Michael Che And Colin Jost Will Return As ‘SNL’ Co-Head Writers

This sounds like cutting it a little close to the bone, but what do we know Less than three weeks away from the first episode of their 44th season, Saturday Night Live top brass have officially revealed their new co-head writers. And they’re 75% the same co-head writers as last season.

Variety reports that Michael Che, Colin Jost, and Kent Sublette will all return as co-head writers. Bryan Tucker, who served last year, will be stepping down to a senior writer position, says Variety.

Che and Jost have lorded over the “Weekend Update” desk since 2014. They’ll continue that, on top of co-hosting the Emmys telecast next Sunday. This year’s festivities, incidentally, have been executive produced by Che and Jost’s boss, SNL honcho Lorne Michaels.

Che began his tenure as a writer for the show in 2013. Jost has been on staff since 2005, and has been a “Weekend Update” co-anchor since 2014, when he replaced a departing Seth Meyers. Jost was a co-head writer from 2012 through 2015, when he stepped down, before stepping up in 2017.

Sublette, meanwhile, has been an SNL writer since the 2007-2008 season, and was promoted to co-head duties in 2016. Tucker has been on staff since 2005, and had been a co-head writer starting in 2014.

No word yet on who’s hosting, or even who’s musical guesting, when SNL returns on September 29. We’re going to assume that whatever singer or band plays they won’t be as cool and alienating as that time free jazz god Ornette Coleman freaked out viewers, both in-house and at home, on the same episode hosted by a notoriously not-with-it Milton Berle.