"Will should do it" — Tina Fey chimes in on who should take over Saturday Night Live after Lorne Micheals 

For years, there has been speculation in the entertainment industry about who might take over as creator of Saturday Night Live when Lorne Michaels eventually retires. Comedy legend Tina Fey had an unexpected response when the subject was brought up during a recent Parade interview while promoting her new Netflix series.

Sitting alongside fellow Saturday Night Live alum Will Forte, who appeared just as curious about her response as the interviewer, Fey deftly sidestepped the direct question with her trademark humor.

"Oh...I think Will should do it," she said, despite Michaels previously suggesting to Entertainment Weekly that Fey herself could easily step into the role.

Forte playfully accepted the nomination on the spot, responding:

"I'm gonna do it, I guess."

Fey burst into applause, and cheered that Will was down to head to SNL. Forte, playing along, laughed and declared it settled.

Their lighthearted exchange highlights the camaraderie between former cast members of the iconic sketch comedy show, which celebrated its 50th anniversary milestone this year.

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Passing down the Saturday Night Live torch

The succession plan for Saturday Night Live remains one of television's biggest questions. With Michaels at the helm since its 1975 debut (minus a brief hiatus in the early 1980s), his eventual departure will mark a seismic shift.

Earlier this year, Michaels himself floated Fey's name as a potential successor during an Entertainment Weekly interview. The endorsement carries significant weight given Fey's history with the show, rising from writer to head writer and Weekend Update anchor during her Saturday Night Live tenure from 1997 to 2006.

When presented with this possibility, Fey's quick deflection to Forte demonstrated both her humor and perhaps reluctance to publicly address such a monumental possibility. The exchange revealed the easy chemistry between the two comedy veterans, who shared formative years at Studio 8H.

Both performers credit their time on Saturday Night Live with fundamentally changing their approach to risk-taking in their careers. The high-pressure environment of live television provided valuable lessons they've carried forward.

"I feel like you lose some of your fear of failure in a way because you inevitably eat sh-t on Saturday Night Live at some point," Fey explained candidly.

Declaring:

"You survive like having something go badly, so you kind of like, 'Oh, well.'"

Forte built on this sentiment, tracing a comedian's journey through progressive stages of public failure:

"That goes for every step of the way. Being at The Groundlings, that sets you up for getting used to failure on the SNL stage, which gets you, you know, it's like every step of the way is preparing me for the next failure."

Fey laughed at this perspective, adding her own spin:

"Failing at a higher and higher level."

Far from experiencing failure, both performers have built impressive post-SNL careers. Fey created and starred in critically acclaimed series like "30 Rock" and "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt," while also writing the cultural phenomenon "Mean Girls." Forte found success with "The Last Man on Earth" and various film roles.

Netflix's "The Four Seasons," an eight-episode comedy series based on the 1981 movie, marks their professional reunion. Steve Carell, Kerri Kenney-Silver, Colman Domingo, Marco Calvani, and Erika Henningsen are among the show's outstanding ensemble cast members. Fey and Forte play a married couple in the show, which centres on three couples that go on vacation together every season.

"It was the best experience," Forte reflected on working together again, before turning to Fey with a simple but genuine thanks.

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The legacy question remains

Whether Michaels will ultimately tap Fey, Forte, or someone else entirely to lead SNL into its next era remains an open question. At 79, Michaels hasn't announced any immediate retirement plans, though speculation naturally increases as the show celebrates its half-century milestone.

Whoever eventually takes over will inherit not just a television show but an American cultural institution that has launched countless careers and shaped comedy for generations. The playful exchange between Fey and Forte highlights that even among Saturday Night Live alumni, the question of succession remains both weighty and worthy of the humor that defines the show itself.

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Saturday Night Live airs Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. ET/PT on NBC and can be streamed the next day on Peacock.