The episode was to be hosted by Pete Davidson (Bodies, Bodies, Bodies & The King of Staten Island) on April 28. Pete Davidson appeared on Jimmy Fallon’s The Tonight Show and commented on the effects of the WGA strike.

According to E! News, the May 6th episode has been canceled on NBC due to the writer’s strike. Until further notice, SNL will only air past episodes on repeat. The episode was going to be hosted by Pete Davidson, in his first hosting of the show ever, after leaving a year ago with special music guest star Lil Uzi Vert. Marca said Pete Davidson’s departure from the show marked an eight-season career. At his leave, he said, “I was just a stand-up. I knew I could never keep up or go toe-to-toe with a Kenan Thompson or a Kate McKinnon, so I was super scared at figuring out what I could possibly bring to or do for such a historic, respected show and platform.” Since his departure, the comedian has been in the film Bodies, Bodies, Bodies, released August 12, 2022, and is set to work on more projects, such as the upcoming collaboration between Plan B and A24 film Wizards! that will follow bar owners who find forgotten loot left behind in their possession. According to Deadline, the film’s release date is still to be determined.

After two months of working on the upcoming, now canceled, SNL episode, Davidson remarks on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, “Of course, this would happen to me.” Though this comment was made lightheartedly among other jokes surrounding working on SNL, Davidson’s sentiments match many across the film industry.

The WGA went on strike on May 2nd because writers faced an “existential crisis” according to CBC. The strike has included picketing until a fair deal is wagered. During the last writer’s strike in 2008, SNL was on hold for three months, leaving many in the film industry without work for 12 weeks.