Lorne Michaels' 3 Children: All About the “SNL” Creator's Sons Henry and Eddie and Daughter Sophie
Lorne Michaels is a father to three kids: Henry, Eddie and Sophie
Lorne Michaels is known as the father of Saturday Night Live, but in his everyday life, he’s also a father of three.
The television mogul has been married to his third wife, Alice Barry, since 1991, and the pair share three kids: Henry, 32, Eddie, 30 and Sophie, 26. Michaels and Barry welcomed their first child, son Henry, a year after their wedding. Two years later, their second son, Edward, who goes by Eddie, was born, and in 1998 they expanded their family once again with the birth of their daughter, Sophie.
Michaels is well-known for being the elusive man behind the curtain at Saturday Night Live. He rarely gives interviews or talks about his personal life, but he’s been at the forefront of the Emmy-winning sketch comedy show for nearly 50 years. In fact, Michaels is so devoted to his “life’s work” that according to a New York Times profile of the comedy legend, he’s never missed a single Saturday night, even managing to make a table read following the birth of one of his children.
Despite his commitment to SNL, Michaels spoke openly about learning to scale back at work in order to prioritize his family life in an April 2011 interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
“I’m certainly at a stage in life, and have been for a while, where you know what’s important,” he said. “I think the nocturnal thing [is hard] for [my kids] — realizing their father isn’t like other fathers. But they’re okay with it.”
In 2004, Michaels won the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor and paid tribute to the “best” people in his life: his family.
“Most importantly, I want to thank my family,” he said. “My wife, Alice; my children, Henry, Eddie, Sophie, to whom I get to share this. And because they’re the most and best thing that ever happened to me.”
Here’s everything to know about Lorne Michaels’ kids: Henry, Eddie and Sophie.
Henry Abraham Michaels, 32
Michaels and his former assistant, Alice Barry, tied the knot in 1991. The following year, the pair welcomed their first child together.
Henry Abraham Michaels was born in April 1992. He was named after his paternal grandfather, Henry Abraham Lipowitz, who died when his own father was just a child.
“I lost my father when I was 14,” Michaels said during an interview with American Masters on PBS. “At 14, it’s an earthquake.”
Henry grew up in New York with his parents and two younger siblings. He attended Deerfield Academy, a private boarding school in Massachusetts. After graduating high school, he studied at Dartmouth College.
Like his famous father, Henry seems to have a strong interest in the entertainment industry. In 2007, when he was still a teenager, he had a small role in the movie Hot Rod. He walked the red carpet alongside his dad and his sister Sophie at the film's premiere in Los Angeles.
Another similarity he shares with his dad is that he seems far more comfortable working behind the scenes. Following college, Henry started his career as a television writer.
Most recently, he was working as a staff writer for the Daniel Radcliffe show, Miracle Workers.
Edward Lipowitz Michaels, 30
Michaels and Barry welcomed their second son, Eddie, in November 1994.
Like his older brother, Eddie’s full name — Edward Lipowitz Michaels — holds a special meaning. His middle name, Lipowitz, was his father’s last name before he changed it to Michaels to pursue a career in Hollywood.
Eddie grew up in New York with his siblings and attended high school at Deerfield Academy. He then went to Vanderbilt University, where he graduated in 2017 with a degree in English Literature.
Following his graduation, Eddie moved to Los Angeles to follow in his father’s footsteps. According to his LinkedIn, he is the creative executive for Broadway Video, the media company his father founded in 1979.
Aside from a few red-carpet appearances with his family, though, Eddie seems to shy away from the spotlight and not much else is known about him.
Sophie Jane Michaels, 26
Sophie Jane Michaels, the youngest child and only daughter of Michaels and Barry, was born in January 1998.
She grew up in New York and, like her older brothers, attended Deerfield Academy. In high school, Sophie also participated in equestrian competitions and competed in AA shows at both the national and international level. Speaking to The Deerfield Scroll, the academy’s student newspaper, she explained that she’d been riding horses since the age of four.
“I love horseback riding because it’s a sport that constantly pushes me to improve and set goals for myself,” she said. “I also love the relationship between the horse and rider and how much it can affect the extent of achievement.”
Following high school, Sophie went on to study at Yale University and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in American Studies in 2020, per her LinkedIn. While there, she was involved with the Yale Daily News and even hosted several episodes of the weekly student broadcast.
During her college years, Sophie spent her summers working and gaining experience in television and journalism. In 2018, she was an intern at The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and the following summer, she interned at Goop.
After graduating from Yale, Sophie began focusing on developing a career in nutrition and wellness. In 2021, she earned her health coach certification and worked as the manager of talent and brand partnerships for Sakara Life, a plant-based meal delivery system.
Now, however, she is following in her dad's footsteps as the talent coordinator at SNL.