Darrell Hammond Named New ‘Saturday Night Live’ Announcer: Lorne Michaels Discusses Don Pardo Replacement

Saturday Night Live fans all over the globe were saddened to hear the news of Don Pardo's unfortunate death last month. The man was the voice of the famed NBC sketch show, having sat as the announcer for an astounding 39 seasons up until his passing at the age of 96.

His death left many wondering just who would take his spot for the show's upcoming 40th season. Well, it appears the producers have made their decision: former SNL player Darrell Hammond.

The New York Times reports that the network just made this announcement earlier this morning (Thursday, Sept. 18).

Hammond famously held the longest on-air job at SNL, beginning in 1995 and not leaving until 2009. He was renowned for his flawless impersonations and characters. And now fans will be delighted to have him back ... at least, his voice.

The news isn't a total shocker, considering that when Pardo was developing a minute case of laryngitis back in 1999, Hammond was the one who stepped up to fill in for the night. He reportedly did so again a few more times after that.

And judging from the below video, Pardo himself thought Hammond was the perfect fill-in.

Per the NY Times, replacing Pardo was "a hard task" that Lorne Michaels, the show's creator and executive producer, "never looked forward to."

Michaels notes, "There were a lot of sweet ideas about carrying on with Don somehow. Because everyone has a Pardo impression. But he had the greatest run and he's a completely beloved figure. So I thought: Don't turn this into something else. That period ended."

On having Hammond take the spot, Michaels told the Times, "I'm really happy about it. I think it will be good to have Darrell doing his own separate thing."