‘SNL’: Producer & Talent Chief Lindsay Shookus Exits After 20 Years
Lindsay Shookus, a producer on Saturday Night Live and head of its talent department, is leaving after 20 years.
Deadline understands that Shookus decided to leave the show ahead of this season given that it is essentially a rebuilding year with a number of key cast members such as Pete Davidson and Kate McKinnon leaving. She was offered a promotion but decided it was the right time to exit.
She has been with the venerable NBC late-night series for 20 years and 10 years as a producer. In that time, she has won six Emmys including an award for its 40th Anniversary special, which she played a pivotal role in.
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When Saturday Night Live dabbles in politics, they’re bound to ruffle someone’s feathers. Even cast veteran Rob Schneider wasn’t pleased with some of the sketch comedy series’ choices — especially during the 2016 election cycle — saying Kate McKinnon’s (as Hillary Clinton) rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” was the moment he realized the show was “over.”

“I hate to crap on my own show,” Schneider told The Blaze’s Glenn Beck during a chat about how the comedian’s politics have shifted towards the right in recent years. The topic came up when Schneider accused some comedy shows of “indoctrinating” their viewers with more liberal political ideas.

Schneider explained: “When Hillary Clinton lost — which is understandable why she lost. She’s not exactly the most logical person in the room. And then when Kate McKinnon went out there on Saturday Night Live in the cold opening and all that, and she’s dressed as Hillary Clinton, and she started playing ‘Hallelujah.’ I literally prayed, ‘please have a joke at the end. Don’t do this. Please don’t go down there.’ And there was no joke at the end, and I went, ‘It’s over. It’s over. It’s not gonna come back.’”

I literally prayed, ‘please have a joke at the end. Don’t do this. Please don’t go down there.’ And there was no joke at the end, and I went, ‘It’s over. It’s over. It’s not gonna come back.’”

Alex Moffat, Melissa Villaseñor and Aristotle Athari are not expected to return for the venerable NBC late-night program’s 48th season, according to a person familiar with the matter, adding to an exodus that began in May when Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, Kyle Mooney and Pete Davidson revealed plans to exit the show.