Jennifer Coolidge, Kieran Culkin 'SNL' Hosting Gigs Likely Sidelined by Writers Strike

"White Lotus" star Jennifer Coolidge was on the "Saturday Night Live" schedule to host the long-running sketch comedy show's season finale, but the long-awaited gig will likely be sidelined until a future date by the Writers Guild of America's strike.

And Coolidge isn't the only big name who will probably be left out in the cold by the strike's timing; Kieran Culkin was also due up, slated to host "SNL" the week before Coolidge, Entertainment Weekly reported.

"Coolidge would've been joined by musical guest Foo Fighters," EW detailed, while "'Succession' star Kieran Culkin was also booked to host the penultimate episode on May 13, with musical guest Labrinth."

"Coolidge has spoken before about how she once 'tried my ass off' to join the cast of 'SNL,' and many fans have long hoped that she might host someday," EW recalled. "Cast member Chloe Fineman has also impersonated the Emmy winner several times on the show, including in a 'White Lotus' parody," the entertainment publication added.

"Meanwhile, Culkin is no stranger to 'SNL:' The 'Succession' star made his hosting debut in 2021 (shoutout to his now-iconic Spectrum cable sketch), and he appeared on the show as a child, when his brother Macaulay Culkin hosted in 1991," EW went on to say.

As previously reported, the "SNL" season was initially expected to include three more episodes, but unless the strike is settled quickly – which seems unlikely – viewers will have to do without.

Openly gay cast member Bowen Yang told The Hollywood Reporter about plans for this coming weekend's show, which was to have been hosted by former "SNL" cast member Pete Davidson.

"Pete was very excited to host," Yang told the outlet, "even though he knew there was a big asterisk on the week, and there was a looming possibility it might not happen."

But Yang saved his deepest regrets for the show's newest writers and cast members, saying, "they didn't get a chance to ring in the end of their first season, which is always a big milestone."

Guest hosting duties on the show are "often used as a vital tool for awards campaigns," Variety pointed out, "and with the TV season underway, this would have put a sharp focus on both Culkin and Coolidge's Emmy bids."

EW noted that "'SNL' is on an indefinite hiatus and seems unlikely to return by the end of the season. If so, the Ana de Armas episode from April 15 will likely be the season 48 finale."

The Associated Press reported that the Writers Guild of America went on strike over the way streaming services have changed the ecosystem in Hollywood, with studios ordering fewer episodes of shows and using "mini-writers rooms" to generate content. Those changes have cut into writers' livelihoods.

The WGA slammed the studios for "creat[ing] a gig economy inside a union workforce."

"From their refusal to guarantee any level of weekly employment in episodic television, to the creation of a 'day rate' in comedy variety, to their stonewalling on free work for screenwriters and on AI for all writers, they have closed the door on their labor force and opened the door to writing as an entirely freelance profession," the organization said.

"No such deal could ever be contemplated by this membership."