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Lorne Michaels has given his personal archives — which provide a behind-the-scenes history of Saturday Night Live, as well as the producer’s other shows — to the University of Texas.
The Harry Ransom Center announced the acquisition of “The Lorne Michaels Collection” Wednesday, noting that it spans from Michaels’ early writing work on Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In to the feature films he produced (like Wayne’s World and Mean Girls) to his nearly half-century of running SNL, including a never-before-seen look at some of the show’s iconic sketches.
“From rehearsal notes and sketches to annotated scripts and personal correspondence, the archive offers an intimate view of Michaels’s creative process and the collaborative spirit that has driven his success,” the Harry Ransom Center said of the collection.
The Lorne Michaels Collection will be “fully available for research” beginning in January 2026. Before that, starting this September, an exhibition called “Live From New York! The Making of Lorne Michaels” will feature highlights from the archives.
“Lorne Michaels has kept us up late and laughing for 50 years,” Ransom Center Director Stephen Enniss said in a statement, “and I’m confident for years to come his archive will be studied by students and researchers looking for insight into the social, political, and cultural history of our time. We are deeply grateful to him for entrusting this rich legacy to us.”
SNL will begin its 50th anniversary celebrations this month with a Questlove-directed feature-length documentary looking back at the series’ musical performances, Ladies & Gentlemen … 50 Years of SNL Music. That will be followed by a four-part docuseries,SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night.
