As of September 2024 [update] , the late-night live variety series Saturday Night Live (SNL) has featured 167 cast members. The ensemble was originally referred to as the Not Ready for Prime Time Players. [1]
As of September 2024 [update] , the late-night live variety series Saturday Night Live (SNL) has featured 167 cast members. The ensemble was originally referred to as the Not Ready for Prime Time Players. [1]
As of 2024, 167 comedians have served as cast members on the show. Sid Caesar is the only person to be named an honorary cast member. Caesar was presented with a plaque during the goodnights of his hosting stint in 1983. [2]
Lighter colors denote "featured players" versus repertory cast members.
The following comedians have served as cast members on the show for more than 9 seasons:
| Performer | No. of seasons [b] | Years on the show | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenan Thompson | 22 [3] | 2003–present | Promoted to repertory player in his third season on the show. |
| Darrell Hammond | 14 | 1995–2009 | At the time of his departure, Hammond had the longest tenure as a cast member on the show. In 2014, Hammond returned to the show as the announcer following the death of longtime announcer Don Pardo. |
| Seth Meyers | 12 ½ [c] | 2001–2014 | Meyers anchored Weekend Update from 2006 to 2014. At the time of his departure, he was the longest-serving Weekend Update anchor, however, he has been surpassed by current anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che in terms of episodes. [4] He left the show to become the host of Late Night . He also served as head writer for 9 seasons. |
| Colin Jost | 11 ½ [c] [5] | 2014–present | Jost has been a writer at SNL since 2005, and has been anchoring Weekend Update since 2014. He had also been a head writer for the show from 2012 to 2015, and again from 2017 until 2022. [6] |
| Fred Armisen | 11 | 2002–2013 | Promoted to repertory player in his third season on the show. |
| Michael Che | 11 [7] | 2014–present | Che has been a writer for SNL since 2013, and started anchoring Weekend Update a year later. Che and Jost are the show's longest running Weekend Update anchors, and serving as co-head writers together from 2017 until 2022. [6] |
| Cecily Strong | 10 ½ [c] [d] [5] | 2012–2022 | |
| Kate McKinnon | 10 ½ [c] [d] | 2012–2022 | McKinnon has stated in an interview that she would've left the show a few years earlier had it not been for the COVID-19 pandemic [8] |
| Aidy Bryant | 10 | 2012–2022 | In an interview, Bryant said that she postponed her departure by a couple of years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [9] |
| Tim Meadows | 9½ [c] | 1991–2000 | At the time of his departure, Meadows had the longest continuous tenure as a cast member on the show. |
Two people have been publicly announced as having been hired to the cast, but never performed as cast members:
One person was credited as a cast member but did not actually appear on the show as such.
The following cast members spent less than a full 20-episode season on the show. [14]
| Performer | No. of episodes | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| George Coe (1975) | 1 | He was one of the original "Not-Ready-for-Primetime Players", because NBC wanted someone older in the cast. He was credited as a cast member for only the first episode, though he continued to make several uncredited appearances throughout the first season. |
| Tom Schiller (1980) | 1 | One of the show writers and resident filmmakers who was made a featured player for only one episode: the April 19, 1980 show in season five. He left the show at the end of the season. He made several short films during his time at the show, including some after his brief time in the cast, and made several short films between seasons 14 and 19. |
| Alan Zweibel (1980) | 1 | A writer for the show who, along with Tom Schiller, was credited as a featured player for only the April 19, 1980 episode in season five. He left the show as a writer after the season finale. |
| Laurie Metcalf (1981) | 1 | She was hired as part of Ebersol's temporary season six cast following the termination of Jean Doumanian, and appeared on-camera in a Weekend Update piece. When the show was put on hiatus for retooling, she was not chosen to return to the show for season seven. |
| Emily Prager (1981) | 1 | She was hired as part of Ebersol's temporary season six cast following the termination of Jean Doumanian. Although she did not appear in the single episode for which she was credited as a featured player, she had appeared uncredited in five previous episodes, between 1977 and 1981. When the show was put on hiatus for retooling, she was not chosen to return to the show for season seven. |
| Dan Vitale (1985-1986) | 2 | Hired as an on-and-off featured player for season 11, he was only credited with appearing in two episodes throughout the season but appeared uncredited in a few more. |
| Michael O'Donoghue (1975) | 3 | One of the original "Not Ready for Primetime Players" and the show's first head writer. He was only credited as a cast member for the first, third, and fourth episode before being dropped. He remained with the show as head writer (leaving and returning twice). He was only officially a cast member for three episodes, though he would continue as an occasional on-screen performer, often billed as a special guest in the opening credits as "impressionist Michael O'Donoghue" or as his alter ego "Mr. Mike." |
| Jim Downey (1980) | 3 | He was one of many writers-turned-featured players in season five, only being credited for three episodes. Though he left the show after the season, he returned to the show as a writer in 1984, and was promoted to head writer the next season in 1985, a position he held for 10 years. After resigning as head writer, he remained with the show on-and-off until 2013. |
| Ben Stiller (1989) | 4 | Before becoming a cast member, he submitted a short film – a parody of the film The Color of Money – that was shown on the season 12 episode hosted by Charlton Heston. He was hired during season 14, but quit after four episodes due to creative differences. Despite this, he returned to host in 1998 and 2011 and later had a recurring role as Michael Cohen, Donald Trump's ex-lawyer. |
| Morwenna Banks (1995) | 4 | She was hired as a repertory player for the last four episodes of season 20, but was let out of her contract as part of a major cast overhaul Lorne Michaels had planned for season 21. |
| Fred Wolf (1996) | 4 | He had been a writer since 1993 and, was named as a co-head writer at the start of season 21 in 1995 (being one of the few writers from the previous season to return), and became a featured player near the end for the last four episodes of the season. However, he only appeared in and was credited for episodes 17, 18, and 20. His last episode was in the third episode of the 22nd season (the only episode of that season he was credited for), after which he decided to leave the show for good. |
| Peter Aykroyd (1980) | 6 | Dan Aykroyd's brother Peter joined the show midway through season five, but left at the end of the season, after only being credited for six episodes. |
| Yvonne Hudson (1980-1981) | 6 | She was a recurring extra during season five, and became the first black female cast member in season six when she was made a featured player. She was fired from the cast midseason but continued to appear in extra parts. |
| Matthew Laurance (1980-1981) | 8 | Hired as a featured player during season six, he was fired as part of the mid-season overhaul. |
| Patrick Weathers (1980-1981) | 8 | Hired as a featured cast member for season six, he was fired along with many of Doumanian's cast. |
| Paul Shaffer (1979-1980) | 10 | After being the band's pianist for the first five seasons, he joined the cast during season five, being credited sporadically throughout the season, but left with the rest of the original cast and writers after the finale. He hosted SNL in 1987, making him the only member of the house band to do so. |
| Robert Smigel (1991-1993) | 10 | A longtime writer of SNL who appeared occasionally uncredited until becoming a featured player for the 1991-92 season. He remained with the show through the 92-93 season before leaving to be the head writer of Late Night with Conan O'Brien . Smigel returned to write his "TV Funhouse" segment from 1996 until 2008, but did not come back to the cast. He was only credited during the opening montage for four episodes in his first season as a featured player and for six episodes in his second season. |
| Sarah Silverman (1993-1994) | 10 | Silverman joined the writing staff at the beginning of season 19 and was introduced as a featured player in the season's sixth episode. She was fired from both positions at the end of the season. |
| Gilbert Gottfried (1980-1981) | 12 | He joined the cast for season six and was fired as part of the mid-season overhaul. |
| Ann Risley (1980-1981) | 12 | She joined the cast for season six and was fired as part of the mid-season overhaul. |
| Charles Rocket (1980-1981) | 12 | He joined the cast for season six and was fired as part of the mid-season overhaul, after having said "fuck" on-air one episode prior. |
| Damon Wayans (1985-1986) | 12 | Hired for season 11 as a featured player, he was fired mid-season for improvising on the air. He returned as a guest to perform stand-up comedy on season 11's last episode and hosted SNL in 1995. |
| Don Novello (1979-1980, 1985-1986) | 13 | SNL writer Don Novello appeared frequently throughout the show's history as his character Father Guido Sarducci, but he was only a featured player for part of the 1979-1980 season and part of the 1985-86 season, credited sporadically only when he would appear on the show. He made many more appearances outside of these two runs as a featured player, but he was usually credited as a "special guest" in the opening or not credited at all. Novello even returned to host and co-host two episodes as Sarducci in 1984. |
| Denny Dillon (1980-1981) | 13 | She joined the cast for season six and was let go after the finale as part of the cast overhaul. She auditioned for the show's first season, but did not make the cut. |
| Gail Matthius (1980-1981) | 13 | She joined the cast for season six and was let go after the season ended. |
| Beth Cahill (1991-1992) | 13 | She joined the show during season 17 as an off-and-on featured player. She did not return the following season, as she was fired along with castmate Siobhan Fallon. |
| Janeane Garofalo (1994-1995) | 14 | She joined the cast during season 20, but quit mid-season due to creative differences. |
| Michaela Watkins (2008-2009) | 15 | She joined the show on the first episode after the 2008 United States presidential election, then was let go before the start of season 35. |
| Sitting president | Performer (years) |
|---|---|
| Gerald Ford | Chevy Chase (1975–1976) |
| Jimmy Carter | Dan Aykroyd (1977–1979) Joe Piscopo (1980–1981) |
| Ronald Reagan | Charles Rocket (1981) Joe Piscopo (1981–1984) Harry Shearer (1984) Randy Quaid (1985–1986) Robin Williams (1986) [e] Phil Hartman (1986–1989) |
| George H. W. Bush | Dana Carvey (1989–1993) |
| Bill Clinton | Phil Hartman (1993–1994) Michael McKean (1994–1995) Darrell Hammond (1995–2001) |
| George W. Bush | Will Ferrell (2001–2002) Chris Parnell (2002–2003) Darrell Hammond (2003) Will Forte (2004–2006) Jason Sudeikis (2006–2008) |
| Barack Obama | Fred Armisen (2009–2012) Jay Pharoah (2012–2016) |
| Donald Trump | Alec Baldwin (2017–2020) [f] |
| Joe Biden | Alex Moffat (2021) James Austin Johnson (2021–2023) Jason Sudeikis (2007-2021) [g] Mikey Day (2023–2024) Dana Carvey (2024–present) [f] |
Darrell Hammond had the longest tenure portraying a U.S. president, portraying Bill Clinton from 1995 to 2001 and George W. Bush during 2003. He, Joe Piscopo, and Phil Hartman are the only cast members to have portrayed two sitting presidents. Jason Sudeikis portrayed two sitting presidents, but the portrayal of the second president was performed as a host, rather than a cast member. Dana Carvey also portrayed two sitting presidents, with the portrayal of the second president performed as a recurring guest.
George H. W. Bush grew fond of Dana Carvey's impersonation of him. Carvey was invited to headline a White House Christmas party in 1992, during the lame duck period after Bush had lost the election. [15] Two years later, on October 22, 1994, when Carvey hosted the show for the first time, Bush appeared in pre-recorded videos, in both the cold open and the opening monologue, critiquing Carvey's impersonation of him. [16] [17]
Presidents are not usually portrayed on Saturday Night Live after they leave office. Exceptions are limited to the portrayal of former president Richard Nixon who left office prior to the launch of the show in 1975, Bill Clinton who appeared in sketches related to the presidential campaigns of his wife, Hillary Clinton, and Donald Trump who continued to be politically active after leaving office. Dan Aykroyd portrayed Nixon from 1975 to 1979, and Darrell Hammond portrayed Nixon on episode 12 of season 34. James Austin Johnson portrayed Trump in several episodes of seasons 47–50. [18]
Donald Trump, having been a public figure before being president, was portrayed by several cast members over the years. He was portrayed by Phil Hartman (1988–1990), Darrell Hammond (1999–2011, 2015–2016), Jason Sudeikis (2012) and Taran Killam (2015). Alec Baldwin started impersonating Trump as a guest during the 42nd season of SNL in late 2016, when Trump was the Republican nominee during the 2016 United States presidential elections. Baldwin continued with the guest impersonations of Trump after the elections when Trump was president-elect, as well as after Trump was sworn in as president. Baldwin continued to impersonate Trump throughout Trump's first presidency.
Alec Baldwin's impersonation of Donald Trump earned him an Emmy award in 2017, in spite of his public declaration that he "loathes the role." At the end of Season 44, Baldwin publicly announced that he will cease impersonating Trump, but changed his mind prior to the beginning of Season 45 after SNL executive producer Lorne Michaels convinced him to continue with the impersonation. [19] [20] Following the 2020 presidential elections in which Trump lost re-election, Baldwin tweeted "I don't believe I've ever been this overjoyed to lose a job before!" [21] As of 2024, Baldwin's recurring guest appearances during Trump's presidency makes Trump the only sitting U.S. president in the show's history who was not portrayed by a member of the show's principal cast. Although since Trump has been re-elected, he will likely be played by cast member James Austin Johnson; still making Baldwin the only non-cast member to portray a sitting president throughout at least one term.
Trump has criticized Baldwin's portrayal on multiple occasions. In response, Baldwin taunted Trump with statements such as "release your tax returns and I'll stop." [22] In June 2021, after Trump had left office, it was reported that while Trump was in office he had inquired if the Federal Communications Commission or the United States Justice Department could force SNL to stop portraying him. Trump denied that he has ever made such an inquiry, but claimed that his portrayal by SNL "should be considered an illegal campaign contribution from the Democrat Party." He also criticized Baldwin's portrayal of him, but praised Darrell Hammond's portrayal of him. [23]
Over three dozen former SNL cast members have returned to host the show. The first former cast member to come back and host the show was Chevy Chase in February 1978. Chase is also the first former cast member to reach the Five-Timers Club, and is the most frequent-former cast member to host (he is also one of few hosts banned from hosting, having last hosted in 1997).
In addition to Chase, other former cast members that are in the Five-Timers Club are Bill Murray, Tina Fey, Will Ferrell, and Kristen Wiig. Fey is also the most frequent former female cast member to host the show. Martin Short is the most recent member of the Five-Timers Club, having hosted the show most recently on December 21, 2024, during the show's 50th season.
The show's 22nd season is notable, as seven of the 20 hosts were former cast members. They included Dana Carvey, Robert Downey Jr., Phil Hartman, Chris Rock, Martin Short, Chase and Mike Myers.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus was the first former female cast member to come back to host the show; hosting it near the end of its 31st season in May 2006. [24]
While the majority of cast members who also hosted the show were first cast members and then hosted after leaving the show, there have been two cast members who have hosted the show prior to joining the cast: Billy Crystal (he hosted the show twice during the ninth season prior to joining the cast in the tenth season) and Michael McKean (he hosted the show in the tenth season and joined the cast in the nineteenth season). McKean is also the only eventual cast member who first appeared as a musical guest (with Spinal Tap, May 1984).
Eddie Murphy is the only cast member to have hosted the show while still a cast member. He also holds the distinction of having the longest gap between successive hosting of the show, with his second and third hostings of the show having a span of 35 years and 6 days.
Adam Sandler and Dan Aykroyd tie the record of the longest gap between leaving the show as a cast member and returning as a host. Both hosted the show for the first time nine days shy of 24 years from their last appearance as cast members. However, both made appearances on the show during the gap. On the flip side, Bill Murray holds the record for having the shortest gap between leaving the show and returning to host at 287 days after leaving the cast.
| Host | Number of episodes | First hosted | Last hosted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fred Armisen | 1 | May 21, 2016 | |
| Dan Aykroyd | 1 | May 17, 2003 | |
| Dana Carvey | 4 | October 22, 1994 | February 5, 2011 |
| Chevy Chase | 8 [25] | February 18, 1978 | February 15, 1997 |
| Billy Crystal | 2 | March 17, 1984 | May 12, 1984 |
| Pete Davidson | 1 | October 14, 2023 [7] | |
| Robert Downey Jr. | 1 | November 16, 1996 | |
| Jimmy Fallon | 3 | December 17, 2011 | April 15, 2017 |
| Chris Farley | 1 | October 25, 1997 | |
| Will Ferrell | 5 | May 14, 2005 | November 23, 2019 |
| Tina Fey | 6 | February 23, 2008 | May 19, 2018 |
| Will Forte | 1 | January 22, 2022 | |
| Bill Hader | 2 | October 11, 2014 | March 17, 2018 |
| Phil Hartman | 2 | March 23, 1996 | November 23, 1996 |
| Julia Louis-Dreyfus | 3 | May 13, 2006 | April 16, 2016 |
| Jon Lovitz | 1 | November 8, 1997 | |
| Norm Macdonald | 1 | October 23, 1999 | |
| Michael McKean | 1 | November 3, 1984 | |
| Kate McKinnon | 1 | December 16, 2023 | |
| Seth Meyers | 1 | October 13, 2018 | |
| Tracy Morgan | 2 | March 14, 2009 | October 17, 2015 |
| Eddie Murphy | 3 | December 11, 1982 | December 21, 2019 |
| Bill Murray | 5 | March 7, 1981 | February 20, 1999 |
| Mike Myers | 1 | March 22, 1997 | |
| Don Novello | 2 | January 14, 1984 | May 12, 1984 |
| Amy Poehler | 2 | September 25, 2010 | December 19, 2015 |
| Chris Rock | 4 | November 2, 1996 | December 14, 2024 |
| Maya Rudolph | 3 | February 18, 2012 | May 11, 2024 |
| Andy Samberg | 1 | May 17, 2014 | |
| Adam Sandler | 1 | May 4, 2019 | |
| Paul Shaffer | 1 | January 31, 1987 | |
| Molly Shannon | 2 | May 12, 2007 | April 8, 2023 |
| Martin Short | 5 | December 6, 1986 | December 21, 2024 |
| Sarah Silverman | 1 | October 4, 2014 | |
| David Spade | 2 | November 7, 1998 | March 12, 2005 |
| Jason Sudeikis | 1 | October 23, 2021 | |
| Ben Stiller | 2 | October 24, 1998 | October 8, 2011 |
| Damon Wayans | 1 | April 8, 1995 | |
| Kristen Wiig | 5 | May 11, 2013 | April 6, 2024 |
Although SNL is best known as the launchpad for many successful careers, eight former cast members have died before the age of 60. This has given rise to[ failed verification ] a superstition known as the "Saturday Night Live Curse". [26] [27]
| Cast member | Age | Date of death | Cause of death |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Belushi | 33 | March 5, 1982 | Belushi died of a drug overdose from a speedball injection (cocaine and heroin). Belushi's death led to the conviction of Cathy Smith for administering the fatal injection. |
| Gilda Radner | 42 | May 20, 1989 | Radner died from ovarian cancer. She was originally scheduled to host the season 13 finale, a first for a former female cast member. However, SNL was canceled due to a 1988 Writers Guild of America strike. Radner's health worsened the following year. Moments before the season 14 finale, news broke of Radner's death. In lieu of the opening monologue Steve Martin, visibly shaken, introduced a replay of the "Dancing in the Dark" sketch he and Radner had performed in a 1978 episode; [28] her ex-husband G. E. Smith performed a musical tribute to Radner with the SNL Band. |
| Danitra Vance | 40 | August 21, 1994 | Vance died of breast cancer, which had returned after a remission three years earlier. |
| Michael O'Donoghue | 54 | November 8, 1994 | O'Donoghue died from cerebral hemorrhage after suffering from severe chronic migraine headaches for most of his life. Bill Murray honored O'Donoghue's memory in an appearance on a season 20 episode [29] (hosted by Sarah Jessica Parker with musical guest R.E.M.) by replaying his sketch "Mr. Mike's Least Loved Bedtime Stories: The Soiled Kimono" from 1977. [30] |
| Chris Farley | 33 | December 18, 1997 | Influenced by Belushi, Farley died of a drug overdose from a speedball injection. Farley's death occurred less than two months after he came back to host SNL, which turned out to be his final television appearance. |
| Phil Hartman | 49 | May 28, 1998 | Hartman was murdered by his wife, Brynn, while he slept in his Encino, California, home. Before committing this crime, Brynn had allegedly consumed a combination of cocaine, alcohol, and the antidepressant drug Zoloft, and then committed suicide. During SNL's 25th anniversary special in 1999, several of Hartman's peers honored his memory by replaying his sketch "Love Is a Dream" from 1988. |
| Charles Rocket | 56 | October 7, 2005 | Rocket was found dead in his Canterbury, Connecticut, backyard. Local police concluded his death a suicide; Rocket had allegedly taken his own life by slashing his throat with a box cutter. |
| Jan Hooks | 57 | October 9, 2014 | Hooks died after battling throat cancer for several months. Two days after her death, Hooks was given a tribute on SNL during the third episode of its 40th season, in which a sketch she had filmed with Hartman, "Love Is a Dream", was re-aired. [31] |
Dana Thomas Carvey is an American stand-up comedian, actor, podcaster, screenwriter and producer.
Darrell Clayton Hammond is an American actor, comedian, impressionist, and announcer. He was a regular cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 1995 to 2009, and has been its announcer since 2014.
Saturday Night Live (SNL) is an American late-night live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The show's premiere was hosted by George Carlin on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title NBC's Saturday Night. The show's comedy sketches, which often parody contemporary American culture and politics, are performed by a large and varying cast of repertory and newer cast members. Each episode is hosted by a celebrity guest, who usually delivers the opening monologue and performs in sketches with the cast, with featured performances by a musical guest. An episode normally begins with a cold open sketch that is usually based on political events and ends with someone breaking character and proclaiming, "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!", properly beginning the show.
Michael William Day is an American actor and comedian. He was hired as a writer for the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live before its 39th season in 2013. He was then promoted to on-air cast status and became a featured player during the show's 42nd season in 2016, later being promoted to repertory status beginning with the 44th season in 2018. Day is also the host of the Netflix show Is It Cake? He previously was an on-air correspondent for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and The Jay Leno Show.
The thirty-first season of Saturday Night Live, an American sketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States on NBC between October 1, 2005, and May 20, 2006. 19 episodes were produced due to the 2006 Winter Olympic Games and network budget cuts.
The sketch comedy television show Saturday Night Live aired several critically acclaimed sketches parodying then Alaskan Governor and vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin in the lead-up to the 2008 United States presidential election. The sketches featured former cast member Tina Fey, who returned as a guest star to portray Palin. Fey won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her impersonation of Palin.
Saturday Night Live in the 2000s: Time and Again is a two-hour documentary television special that showcases the years of Saturday Night Live from 2000 to 2009. It features interviews with the cast and crew from those years, and aired on NBC on April 15, 2010. It was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Nonfiction Special.
"Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special" is a three-and-a-half-hour prime-time special that aired on February 15, 2015, on NBC, celebrating Saturday Night Live's 40th year on the air, having premiered on October 11, 1975, under the original title NBC's Saturday Night. The special was produced by Broadway Video and directed by then-series director Don Roy King. This special generated 23.1 million viewers, becoming NBC's most-watched prime-time, non-sports, entertainment telecast since the Friends series finale in 2004. It is the third such anniversary special to be broadcast, with celebratory episodes also held during the 15th and 25th seasons.
The sketch comedy television show Saturday Night Live (SNL) has for almost three decades aired a number of sketches parodying Hillary Clinton, from her time as First Lady, and during both her presidential campaigns in 2008 and 2016.
The forty-second season of the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live premiered on October 1, 2016, during the 2016–2017 television season, with host Margot Robbie and musical guest The Weeknd, and concluded on May 20, 2017, with host Dwayne Johnson and musical guest Katy Perry. The season removed two commercial breaks per episode in order to increase programming time. Episode 18 on April 15, 2017, was the first episode ever to be broadcast live in all four time zones within the contiguous United States. Until this episode, the show aired live only in the Eastern and Central time zones, and was tape-delayed in the Mountain and Pacific time zones.
The sketch comedy television series Saturday Night Live (SNL) has parodied Donald Trump since 1988, covering his time as a real estate broker to his popular run as host of The Apprentice, and during as well as after his presidency.
The forty-fourth season of the NBC comedy series Saturday Night Live premiered on September 29, 2018, during the 2018–19 television season with host Adam Driver and musical guest Kanye West and concluded on May 18, 2019, with host Paul Rudd and musical guest DJ Khaled.
The forty-fifth season of the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live premiered on September 28, 2019, during the 2019–20 television season with host Woody Harrelson and musical guest Billie Eilish, and concluded on May 9, 2020 with host Kristen Wiig and musical guest Boyz II Men. This season featured the return of Eddie Murphy as host, on December 21, 2019, for the first time in 35 years. Murphy's episode was the most watched episode since 2008.
The forty-sixth season of the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live premiered on October 3, 2020, during the 2020–21 television season with host Chris Rock and musical guest Megan Thee Stallion, and concluded on May 22, 2021, with host Anya Taylor-Joy and musical guest Lil Nas X. With the previous season cut short amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the show instead airing three remotely produced episodes referred to as Saturday Night Live at Home, the season premiere marked the return to Studio 8H at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City. Lorne Michaels said that the show aimed to have a "limited" in-studio audience, and that they would "work closely with Gov. Cuomo's team."
The sketch comedy television series Saturday Night Live (SNL) has parodied President Joe Biden since 1991, covering his time as a United States Senator, his time as Vice President under President Barack Obama, during his campaign to defeat president Donald Trump for the presidency, and as the president of the United States.
Saturday Night Live parodies of George H. W. Bush began in 1980 with his vice presidency under Ronald Reagan. The portrayals continued through his presidential campaigns in 1980, 1988, and 1992. SNL has aired dozens of George H. W. Bush parodies by several actors including Jim Downey, Fred Armisen, and Dana Carvey.
The forty-seventh season of the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live premiered on October 2, 2021, during the 2021–22 television season with host Owen Wilson and musical guest Kacey Musgraves, and concluded on May 21, 2022 with host Natasha Lyonne and musical guest Japanese Breakfast. For the first time, the season's first five episodes and the remainder from episode ten onward were live-streamed on the streaming service Peacock in addition to its coast-to-coast live television broadcast.
The long-running American late-night sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live (SNL) first premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, and its fiftieth and most recent season premiered on September 28, 2024. Created by Lorne Michaels, who is the original and current showrunner, its history has been shaped by its large and constantly-changing cast of performers, as well as changes in its writing staff from year to year. It has played a prominent role in American popular culture and television since its inception, and changing attitudes towards cultural diversity have been evident particularly in its recent history.
