While Lorne Michaels is known as the boss of Saturday Night Live and can come off as scary or intimidating, he’s also kind and considerate. That’s been proven time and again by cast members who have explained how he’s helped them in their lives. Now, we have another story to add to the catalog, as the director of the documentary, Lorne, explained the sweet gesture SNL’s head honcho made when he learned that Maya Rudolph was pregnant.
Maya Rudolph was a cast member on SNL from 2000 to 2007, and in 2005, she and her husband, Paul Thomas Anderson (yes, the Oscar-winning director of One Battle After Another), welcomed their oldest daughter, Pearl. When Michaels learned about this, he was so excited and wanted to help, as Lorne director Morgan Neville told People:
When somebody has a child, Lorne is so happy for them. Maya Rudolph said, when she told Lorne she was pregnant, he said, ‘Well, why don't we build a nursery here in the office?’
Well, that is just the sweetest thing ever. It also totally tracks with Michaels’ reputation. While he can be a stern boss who isn’t afraid to make tough calls or provide feedback, he’s also a caring mentor. In fact, Pete Davidson said he’s been like a father figure to him. Clearly, he has a deep love for the people he works with and the show they work on, so this kind of gesture feels on brand.
Article continues belowIt’s also on brand because Neville explained that Michaels wanted Rudolph to be able to keep working, too. As they say in show business, the show must go on. However, he’s also a family man himself, as the director explained:
Part of it was he wanted them to keep working, but part of it was he knew that family was important to people. Family's hugely important to him, and when people have a child, or when people lose a parent or go through something really hard, that's when Lorne is at his best.
Michaels’ care for both his own family (which he’s very private about) as well as his cast and crew is evident in Lorne, which premiered on the 2026 movie schedule. The documentary follows the SNL boss through his work and tells the story of how he created and maintained the NBC mainstay.
Rudolph is featured in it as well, and it’s obvious that she has a deep admiration for the SNL boss. Plus, after being one of SNL’s best casts, she’s returned time and time again, including during Season 50 to play Kamala Harris, which further shows the deep love the actress has for the show that helped turn her into the legendary comedian she is today.
Now, going back to her having a kid while working on the sketch comedy show, Neville explained why Michaels treats his colleagues the way he does, and offers to do things like build a nursery in 30 Rock:
I think he has a very Canadian sensibility about morality and fairness, doing the right thing. I think it's actually one of his best qualities.
So, while the hours at SNL might be tough, and it might be a really hard show to pull off week to week, Lorne Michaels runs the ship in a way that is moral and fair. And apparently, sometimes that also means offering to build a nursery.
Now, to see this iconic show Michaels has run for decades, and to watch Maya Rudolph do what she does best, you can stream Saturday Night Live with a Peacock subscription. Then, to see how the series is doing now, you can catch new episodes as they air on the 2026 TV schedule on the show’s titular night at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
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