallis, as you can see on [her page](https://www.theactorstemple.org/about-us/our-rabbi-cantor) on the temple website. I felt there was a consistent thread of 90s crudity to the sketches, but Ferrell brought his A-game (regardless of crudity).