What Happened To Lorne Michaels' Wife Rosie Shuster After Saturday Night -

Rosie Shuster was an integral part of the original production of Saturday Night Live, as seen in Jason Reitman’s latest film Saturday Night. Saturday Night has one of the most stacked ensemble casts of 2024, including plenty of young star actors such as Gabriel LaBelle (The Fablemans) and Dylan O’Brien (The Maze Runner), and Emmy winners (The Americans), Nicholas Braun (Succession), and Lamorne Morris (Fargo). Oscar winner J.K. Simmons (Whiplash) and 4-time Oscar nominee Willem Dafoe (Poor Things) round out the talented ensemble in Saturday Night. Rachel Sennott (Bottoms) portrays Lorne Michaels’ wife Rosie Shuster in the film.The biographical comedy-drama premiered with a Certified Fresh Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (critic) score of 80% and an impressive Popcornmeter (audience) score of 92%. The film chronicles the true story events in the 90 minutes before the premiere of the first ever episode of Saturday Night Live on NBC, which happened on October 11, 1975. Although Reitman’s depiction tends to deviate from factual accounts, including with Shuster, Saturday Night successfully encapsulates the chaos of the historic night and the steadfast vision of Lorne Michaels.

Rosie Shuster Wrote For Saturday Night Live Until 1988

She Was A Writer On Seasons 1-7, 10-13

The ensemble cast of Director Jason Reitman's Saturday Night

Rosie Shuster was one of the most impactful figures in the formation of Saturday Night Live in 1975. Born in Toronto, Shuster was childhood friends with Lorne Michaels. She is the cousin of Superman co-creator Joe Shuster. As legend has it, Lorne Michaels took a special interest in Rosie because he wanted to meet her famous dad, Frank Shuster, of Wayne and Shuster acclaim. Michaels and Shuster formed a strong collaboration throughout their high school and college years and worked on several comedy sketches. Essentially a package pair throughout their early development, Shuster and Michaels met Dan Aykroyd, Gilda Radner, and Laraine Newman through their work in television.

Essentially a package pair throughout their early development, Shuster and Michaels met Dan Aykroyd, Gilda Radner, and Laraine Newman through their work in television.

Following the release of the first episode of Saturday Night Live in 1975, Shuster would go on to be a writer on 161 episodes of the acclaimed comedy series from 1975 to 1988. Shuster was an established writer on Saturday Night Live throughout its first seven seasons before missing seasons 8 and 9 to return for 10-13. She is best known for her work on iconic sketches such as “Killer Bees” and the “Todd and Lisa” sketch starring Bill Murray and Gilda Radner. Shuster also wrote several notable sketches for Radner’s Roseanne Roseannadanna character, as well as other Radner characters such as Emily Litella and a parody of Barbara Walters.

Rosie Shuster & Lorne Michaels Got A Divorce In 1980

They Were Married For 13 Years

Rachel Sennott as Rosie Schuster & Gabe LaBelle as Lorne Michaels in Saturday Night

Shuster and Michaels got married in 1967 when she was 17, and he was 22. They were married for thirteen years, five of which were the formative years of Saturday Night Live. They officially filed for divorce in 1980. Despite their marital differences, Shuster and Michaels were able to maintain a working relationship. Shuster would go on to write several sketches and develop characters for stars such as Dana Carvey and Eddie Murphy throughout the 1980s. While Shuster would not marry again and never had any children, Michaels went on to get married again in 1981 to Susan Forristal. They divorced in 1987 and Michaels married Alice Barry in 1991.

Rachel Sennot as Rosie Shuster in Saturday Night

Lorne Michaels & Rosie Shuster’s Marriage In Saturday Night Explained

Jason Reitman’s Saturday Night depicts the unusual marriage and workplace dynamic between SNL creator Lorne Michaels and his ex-wife, Rosie Shuster.

Gabriel LaBelle, who plays Michaels in Saturday Night, discussed the dynamic between Rosie and Lorne in the film with Screen Rant. “I love the relationship Lorne and Rosie have together. I think they’ve just known each other since they were kids and grew up together. Lorne pretty much grew up in Rosie’s house, and they’re best friends [who] have been writing partners for years. I think it’s really fun to kind of tiptoe around that dynamic.” Rachel Sennott, who plays Shuster, added, “[Lorne’s] sort of given up, or you’re like, “Go off and do your thing.” But you’re secretly pining.”

Did Rosie Shuster Leave Lorne Michaels For Dan Aykroyd?

Their Affair Ended Before Shuster And Michaels’ Divorce

A behind-the-scenes shot from the first episode of Saturday Night Live

A major plotline in Saturday Night is Rosie’s open affair with Dan Aykroyd during the creation of Saturday Night Live. Although Shuster and Michaels were still married during that time, Michaels was apparently alright with it. As depicted in Saturday Night, Aykroyd was focused on several other women outside of Rosie Shuster, setting the tone that their affair was not necessarily romantic. Aykroyd and Shuster ended their affair before she and Michaels ended their marriage in 1980. While the affair between Aykroyd and Shuster is largely chalked up to the cultural climate of the seventies, there was never any bad blood between Michaels and Shuster.

Aykroyd went on to marry actress Donna Dixon in 1983. The couple has three children together but separated in 2022. According to People, Aykroyd and Dixon released a joint statement in 2022 announcing their amicable separation. “After 39 years as a couple we are now on separate life paths. We remain legally married, co-parents, co-workers and business partners. This is our choice in loving friendship.” Aykroyd was also previously engaged to Carrie Fisher during the early 1980s.

Rosie Shuster’s Other Writing Credits & Awards

She Was Nominated For Seven Primetime Emmy Awards

Rosie Shuster was nominated for seven Primetime Emmy Awards as a writer on Saturday Night Live, winning Outstanding Writing in a Comedy-Variety or Music Series for episode 10 starring Elliot Gould in 1976 and for a 1977 episode starring Sissy Spacek. Her final SNL nomination was in 1987. She was later nominated for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing in a Comedy Series in 1993 for her work on The Larry Sanders Show. She also wrote an episode of Square Pegs in 1982. She also wrote several scripts for individual The Best of videos starring John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase, and Gilda Radner.

Saturday Night Ending Explained

The ending of Jason Reitman’s Saturday Night encapsulates how the legendary comedy series was able to pull off an iconic premiere and build a legacy.

Shuster co-wrote the Broadway play Gilda Live with Michael O’Donoghue, Marilyn Miller, Alan Zweibel, and Anne Beatts. Mike Nichols directed the play and later adapted it into a feature film. Her last writing credit was for a 2001 episode of Bob and Margaret. Shuster was not an actress but did appear in at least 44 episodes of Saturday Night Live as an audience member and in various other background roles. Her only appearance in a feature film was in the 1980’s classic comedy The Blue Brothers as a Cocktail Waitress. Shuster has since stepped away from the entertainment industry but will forever remain a staple name as an originator of Saturday Night Live.

What Rosie Shuster Has Said About SNL

She Recently Opened Up About The First Episode

Rosie Shuster was such an important part of getting Saturday Night Live off the ground from the beginning, and her impact on the show cannot be overstated. It has been 50 years since the show initially premiered, and she talked with Bill Brioux on his podcast (via LateNighter) about the show prior to SNL‘s 50th Anniversary Celebration that took place in February 2025. She talks about the very first episode and trying to see what actually works live instead of what was rehearsed, stating:

Well, you know, while you’re still trying to so-called find the show, it does take a while to see what works. And what works live is very different from what you can get your hands on and edit, you know, because you can save a lot of things in editing and you don’t get that luxury. What you do get is you don’t have to do a pilot and the suits can’t give you notes which was a big perk.

She goes into more detail about Saturday Night Live‘s first episode, especially with “The Bees” sketch that stood out in an episode that didn’t actually have that many sketches, stating:

I got “New Dad,” which was a commercial parody in that first show, but I was kind of horrified that Lorne had wanted to put The Bees in the first show because it was kind of a conceptual thing and I didn’t think it was going to work in that context, especially not live. I was still thinking of it in a more surreal way. So I wasn’t happy that that was in, but he saw the potential for a running… something that pulled the cast together and so it found its way.

Rosie Shuster was also asked about the Saturday Night movie and the creative liberties taken in the lead-up to that very first episode of the show, highlighting that a lot of what was shown was “hyper real” by director Jason Reitman, with flourishes given the story the movie is telling, stating:

What actually happens between dress rehearsal and air is: the show is always long, you have to cut some pieces, the pieces that go you get notes from Lorne who will, sometimes there need to be internal cuts so the writers have five minutes to do rewrites and to get to cue cards and get to the actors and if necessary get to costumes or props or scenery to just say what what the changes are.

So what Jason did was take a lot of liberties and a lot of stories and squish them into a kind of hyper real. So he was trying to be true to the spirit of what that was like. But it’s all business between dress and air. It’s a very adrenal window. It’s like the cortisol is high and you’re just trying to get it all done before… because the camera…they don’t care, 11:30 is 11:30. They don’t care, right?