Darrell Hammond will be coming back to "Saturday Night Live" as the show's announcer

By Staff Writer | Sep 19, 2014 10:32 PM EDT

"Saturday Night Live" will have a new voice and it will be coming from someone who is familiar with the show.

Former cast member Darrell Hammond will be coming back to the show as its announcer, replacing Don Pardo who passed away last month.

Hammond, 58, is the longest-running cast member of the show, doing 14 seasons from 1995-2009. He was well-known for his character impressions which include Bill Clinton and Al Gore.

He is also no stranger to the job as he had substituted for Pardo in announcing for the show several times whenever the announcer had voice problems.

""I sat in for Don when he had laryngitis several times over the years. He was a lovely person. When he passed, they wanted me; it felt right for me to be the one to replace him. It's been a very improbable life; I didn't expect something like this, but it feels real good," shared Hammond to USA Today.

Meanwhile, executive producer Lorne Michaels revealed to the news outlet that Hammond will not be replicating Pardo's voice. Instead, he will be doing a new version to pay respect to the announcer's legacy.

"I just knew it wouldn't be anybody who sounded like Don or replicated him," Michael said, adding, "It can't be what it was, but it could sort of be in the same tradition. And it will be nice to have Darrell around. He understands the show and will probably be helpful in ways we haven't yet figured out."

Hammond is just one of the several changes that are happening this season. Apart from a new announcer, a new person will also be sitting in the anchor chair.

Former writer Michael Che will be sitting with Colin Jost at the anchor's chair at the show's "Weekend Update." Michaels also mentioned that young comedian Pete Davidson will be a featured player of the show.

"Saturday Night Live" will be coming back for its 40th season this September 27.

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