Darrell Hammond to Return to “SNL” as New Announcer
Published at
Charles Norfleet/WireImage(NEW YORK) — Former Saturday Night Live cast member Darrell Hammond will return to the NBC show — not as a member of the troupe, but as its new announcer.
Iconic Saturday Night Live announcer Don Pardo, who’d been with the show since its inception, died last month at age 96.
When the show’s 40th season premieres on Sept. 27, it’ll be Hammond reading the cast members’ names, as well as those of the guest host, Chris Pratt, and musical guest Ariana Grande. It’s not a role unfamiliar to Hammond — he occasionally filled in for Pardo over the years, impersonating the veteran announcer when Pardo was unavailable.
Hammond was a cast member for 14 seasons, longer than any other member in the show’s history. He was also the oldest cast member in the show’s history.
He was well known for his impressions of Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Donald Trump, Regis Philbin and, perhaps most hilariously, Sean Connery, whom he played during the show’s Celebrity Jeopardy skits opposite Will Ferrell’s Alex Trebek.
Follow @ABCNewsRadio
Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio