History of Saturday Night Live (2010–2015)

Saturday Night Live is an American sketch comedy series created and produced by Lorne Michaels for most of the show's run. The show has aired on NBC since 1975.

2010–2011 season

Main article: Saturday Night Live (season 36)

The 2010–11 season of Saturday Night Live began September 25, 2010 with host Amy Poehler and musical guest Katy Perry. Before the start of the new season, four new cast members were added to fill the gap left behind by Will Forte (who quit the show after eight years), Jenny Slate (who was fired after her first season on the show), Abby Elliott (who was promoted to repertory player), and Bobby Moynihan (also promoted). The four new hires were improv comedians Paul Brittain and Vanessa Bayer, former MADtv and The Amanda Show cast member Taran Killam, and stand-up comic and impressionist Jay Pharoah. Second-year cast member Nasim Pedrad stayed a featured player for this season.

Cast

Fred Armisen Abby Elliott Bill Hader Seth Meyers Bobby Moynihan Andy Samberg Jason Sudeikis Kenan Thompson Kristen Wiig

Featuring Vanessa Bayer Paul Brittain Taran Killam Nasim Pedrad Jay Pharoah

Notes

• Will Forte, who had been with the show since 2002 and completed eight seasons, announced on August 26, 2010 that he would be leaving the show. ^[1] Featured player Jenny Slate was let go from the show after only one season. ^[2]
• Abby Elliott and Bobby Moynihan were promoted to repertory status, becoming the first featured players to be promoted since the 2006–07 season. ^[3]
• The show hired four new cast members: Chicago improv comedians Vanessa Bayer and Paul Brittain; stand-up comic/impressionist Jay Pharoah; and comedic actor Taran Killam of The Groundlings. Killam became the second actor to have been a cast member on both MADtv and SNL, the first being Jeff Richards who joined SNL in 2001 and departed in early 2004. ^[2]
• Former cast member Amy Poehler hosted the season premiere. Poehler was the fourth female former cast member of SNL to return as a host, the third to have worked under Lorne Michaels, and the second one to have been a Weekend Update anchor. ^[4] She was also the 26th former cast member to return to host.
• With this season, Jeff Bridges surpassed Sigourney Weaver's record for longest gap between hosting appearances (Weaver's gap was 24 years between her first appearance in 1986 and her second appearance in 2010; ^[5] Bridges has a 27-year gap between his first appearance in 1983 and his second appearance in 2010). ^[6]

2011–2012 season

Main article: Saturday Night Live (season 37)

The 2011–12 season of Saturday Night Live premiered on September 24, 2011, with host Alec Baldwin and musical guest Radiohead.

Cast

Fred Armisen Abby Elliott Bill Hader Seth Meyers Bobby Moynihan Nasim Pedrad Andy Samberg Jason Sudeikis Kenan Thompson Kristen Wiig

Featuring Vanessa Bayer Paul Brittain (final episode: January 14, 2012) Taran Killam Kate McKinnon (first episode: April 7, 2012) Jay Pharoah

Notes

• Featured player Kate McKinnon (a former cast member on Logo's The Big Gay Sketch Show ) joins mid-season, making her first appearance in April, on the episode hosted by Sofia Vergara. McKinnon is SNL's first openly gay female cast member, the third lesbian cast member hired (after Denny Dillon in 1980, though she wasn't open when she was on the show, ^[7] and Danitra Vance in 1985, though Vance's sexual orientation was not known until she died in 1994), the second cast member hired to be openly gay (after Terry Sweeney, who like Danitra Vance, was also from the 1985–86 season), and the second white lesbian cast member hired (after Denny Dillon). ^[8] McKinnon is also the first cast member from The Big Gay Sketch Show to be a cast member on SNL (and the second cast member from The Big Gay Sketch Show to cross over to a mainstream sketch comedy show. Erica Ash, from MADtv's 14th and final season on FOX, is the first).

2012–2013 season

Main article: Saturday Night Live (season 38)

The 2012–13 season of Saturday Night Live premiered on September 15, 2012, with host Seth MacFarlane and musical guest Frank Ocean.

Cast

Fred Armisen Vanessa Bayer Bill Hader Taran Killam Seth Meyers Bobby Moynihan Nasim Pedrad Jay Pharoah Jason Sudeikis Kenan Thompson

Featuring Aidy Bryant Kate McKinnon Tim Robinson Cecily Strong

2013–2014 season

Main article: Saturday Night Live (season 39)

The 2013–14 season of Saturday Night Live premiered on September 28, 2013, with host Tina Fey and musical guest Arcade Fire.

Cast

Vanessa Bayer Aidy Bryant Taran Killam Kate McKinnon Seth Meyers (final episode: February 1, 2014) Bobby Moynihan Nasim Pedrad Jay Pharoah Cecily Strong Kenan Thompson

Featuring Beck Bennett Colin Jost (first episode: March 1, 2014) John Milhiser Kyle Mooney Mike O'Brien Noël Wells Brooks Wheelan Sasheer Zamata (first episode: January 18, 2014)

Notes

• On May 12, 2013, NBC announced that Weekend Update anchor Seth Meyers (who had been a cast member since 2001, and Weekend Update anchor since 2006), would be the new host of Late Night in 2014, succeeding Jimmy Fallon as he takes over as the new host of The Tonight Show . ^[9] Meyers remained as Update anchor for the first half of the season, then left in February 2014, to host his incarnation of Late Night. ^[10] On September 16, 2013, it was announced that Cecily Strong would be Meyers' co-anchor on Weekend Update . ^[11]
• Six new cast members have been hired, Upright Citizens Brigade performers Beck Bennett, John Milhiser, Kyle Mooney, and Noël Wells, stand-up comedian Brooks Wheelan (who originally was hired as a writer until Tim Robinson was chosen instead), and four-year writer Michael Patrick O'Brien (credited as "Mike O'Brien"). This is the highest number of cast members hired since season 21 (1995–96) and, with the addition of Sasheer Zamata, this season has the most female cast members with seven, surpassing the number of six in the 1991–92 (season 17) cast. ^[12]

2014–2015 season

Main article: Saturday Night Live (season 40)

The 2014–15 season of Saturday Night Live premiered on September 27, 2014, with host Chris Pratt and musical guest Ariana Grande.

Cast

Vanessa Bayer Aidy Bryant Taran Killam Kate McKinnon Bobby Moynihan Jay Pharoah Cecily Strong Kenan Thompson

Featuring Beck Bennett Michael Che Pete Davidson Leslie Jones (first episode: October 25, 2014) Colin Jost Kyle Mooney Sasheer Zamata

Notes

• Three new cast members were hired:
  • Stand-up comedian Pete Davidson, who is the first to have been born in the 1990s (Davidson was born in 1993) and is currently the youngest member of the current cast, beating out both Jay Pharoah and Aidy Bryant (and later, Melissa Villaseñor, Ego Nwodim, Luke Null, Bowen Yang, and Chloe Fineman).
  • Former writer Michael Che, returns to SNL to co-anchor Weekend Update , replacing Cecily Strong, who remains on the show. Che had initially left the show at the end of last season to be a correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart .^[14] He becomes Weekend Update's first African-American anchor. He and returning co-anchor, head writer Colin Jost, also became the first all-male anchor team and the second interracial pairing after the short-lived pairing of Amy Poehler and Horatio Sanz in the early half of season 31.
  • On October 25, 2014, after making a handful of appearances (starting with her controversial appearance on Weekend Update on the Andrew Garfield/Coldplay episode from season 39), writer Leslie Jones was promoted to the cast as a featured player, and made her official debut as a cast member in the Jim Carrey/Iggy Azalea episode, making this the first season in SNL history to hire two African-American female cast members (as they kept Sasheer Zamata from last season), and the first season to have more than three African-American cast members.
    • Jones is also the oldest cast member ever hired at 47 years old (beating out Michael McKean who was 46 when he joined the cast in 1994) and at the time, was the only cast member to be born before the show debuted in 1975 (Jones was born in 1967).
• Darrell Hammond, a cast member for 14 seasons (from 1995 to 2009), becomes the new announcer, replacing Don Pardo, who died in August 2014 at age 96. Pardo had been the announcer for almost every season and episode of the show (the only notable times Pardo was absent was in season seven, the 400th episode hosted by Elle Macpherson, and the season 24 episode hosted by James Van Der Beek). Hammond, who had filled in for Pardo numerous times in the past, is the first new announcer since 1981. Instead of imitating Pardo, he uses his own voice.
• With the departure of Nasim Pedrad (who joined SNL in 2009), Vanessa Bayer (joined SNL a year later) is currently the longest-tenured female cast member.
  • Also, with Pedrad's departure, Kenan Thompson and Bobby Moynihan became the only cast members who were hired in the 2000s to still be on the show. (Thompson was hired in 2003, and then Moynihan was hired 5 years later in 2008). Additionally, with Seth Meyers' departure in the previous season, Thompson and Moynihan became the longest-tenured current cast members.
• Some milestones this season include:
  • Jim Carrey returned to host SNL for the third time on October 25, 2014; he was never hired as a cast member under Lorne Michaels. The last time he was hosted the show during the season 21 finale in 1996 and season 36 in 2011 and a cameo during Foo Fighters performance in 2003. He would later return to SNL in season 46 and take over the impersonating of Joe Biden from Jason Sudeikis, Woody Harrelson and John Mulaney during season 45.
  • Chris Rock is now the former cast member to come back and host, as well as the fourth African-American male cast member who worked under Lorne Michaels with Tim Meadows and this was his second time host.
  • Woody Harrelson came back to host SNL for the 3rd time and his first appearance in 25 years, 4 months and 6 days on November 15, 2014. He last hosted SNL back on May 16, 1992, which is the Season 17 finale, with musical guest Vanessa Williams.
  • on November 15, 2014. The last time he was hosted during season 15 in 1989 and the season 17 finale in 1992.
  • Cameron Diaz came back to hosted SNL for the 4th time and her first appearance in 15 years, 7 months, and 10 days on November 22, 2014 for the Thanksgiving show. She last hosted SNL on April 9, 2005, the sixteenth episode of Season 30, with musical guest Green Day, a rock band.
  • Kevin Hart returned to host for the 2nd time and he is now the stand-up comedian and actor who has hosted SNL more than once (he had hosted 3 times; in seasons 38, 40 and 43).
  • Dwayne Johnson is now the only actor and retired WWE wrestler returned to hosted SNL for the 4th time on March 28, 2015, with musical guest George Ezra.
  • Michael Keaton, who hosted two times from 1982 to 1992, returned to host SNL for the 3rd time and his first appearance in 10 years, 1 month, and 11 days.
  • Reese Witherspoon, who hosted back in 2001 (for the premiere of Season 27), with musical guest Alicia Keys, returned to host SNL for the 2nd time and her first appearance in 13 years, 7 months, and 10 days on May 9, 2015 for the Mother's Day show, with musical guest Florence and the Machine.

References

1. Barrett, Annie (August 26, 2010). "'Saturday Night Live': Will Forte reportedly leaving on amicable terms. 'Vagisil!'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
2. Itzkoff, Dave (September 7, 2010). "'Saturday Night Live' Cast Adds Four and Loses One More". New York Times. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
3. Frucci, Adam (August 15, 2012). "Abby Elliott Is Not Returning to 'SNL'". Splitsider. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
4. Ryan, Mike (September 26, 2010). "Introducing the SNL Scorecard: The Good, Bad and Ugly of Saturday Night". Movieline. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
5. Adalian, Josef (December 30, 2009). "'Avatar' Alert: Sigourney Weaver Hosting 'SNL'". The Wrap. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
6. Ross, Robyn (November 18, 2010). "Roberto De Niro, Paul Rudd, Jeff Bridges to Host Saturday Night Live in December". TV Guide. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
7. "Denny Dillon Reflects on Saturday Night Live's Infamous 6th Season". August 12, 2020.
8. Woodtke, Jordyn (March 30, 2012). "'SNL' Casts First Openly Gay Female". Hollywood Life. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
9. Levin, Gary (May 12, 2013). "Seth Meyers named NBC's 'Late Night' talk host". USA Today. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
10. Busis, Hillary (May 16, 2013). "Seth Meyers will return to 'SNL' this fall, leave for 'Late Night' in 2014". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
11. Luoma, Sarah (September 16, 2013). "'SNL': Cecily Strong to co-anchor Weekend Update with Seth Meyers". Digital Spy. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
12. Abramovitch, Seth (September 11, 2013). "Cheat Sheet: Get to Know the 5 New Faces of 'SNL'". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 15, 2015.