The upcoming season 44 premiere will feature Kanye West as the musical guest, but it turns out that the 'Gold Digger' rapper was not the first option.
- September 29, 2018
AceShowbiz - "Saturday Night Live" will return for a new season this weekend with Kanye West as the musical guest. However, it turns out that the "Gold Digger" rapper was not the first option. Ariana Grande was originally planned to be the season opener though she canceled her appearance last minute.
Executive producer Lorne Michaels revealed on podcast "Origins" on Thursday, September 27, "We had Ariana drop out for emotional reasons two days ago." The 73-year-old added, "That's our premiere, and then Kanye [West] stepped up, and he'll be there. So, the reach of the show and the number of people who will step forward is now somehow now, I think, probably at its peak."
Michaels didn't give more details, though a source shared to Us Weekly that Ariana "was never booked to perform during this weekend's premiere." However, the source noted that there were discussions about having the singer perform during the upcoming season.
The "No Tears Left to Cry" singer has been having a tough month. Following the sudden death of her ex-boyfriend Mac Miller, Ariana has been taking a break from limelight. She recently posted cryptic messages on Twitter. "can i pls have one okay day. just one. pls," she wrote, before adding, "i'm so tired pls."
Ariana, who skipped the 2018 Emmys alongside her fiance Pete Davidson, is reportedly to be planning an epic return to "SNL", though. "She still wants to take time away from the spotlight and get back to a good place. She just has to ride out her emotions a little bit longer before she does anything in particular for a TV appearance or SNL appearance," another source reveals to Hollywood.Life.com.
"She has an open invite to come on the show at any time this season. But things might actually work themselves out to where she would return for the finale. This would give her a good chunk of time to get away from it all. Plus she would even consider doing double duty and hosting the show as well. When she returns she wants to go all out," the insider adds.
"Saturday Night Live" season 44 premieres on September 29 with Adam Driver as the host and Kanye as the musical guest.
