‘Sabado Gigante’ is going off the air, and we’re all devastated

By Jorge Rivas | April 17, 2015 | 3:43pm

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Sábado Gigante, Univision’s beloved long-running Saturday night variety show, is going off the air in September, the network announced Friday morning. Host Mario Kreutzberger, or Don Francisco as he’s known to millions of fans, will continue to host a number of annual specials for Univision.

The show, whose title translates to “Giant Saturday,” is Univision’s longest-running program. Kreutzberger, 74, has been hosting Sábado Gigante for 53 years. The host first launched the variety program in 1962 on Chile’s Channel 13. He then immigrated to the U.S. and has hosted his show on Univision for the last 30 years. (Fusion is a joint venture of Univision and ABC.)

Sábado Gigante has hosted a number of notable guest including the late singer Selena Quintanilla…

…and President Barack Obama

It also had a popular children’s segment in which kids offered analysis on real issues like, divorce and the economy:

Kreutzberger developed a deep emotional connection with his audience with his regular surprise family reunions:

The show penetrated U.S. culture, too, as seen by this Colbert Report spoof:

Univision said the network will unveil new plans for Saturday night entertainment over the next few weeks.