Since Jimmy Fallon abruptly announced his departure from “Saturday Night Live” during May’s season finale, much speculation has been dedicated to which cast member would join Tina Fey as “Weekend Update” anchor. The answer, revealed during Saturday’s (Oct. 2) season premiere, is Amy Poehler.
Poehler, a 33-year-old comic who joined the NBC sketch show in 2001, pairs with Fey to become the show’s first regular all-female “Update” team.
On last season’s “Arrested Development,” Poehler had a multiple episode arc as Gob’s (Will Arnett) wife. Her other credits include “Wet Hot American Summer” and the hit film “Mean Girls,” which was written by Fey.
Saturday’s premiere, hosted by Ben Affleck, was up 15 percent in “overnight” metered-market household ratings from Nielsen Media Research. In addition to musical guest Nelly, the show featured guest appearances by ubiquitous “SNL” host Alec Baldwin and an “Unidentified New Jersey Resident” who looked a lot like James Gandolfini and sounded a lot like Tony Soprano.
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