Ariana Grande was replaced by Kanye West as the musical guest for SNL’s premiere this weekend. The 25-year-old singer-songwriter canceled her Saturday Night Live due to “emotional reasons.”
Grande pulled out of the season 44 premiere because she’s having a “tough month.” During this week’s Origins podcast, Lorne Michaels told James Andrew Miller that the 44-year-old rapper was tapped to replace Grande:
“We had Ariana drop out for emotional reasons two days ago,” Michaels said on the episode released Thursday. “That’s our premiere, and then Kanye West stepped up, and he’ll be there. So, the reach of the show and the number of people who will step forward is now somehow now, I think, probably at its peak.”
Grande has indeed had a tough month with her ex-boyfriend Mac Miller dying of an overdose at 26-years-old. Grande’s team also released a statement reading, “Given the events of the past couple of years, Ariana is going to take some much needed time to heal and mend. She will be staying close to home and using this period to spend time with her loved ones and work on new music without deadline. She thanks her fans for their understanding.”
