• Molly Shannon says Lorne Michaels is "irreplaceable" as "SNL" showrunner.
• But there's one current cast member she seems to think could one day take the reins — Kenan Thompson.
• Thompson is the longest-tenured cast member in the NBC show's history.

Actor Molly Shannon has backed the idea of Kenan Thompson one day taking over from longtime "Saturday Night Live" showrunner Lorne Michaels, despite calling Michaels "irreplaceable."

Asked what she thought about Thompson potentially taking the reins at the NBC show in an interview with People, Shannon, who was a cast member between 1995 and 2001, said it was "an excellent idea."

"I love this idea. He's the greatest — I adore Kenan," she said, adding that he was "so talented."

Thompson joined "SNL" in 2003 and is the longest-tenured cast member in its history, notching his 22nd season this year.

Rumors of Michaels' retirement grew as "SNL" neared its 50th anniversary earlier this year, fueling speculation over who could take over as showrunner.

For Shannon, it seems the show will never be the same, no matter who comes in.

"There's no one who could replace him. It would not be the same show," Shannon told People of Michaels, who created the sketch comedy show in 1975. "He's just a one-of-a-kind genius. Brilliant. Smart."

"It's his show, his vision," she added.

In September 2024, Michaels, 80, addressed speculation over his future, telling The Hollywood Reporter he had no "immediate" plans to retire.

"I just know that this is kind of what I do and as long as I can keep doing it, I'll keep doing it," he said at the time.

Earlier this year, Thompson hinted that fans of "SNL" could see a major shakeup when the show returns following the wrap of its 50th season.

"Especially this year where it feels like there's maybe, possibly, a lot of change next year," he told Page Six. "You want everyone to stay forever, knowing that people may be making decisions this summer."

He added that he had yet to sign a new contract for the coming season but expressed interest in returning.

"You just never know what the future holds," he said. "I don't want to be in the way of someone else."

"I don't want to be the stale old man riding the same old thing. That doesn't really happen that much at 'SNL' but there's no guarantees," he added.

Representatives for "SNL" and Thompson did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

• "Apple makes great ads" is a thing people used to say all the time.
• New thing people say: "Apple keeps pulling its ads. What's up with that?"
• No seriously. What's going on?

Apple is justifiably famous for its marketing.

You could even argue that the company's ad campaigns are as well-known as its products: Think Different. Dancers with iPods. And, of course, the 1984 Super Bowl ad for the Mac.

But now, for some reason, Apple is developing a different reputation in adland: the company that pays for ad campaigns and then pulls them.

Last year, Apple rolled out an ad for its iPad Pro and then apologized and yanked it, after online complainers complained that the vibes were off.

Earlier this spring, Apple axed an ad promoting an AI-powered version of Siri, once it became clear that version of Siri wasn't going to be available for some time.

And now Apple has disappeared another ad campaign, though I don't have any idea why.

This one features Martin Herlihy, the "Saturday Night Live" writer and actor — he's part of the "Please Don't Destroy" troupe that specializes in pre-recorded videos, like this one with Taylor Swift. And the premise is that he's going to teach kids how to convince their parents to buy them a Mac for college. The campaign also came with a kinda clever "Parent Presentation," which you could theoretically download as a PowerPoint and customize in order to close the sale with mom and dad.

The ad went up on YouTube and Apple's site last week, and then disappeared in the last few days.

But you can still see it, for some reason, on the site we used to call Twitter.

I've now watched this thing a few times, and I can't imagine what part of the ad offended or worried someone in or outside of Apple. (And yes, I've asked the company.)

If you love conspiracy theories, you could imagine that maybe this is actually a galaxy-brained viral campaign, and that Apple pulled the ad so typers like me would give them free publicity by typing about it. The way some political campaigns will make an incendiary ad that's designed to generate coverage, even if it only runs once.

But I'm not a big conspiracy theory person — the truth is usually much dumber than the theory. And in any case, this doesn't seem like Apple's style, at all.

So. You tell me: What's happening here?