Comedian Cecily Strong has been slated as the heir apparent to Seth Meyers on the "Saturday Night Live's" Weekend Update anchor desk when
the season opens Sept. 28. Big changes are also being made in the rest of the SNL cast.
Deadline.com reported that Strong will be joining Meyers on the Weekend Update portion of the popular show and will get the anchor seat solo when Meyers leaves permanently to take over the weekday "Late Night" program.
"Cecily, from the first show, was right there," SNL head Lorne Michaels said in an interview with the New York Times. "She exploded."
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According to the Hollywood Reporter, Strong became a fan favorite in her first season on the show with such characters as The Girl You Wished You Hadn’t Started a Conversation With at a Party, a Weekend Update semi-regular, Girlfriends Talk Show co-host Kyra; insulting retail worker Dana, and The Other Woman commercials.
Strong, the first Latina member of the "Saturday Night Live" cast, earned her bachelor's degree from the California Institute of Arts and is the daughter of former Associated Press Illinois statehouse bureau chief Bill Strong,
according to IMDb.com.
Strong, who grew up in suburban Chicago, told the
Huffington Post in June that "Saturday Night Live" was her dream job. She told the website that she spent the summer working on a new sketch/improv show with Chicago Second City alum Sam Richardson.
The late night domino fall that led Strong to the Update anchor spot started in April when former SNL alum Jimmy Fallon was named the future host of the "Tonight Show," replacing Jay Leno,
according to CNN. In August, Meyers was named to move into Fallon's seat on his "Late Night" show.
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Deadline.com said Meyers has worked alone on Weekend Update since 2008 when Amy Poehler left SNL. The anchor chair has also launched the career of Emmy-award winning Tina Fey, who will return as host of the Sept. 28 "Saturday Night Live" opener.
"Saturday Night Live" is saying goodbye to three cast members this year, Fred Armisen, Bill Haden and Jason Sudeikis, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Beck Bennett, Kyle Mooney, John Milhiser, Brooks Wheelan and Noel Wells are all being added to the SNL rotation for the new season.
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