Live from New York, it's Darrell Hammond: The former Saturday Night Live cast member is taking over announcing duties for the show, following the August death of Don Pardo.
Hammond, 58, had the longest tenure on the show — 14 years, from 1995 to 2009. Known for his impressions of Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, and Regis Philbin (among dozens of others), he also had to impersonate longtime announcer Pardo on occasion. "I sat in for Don when he had laryngitis several times over the years," Hammond told USA Today. "He was a lovely person. When he passed, they wanted me; it felt right for me to be the one to replace him. It's been a very improbable life; I didn't expect something like this, but it feels real good."
In his new role as announcer, don't expect Hammond to mimic Pardo. "I just knew it wouldn't be anybody who sounded like Don or replicated him," says Lorne Michaels, SNL's executive producer. "It can't be what it was, but it could sort of be in the same tradition."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The 40th season of Saturday Night Live starts Sept. 27.
-
Will California’s Proposition 50 kill gerrymandering reform?Talking Points Or is opposing Trump the greater priority for voters?
-
‘The trickle of shutdowns could soon become a flood’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Wikipedia: Is ‘neutrality’ still possible?Feature Wikipedia struggles to stay neutral as conservatives accuse the site of being left-leaning
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstancesSpeed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governorSpeed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditionsSpeed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billionSpeed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on recordSpeed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homesSpeed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creatureSpeed Read
