Foo Fighters Were Set to Perform on ‘SNL’ Before WGA Strike

Foo Fighters were set to return to the Saturday Night Live stage as musical guests for the show’s 48th season finale in May, though the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike has halted those plans, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The appearance would have marked the band’s first time performing on the NBC comedy series since the death of drummer Taylor Hawkins in March 2022.

Jennifer Coolidge was scheduled to host the May 20 episode, which would have been her hosting debut. The week prior, on May 13, Succession star Kieran Culkin was scheduled to host for the second time, with Labrinth as musical guest.

NBC announced earlier this week that the May 6 episode, which featured former cast member Pete Davidson as host and Lil Uzi Vert as the musical guest, was canceled due to the strike, adding that “SNL will air repeats until further notice.”

The WGA went on strike Monday night after failing to come to a contract agreement with the Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers. Members had voted in March to walk out if an agreement was not made by the time the contract expired. “While company profits have remained high and spending on content has grown, writers are falling behind,” the WGA said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “The companies have used the transition to streaming to cut writer pay and separate writing from production, worsening working conditions for series writers at all levels. On TV staffs, more writers are working at minimum regardless of experience, often for fewer weeks, or in mini-rooms, while showrunners are left without a writing staff to complete the season. And while series budgets have soared over the past decade, median writer-producer pay has fallen.”