Funny man Darrell Hammond is returning to Saturday Night Live but in a very different role than the one we are seeing him in.
The SNL alum has been book to succeed the late Don Pardo as the show’s official announcer.
“I sat in for Don when he had laryngitis several times over the years,” Hammond said to 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.”
According to exec producer Lorne Michaels, Hammond won’t be imitating Pardo’s voice. “I just knew it wouldn’t be anybody who sounded like Don or replicated him,” Michaels said. “It can’t be what it was, but it could sort of be in the same tradition. And it will be nice to have Darrell around. He understands the show and will probably be helpful in ways we haven’t yet figured out.”
Pardo passed away on Aug. 18 at the age of 96.
