List of Saturday Night Live cast members

The original cast of SNL posing for the camera

Original cast (from left to right): Laraine Newman, John Belushi, Jane Curtin, Gilda Radner, Dan Aykroyd, Garrett Morris, and Chevy Chase.

As of September 2025, the late-night live variety series Saturday Night Live (SNL) has featured 172 cast members. The ensemble was originally referred to as the Not Ready for Prime Time Players.

List

As of 2025, 173 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.

Table

Saturday Night Live cast members

Performer	Start	End	Total seasons	Repertory player	Featured player	Middle group	Weekend Update anchor	Hosted	Best of...	Writer
Alexander Joshua Anderson	1999	present	27	Y	Y
Fred Armisen	2002	2013	11	Y	Y			Y
Aristotle Athari	2021	2022	1		Y
Dan Aykroyd	1975	1979	4	Y			Y	Y	Y	Y
Peter Aykroyd	1980		1		Y					Y
Morwenna Banks	1995		1	Y
Vanessa Bayer	2010	2017	7	Y	Y
Jim Belushi	1983	1985	2	Y						Y
John Belushi	1975	1979	4	Y					Y	Y
Beck Bennett	2013	2021	8	Y	Y
Tommy Brennan	2025	present	1		Y
Jim Breuer	1995	1998	3	Y
Paul Brittain	2010	2012	2		Y
A. Whitney Brown	1986	1991	6		Y					Y
Aidy Bryant	2012	2022	10	Y	Y
Beth Cahill	1991	1992	1		Y
Dana Carvey	1986	1993	7	Y				Y	Y
Chevy Chase	1975	1976	2	Y			Y	Y	Y	Y
Michael Che	2014	present	12	Y	Y		Y			Y
Ellen Cleghorne	1991	1995	4	Y		Y
George Coe	1975		1	Y
Billy Crystal	1984	1985	1	Y			Y	Y		Y
Jane Curtin	1975	1980	5	Y			Y
Jeremy Culhane	2025	present	1		Y
Joan Cusack	1985	1986	1	Y
Pete Davidson	2014	2022	8	Y	Y			Y
Tom Davis	1979	1980	1		Y					Y
Mikey Day	2016	present	10	Y	Y					Y
Denny Dillon	1980	1981	1	Y
Andrew Dismukes	2020	present	6	Y	Y					Y
Jim Downey	1980		1		Y					Y
Robert Downey Jr.	1985	1986	1	Y				Y
Brian Doyle-Murray	1980		2	Y	Y		Y			Y
	1981	1982
Rachel Dratch	1999	2006	7	Y	Y
Robin Duke	1981	1984	4	Y						Y
Nora Dunn	1985	1990	5	Y
Christine Ebersole	1981	1982	1	Y			Y
Dean Edwards	2001	2003	2		Y
Abby Elliott	2008	present	18	Y	Y
Chris Elliott	1994	1995	1	Y
Jimmy Fallon	1998	2004	6	Y	Y		Y	Y	Y
Siobhan Fallon	1991	1992	1			Y
Chris Farley	1990	1995	5	Y		Y		Y	Y
Will Ferrell	1995	2002	7	Y				Y	Y
Tina Fey	2000	2006	6	Y	Y		Y	Y		Y
Chloe Fineman	2019	present	7	Y	Y
Will Forte	2002	2010	8	Y	Y			Y
Al Franken	1979	1980	8		Y					Y
	1986
	1988	1995
Heidi Gardner	2017	2025	8	Y	Y
Janeane Garofalo	1994	1995	1	Y
Ana Gasteyer	1996	2002	6	Y
Gilbert Gottfried	1980	1981	1	Y
Mary Gross	1981	1985	4	Y			Y			Y
Christopher Guest	1984	1985	1	Y			Y			Y
Bill Hader	2005	2013	8	Y	Y			Y
Anthony Michael Hall	1985	1986	1	Y
Brad Hall	1982	1984	2	Y			Y
Rich Hall	1984	1985	1	Y						Y
Darrell Hammond	1995	2009	14	Y
Phil Hartman	1986	1994	8	Y				Y	Y	Y
Marcello Hernández	2022	present	4	Y	Y
Lauren Holt	2020	2021	1		Y
Jan Hooks	1986	1991	5	Y
Yvonne Hudson	1980	1981	1		Y
Melanie Hutsell	1991	1994	3	Y	Y	Y
Victoria Jackson	1986	1992	6	Y
James Austin Johnson	2021	present	5	Y	Y
Punkie Johnson	2020	2024	4	Y	Y
Leslie Jones	2014	2019	5	Y	Y					Y
Colin Jost	2014	present	13	Y	Y		Y			Y
Chris Kattan	1996	2003	8	Y	Y				Y
Tim Kazurinsky	1981	1984	4	Y						Y
Molly Kearney	2022	2024	2		Y
Laura Kightlinger	1994	1995	1		Y					Y
Taran Killam	2010	2016	6	Y	Y
David Koechner	1995	1996	1	Y
Gary Kroeger	1982	1985	3	Y
Matthew Laurance	1980	1981	1		Y
Michael Longfellow	2022	2025	3	Y	Y
Julia Louis-Dreyfus	1982	1985	3	Y				Y
Jon Lovitz	1985	1990	5	Y				Y	Y
Norm Macdonald	1993	1998	5	Y	Y		Y	Y		Y
Ben Marshall	2025	present	1		Y					Y
Gail Matthius	1980	1981	1	Y			Y
Michael McKean	1994	1995	2	Y				Y
Mark McKinney	1995	1997	3	Y						Y
Kate McKinnon	2012	2022	11	Y	Y			Y
Tim Meadows	1991	2000	10	Y		Y			Y	Y
Laurie Metcalf	1981		1		Y
Seth Meyers	2001	2014	13	Y	Y		Y	Y		Y
John Milhiser	2013	2014	1		Y
Dennis Miller	1985	1991	6	Y			Y
Jerry Minor	2000	2001	1		Y					Y
Finesse Mitchell	2003	2006	3	Y	Y
Alex Moffat	2016	2022	6	Y	Y
Jay Mohr	1993	1995	2		Y					Y
Kyle Mooney	2013	2022	9	Y	Y
Tracy Morgan	1996	2003	7	Y				Y	Y
Garrett Morris	1975	1980	5	Y						Y
Bobby Moynihan	2008	2017	9	Y	Y
Eddie Murphy	1980	1984	4	Y	Y			Y	Y	Y
Bill Murray	1977	1980	4	Y			Y	Y		Y
Mike Myers	1989	1995	7	Y	Y			Y	Y	Y
Kevin Nealon	1986	1995	9	Y	Y		Y			Y
Laraine Newman	1975	1980	5	Y
Don Novello	1979	1980	2		Y			Y		Y
	1985	1986
Luke Null	2017	2018	1		Y
Ego Nwodim	2018	2025	7	Y	Y
Mike O'Brien	2013	2014	1		Y					Y
Michael O'Donoghue	1975		1	Y						Y
Cheri Oteri	1995	2000	5	Y					Y
Ashley Padilla	2024	present	2		Y
Chris Parnell	1998	2006	8	Y	Y
Kam Patterson	2025	present	1		Y
Nasim Pedrad	2009	2014	5	Y	Y
Jay Pharoah	2010	2016	6	Y	Y
Joe Piscopo	1980	1984	4	Y						Y
Amy Poehler	2001	2008	8	Y	Y		Y	Y	Y
Emily Prager	1981		1		Y
Randy Quaid	1985	1986	1	Y
Colin Quinn	1996	2000	5	Y	Y		Y			Y
Gilda Radner	1975	1980	5	Y					Y
Chris Redd	2017	2022	5	Y	Y
Jeff Richards	2001	2004	3	Y	Y
Rob Riggle	2004	2005	1		Y
Ann Risley	1980	1981	1	Y
Tim Robinson	2012	2013	1		Y					Y
Chris Rock	1990	1993	3	Y		Y		Y	Y
Charles Rocket	1980	1981	1	Y			Y
Tony Rosato	1981	1982	2	Y						Y
Jon Rudnitsky	2015	2016	1		Y
Maya Rudolph	2000	2007	9	Y	Y			Y
Andy Samberg	2005	2012	7	Y	Y			Y		Y
Adam Sandler	1991	1995	5	Y	Y	Y		Y	Y	Y
Horatio Sanz	1998	2006	8	Y	Y		Y
Tom Schiller	1980		1		Y					Y
Rob Schneider	1990	1994	4	Y	Y	Y				Y
Paul Shaffer	1979	1980	1		Y			Y
Molly Shannon	1995	2001	7	Y	Y			Y	Y
Harry Shearer	1979	1980	2	Y	Y					Y
	1984	1985
Sarah Sherman	2021	present	5	Y	Y
Martin Short	1984	1985	1	Y				Y		Y
Sarah Silverman	1993	1994	1		Y			Y		Y
Jenny Slate	2009	present	17		Y	Y
Veronika Slowikowska	2025	present	1		Y
Robert Smigel	1991	1993	2		Y					Y
Michael Richard Smith	2002	present	24	Y
David Spade	1990	1996	6	Y	Y	Y		Y	Y	Y
Pamela Stephenson	1984	1985	1	Y
Ben Stiller	1989		1		Y			Y		Y
Cecily Strong	2012	2022	11	Y	Y		Y
Jason Sudeikis	2005	2013	9	Y	Y			Y		Y
Julia Sweeney	1990	1994	4	Y		Y
Terry Sweeney	1985	1986	1	Y						Y
Kenan Thompson	2003	present	23	Y	Y
Chloe Troast	2023	2024	1		Y
Danitra Vance	1985	1986	1	Y
Melissa Villaseñor	2016	2022	6	Y	Y
Dan Vitale	1985	1986	1		Y
Devon Walker	2022	2025	3	Y	Y
Nancy Walls	1995	1996	1	Y
Emil Wakim	2024	2025	1		Y
Michaela Watkins	2008	2009	1		Y
Damon Wayans	1985	1986	1		Y			Y
Patrick Weathers	1980	1981	1		Y
Noël Wells	2013	2014	1		Y
Brooks Wheelan	2013	2014	1		Y
Jane Wickline	2024	present	2		Y
Kristen Wiig	2005	2012	7	Y	Y			Y
Casey Wilson	2008	2009	2		Y
Fred Wolf	1996	1996	2		Y					Y
Bowen Yang	2019	present	7	Y	Y					Y
Sasheer Zamata	2014	2017	4	Y	Y
Alan Zweibel	1980		1		Y					Y

Timeline

Lighter colors denote "featured players" versus repertory cast members.

<timeline>

ImageSize =width:1000 height:2000 PlotArea =left:110 bottom:60 top:0 right:40 Alignbars =justify DateFormat =mm/dd/yyyy Period =from:01/01/1975 till:10/22/2025 TimeAxis =orientation:horizontal format:mm/dd/yyyy

ScaleMajor =unit:year increment:2 start:01/01/1975

ScaleMinor =unit:year increment:2 start:01/01/1976

Colors=

 id:brown value:rgb(0.5, 0.25, 0)
 id:gray  value:gray(0.8)

LineData =

 at:10/11/1975 color:gray  layer:back width:0.7
 at:09/18/1976 color:gray  layer:back width:0.7
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BarData =

 bar:aykroyd      text:"Dan Aykroyd"
 bar:belushi      text:"John Belushi"
 bar:chase        text:"Chevy Chase"
 bar:coe          text:"George Coe"
 bar:curtin       text:"Jane Curtin"
 bar:morris       text:"Garrett Morris"
 bar:newman       text:"Laraine Newman"
 bar:odonoghue    text:"Michael O'Donoghue"
 bar:radner       text:"Gilda Radner"
 bar:murray       text:"Bill Murray"
 bar:davis        text:"Tom Davis"
 bar:franken      text:"Al Franken"
 bar:aykroydp     text:"Peter Aykroyd"
 bar:downey       text:"Jim Downey"
 bar:murraybr     text:"Brian Doyle-Murray"
 bar:novello      text:"Don Novello"
 bar:schiller     text:"Tom Schiller"
 bar:shaffer      text:"Paul Shaffer"
 bar:shearer      text:"Harry Shearer"
 bar:zweibel      text:"Alan Zweibel"
 bar:dillon       text:"Denny Dillon"
 bar:duke         text:"Robin Duke"
 bar:gottfried    text:"Gilbert Gottfried"
 bar:hudson       text:"Yvonne Hudson"
 bar:kazurinsky   text:"Tim Kazurinsky"
 bar:laurance     text:"Matthew Laurance"
 bar:matthius     text:"Gail Matthius"
 bar:metcalf      text:"Laurie Metcalf"
 bar:murphy       text:"Eddie Murphy"
 bar:piscopo      text:"Joe Piscopo"
 bar:prager       text:"Emily Prager"
 bar:risley       text:"Ann Risley"
 bar:rocket       text:"Charles Rocket"
 bar:rosato       text:"Tony Rosato"
 bar:weathers     text:"Patrick Weathers"
 bar:ebersole     text:"Christine Ebersole"
 bar:gross        text:"Mary Gross"
 bar:bhall        text:"Brad Hall"
 bar:kroeger      text:"Gary Kroeger"
 bar:louisdreyfus text:"Julia Louis-Dreyfus"
 bar:belushiji    text:"Jim Belushi"
 bar:crystal      text:"Billy Crystal"
 bar:guest        text:"Christopher Guest"
 bar:rhall        text:"Rich Hall"
 bar:short        text:"Martin Short"
 bar:stephenson   text:"Pamela Stephenson"
 bar:brown        text:"A. Whitney Brown"
 bar:cusack       text:"Joan Cusack"
 bar:downeyr      text:"Robert Downey Jr.
 bar:dunn         text:"Nora Dunn"
 bar:hall         text:"Anthony Michael Hall"
 bar:lovitz       text:"Jon Lovitz"
 bar:miller       text:"Dennis Miller"
 bar:quaid        text:"Randy Quaid"
 bar:sweeney      text:"Terry Sweeney"
 bar:vance        text:"Danitra Vance"
 bar:vitale       text:"Dan Vitale"
 bar:wayans       text:"Damon Wayans"
 bar:carvey       text:"Dana Carvey"
 bar:hartman      text:"Phil Hartman"
 bar:hooks        text:"Jan Hooks"
 bar:jackson      text:"Victoria Jackson"
 bar:nealon       text:"Kevin Nealon"
 bar:myers        text:"Mike Myers"
 bar:stiller      text:"Ben Stiller"
 bar:farley       text:"Chris Farley"
 bar:meadows      text:"Tim Meadows"
 bar:rock         text:"Chris Rock"
 bar:sandler      text:"Adam Sandler"
 bar:schneider    text:"Rob Schneider"
 bar:spade        text:"David Spade"
 bar:sweeneyj     text:"Julia Sweeney"
 bar:cahill       text:"Beth Cahill"
 bar:cleghorne    text:"Ellen Cleghorne"
 bar:fallon       text:"Siobhan Fallon"
 bar:hutsell      text:"Melanie Hutsell"
 bar:smigel       text:"Robert Smigel"
 bar:macdonald    text:"Norm Macdonald"
 bar:mckean       text:"Michael McKean"
 bar:mohr         text:"Jay Mohr"
 bar:silverman    text:"Sarah Silverman"
 bar:banks        text:"Morwenna Banks"
 bar:elliott      text:"Chris Elliott"
 bar:garofalo     text:"Janeane Garofalo"
 bar:kightlinger  text:"Laura Kightlinger"
 bar:mckinney     text:"Mark McKinney"
 bar:shannon      text:"Molly Shannon"
 bar:breuer       text:"Jim Breuer"
 bar:ferrell      text:"Will Ferrell"
 bar:hammond      text:"Darrell Hammond"
 bar:kattan       text:"Chris Kattan"
 bar:koechner     text:"David Koechner"
 bar:oteri        text:"Cheri Oteri"
 bar:quinn        text:"Colin Quinn"
 bar:walls        text:"Nancy Walls"
 bar:wolf         text:"Fred Wolf"
 bar:gasteyer     text:"Ana Gasteyer"
 bar:morgan       text:"Tracy Morgan"
 bar:fallonj      text:"Jimmy Fallon"
 bar:parnell      text:"Chris Parnell"
 bar:sanz         text:"Horatio Sanz"
 bar:dratch       text:"Rachel Dratch"
 bar:rudolph      text:"Maya Rudolph"
 bar:fey          text:"Tina Fey"
 bar:minor        text:"Jerry Minor"
 bar:edwards      text:"Dean Edwards"
 bar:meyers       text:"Seth Meyers"
 bar:poehler      text:"Amy Poehler"
 bar:richards     text:"Jeff Richards"
 bar:armisen      text:"Fred Armisen"
 bar:forte        text:"Will Forte"
 bar:mitchell     text:"Finesse Mitchell"
 bar:thompson     text:"Kenan Thompson"
 bar:riggle       text:"Rob Riggle"
 bar:sudeikis     text:"Jason Sudeikis"
 bar:hader        text:"Bill Hader"
 bar:samberg      text:"Andy Samberg"
 bar:wiig         text:"Kristen Wiig"
 bar:wilson       text:"Casey Wilson"
 bar:elliotta     text:"Abby Elliott"
 bar:moynihan     text:"Bobby Moynihan"
 bar:watkins      text:"Michaela Watkins"
 bar:pedrad       text:"Nasim Pedrad"
 bar:slate        text:"Jenny Slate"
 bar:bayer        text:"Vanessa Bayer"
 bar:brittain     text:"Paul Brittain"
 bar:killam       text:"Taran Killam"
 bar:pharoah      text:"Jay Pharoah"
 bar:mckinnon     text:"Kate McKinnon"
 bar:bryant       text:"Aidy Bryant"
 bar:robinson     text:"Tim Robinson"
 bar:strong       text:"Cecily Strong"
 bar:bennett      text:"Beck Bennett"
 bar:jost         text:"Colin Jost"
 bar:milhiser     text:"John Milhiser"
 bar:mooney       text:"Kyle Mooney"
 bar:oBrien       text:"Mike O'Brien"
 bar:wells        text:"Noël Wells"
 bar:wheelan      text:"Brooks Wheelan"
 bar:zamata       text:"Sasheer Zamata"
 bar:che          text:"Michael Che"
 bar:davidson     text:"Pete Davidson"
 bar:jones        text:"Leslie Jones"
 bar:rudnitsky    text:"Jon Rudnitsky"
 bar:day          text:"Mikey Day"
 bar:moffat       text:"Alex Moffat"
 bar:villaseñor   text:"Melissa Villaseñor"
 bar:gardner      text:"Heidi Gardner"
 bar:null         text:"Luke Null"
 bar:redd         text:"Chris Redd"
 bar:nwodim       text:"Ego Nwodim"
 bar:fineman      text:"Chloe Fineman"
 bar:yang         text:"Bowen Yang"
 bar:dismukes     text:"Andrew Dismukes"
 bar:holt         text:"Lauren Holt"
 bar:johnson      text:"Punkie Johnson"
 bar:athari       text:"Aristotle Athari"
 bar:johnsonja    text:"James Austin Johnson"
 bar:sherman      text:"Sarah Sherman"
 bar:hernández    text:"Marcello Hernández"
 bar:kearney      text:"Molly Kearney"
 bar:longfellow   text:"Michael Longfellow"
 bar:walker       text:"Devon Walker"
 bar:troast       text:"Chloe Troast"
 bar:padilla      text:"Ashley Padilla"
 bar:wakim        text:"Emil Wakim"
 bar:wickline     text:"Jane Wickline"
 bar:brennan      text:"Tommy Brennan"
 bar:culhane      text:"Jeremy Culhane"
 bar:marshall     text:"Ben Marshall"
 bar:patterson    text:"Kam Patterson"
 bar:slowikowska  text:"Veronika Slowikowska"

PlotData =

 width:10 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4)
 bar:Aykroyd      from:10/11/1975 till:05/26/1979 color:red
 bar:Belushi      from:10/11/1975 till:05/26/1979 color:orange
 bar:Chase        from:10/11/1975 till:10/30/1976 color:green
 bar:Coe          from:10/11/1975 till:10/11/1975 color:blue
 bar:Curtin       from:10/11/1975 till:05/24/1980 color:purple
 bar:Morris       from:10/11/1975 till:05/24/1980 color:red
 bar:Newman       from:10/11/1975 till:05/24/1980 color:orange
 bar:ODonoghue    from:10/11/1975 till:11/08/1975 color:green
 bar:Radner       from:10/11/1975 till:05/24/1980 color:blue
 bar:Murray       from:01/15/1977 till:05/24/1980 color:purple
 bar:Davis        from:11/17/1979 till:05/24/1980 color:pink
 bar:Franken      from:12/15/1979 till:05/24/1980 color:lightorange
 bar:Franken      from:05/24/1986 till:05/24/1986 color:lightorange
 bar:Franken      from:10/22/1988 till:05/06/1995 color:lightorange
 bar:Aykroydp     from:01/26/1980 till:05/24/1980 color:limegreen
 bar:Downey       from:01/26/1980 till:05/24/1980 color:skyblue
 bar:Murraybr     from:01/26/1980 till:05/24/1980 color:lavender
 bar:Murraybr     from:10/03/1981 till:05/22/1982 color:lavender
 bar:Novello      from:12/08/1979 till:05/17/1980 color:pink
 bar:Novello      from:11/23/1985 till:05/24/1986 color:pink
 bar:Schiller     from:04/19/1980 till:04/19/1980 color:lightorange
 bar:Shaffer      from:11/17/1979 till:05/24/1980 color:limegreen
 bar:Shearer      from:10/20/1979 till:02/08/1980 color:skyblue
 bar:Shearer      from:02/09/1980 till:05/24/1980 color:blue
 bar:Shearer      from:10/06/1984 till:01/12/1985 color:blue
 bar:Zweibel      from:04/19/1980 till:04/19/1980 color:lavender
 bar:Dillon       from:11/15/1980 till:04/11/1981 color:red
 bar:Duke         from:04/11/1981 till:05/12/1984 color:orange
 bar:Gottfried    from:11/15/1980 till:03/07/1981 color:green
 bar:Hudson       from:12/20/1980 till:04/11/1981 color:skyblue
 bar:Kazurinsky   from:04/11/1981 till:05/12/1984 color:purple
 bar:Laurance     from:12/13/1980 till:03/07/1981 color:pink
 bar:Matthius     from:11/15/1980 till:04/11/1981 color:orange
 bar:Metcalf      from:04/11/1981 till:04/11/1981 color:limegreen
 bar:Murphy       from:12/13/1980 till:01/23/1981 color:skyblue
 bar:Murphy       from:01/24/1981 till:04/14/1984 color:blue
 bar:Piscopo      from:11/15/1980 till:05/12/1984 color:purple
 bar:Prager       from:04/11/1981 till:04/11/1981 color:pink
 bar:Risley       from:11/15/1980 till:03/07/1981 color:orange
 bar:Rocket       from:11/15/1980 till:03/07/1981 Color:green
 bar:Rosato       from:04/11/1981 till:05/22/1982 color:blue
 bar:Weathers     from:12/13/1980 till:02/14/1981 color:lavender
 bar:Ebersole     from:10/03/1981 till:05/22/1982 color:red
 bar:Gross        from:10/03/1981 till:04/13/1985 color:orange
 bar:Bhall        from:09/25/1982 till:05/12/1984 color:green
 bar:Kroeger      from:09/25/1982 till:04/13/1985 color:blue
 bar:Louisdreyfus from:09/25/1982 till:04/13/1985 color:purple
 bar:Belushiji    from:10/22/1983 till:04/13/1985 color:red
 bar:Crystal      from:10/06/1984 till:04/13/1985 color:orange
 bar:Guest        from:10/06/1984 till:04/13/1985 color:green
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</timeline>

Tenures

Longest tenures

The following comedians have served as cast members on the show for more than 9 seasons:

Saturday Night Live cast members with the longest tenures

Name	Total seasons	Start	End	Notes
Alexander Joshua Anderson	27	1999	present	Originally made cameos from 1986 to 1999; Promoted to repertory player on the third episode of his third season on the show.
Kenan Thompson	23	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	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 co-anchor Colin Jost. Jost's co-anchor Michael Che also surpassed Meyers (but not Jost, who currently holds the record). He left the show to become the host of Late Night. Meyers also served as head writer for 9 seasons.
Colin Jost	12 ½	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.
Michael Che	12	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.
Fred Armisen	11	2002	2013	Promoted to repertory player in his third season on the show.
Cecily Strong	10 ½	2012	2022
Kate McKinnon	10 ½	2012	2022	McKinnon has stated in an interview that she was planning to leave the show in 2020, but instead remained for two more years due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Aidy Bryant	10	2012	2022	In an interview, Bryant said that she planned to leave at the end of the show's 45th season in 2020, but ended up postponing her departure by two years, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mikey Day	10	2016	present	Day initially joined the show as a writer in 2013. He was promoted to the cast as a featured player in 2016, and was promoted to repertory status in 2018.
Tim Meadows	9½	1991	2000	At the time of his departure, Meadows had the longest tenure as a cast member on the show.

Shortest tenures

Two people have been publicly announced as having been hired to the cast, but never performed as cast members:

• Catherine O'Hara, hired in 1981, quit before appearing on air. She has subsequently hosted the show twice.
• Shane Gillis was announced as a cast member in 2019, but the offer was withdrawn due to controversies surrounding previous use of racial stereotypes. Gillis went on to host episode 12 of season 49 and episode 13 of season 50. Eight months after Gillis hosted the show, executive producer Lorne Michaels revealed that the decision to fire Gillis was not his, and it was forced on him by NBC executives.

One person was credited as a cast member but did not actually appear on the show as such.

• Emily Prager was hired as part of Dick Ebersol's temporary season six cast following the termination of Jean Doumanian. She was credited for one episode even though she did not appear on the show, as her sketch was cut after dress rehearsal. She was not chosen for season seven of the show. Prager had worked as a writer on the show, and also made several appearances in sketches prior to being officially named as a member of the cast.

The following cast members spent less than a full 20-episode season on the show.

Saturday Night Live cast members with the shortest tenures

Name	Total 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 removed. He remained with the show as a 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 fired 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.
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 1992–93 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 return to the cast. He was only credited during the opening sequence for four episodes in his first season as a featured player and for six episodes in his second season.
Tom Davis (1979–1980)	12	Davis was hired as one of the original writers for its first five seasons, and became a featured cast member for season 5, but left with the rest of the original cast and writers after the season finale. Davis did return as a writer for the show from 1985 to 1994, before leaving the show.
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 1979–80 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 fired after the finale as part of the cast overhaul. She unsuccessfully auditioned for the show's first season.
Gail Matthius (1980–1981)	13	She joined the cast for season six and was fired 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.
Sarah Silverman (1993–1994)	14	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.
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 departed before the start of season 35.

President of the United States impressionists

Portrayal of sitting Presidents of the United States

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) 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) Alexander Joshua Anderson (2001–2017)
George W. Bush	Will Ferrell (2001–2002) Chris Parnell (2002–2003) Darrell Hammond (2003) Will Forte (2004–2006) Jason Sudeikis (2006–2008) Alexander Joshua Anderson (2008–2011; 2013–2016; 2018–present)
Barack Obama	Fred Armisen (2009–2012) Jay Pharoah (2012–2016)
Donald Trump	Alec Baldwin (2017–2020)
Joe Biden	Alex Moffat (2021) James Austin Johnson (2021–2023) Jason Sudeikis (2021) Mikey Day (2023–2024) Dana Carvey (2024)
Donald Trump	James Austin Johnson (2025–present)

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, Phil Hartman, and James Austin Johnson 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 enjoyed 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. 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.

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 resigned 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 during the period between Trump's two presidencies (seasons 47–50).

Impersonation of Donald Trump

Main article: Saturday Night Live parodies of Donald Trump

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" due to his personal disdain for Trump. At the end of Season 44, Baldwin publicly announced that he would no longer be 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. Following the 2020 presidential elections in which Trump lost re-election, Baldwin's tenure as Trump ended in the subsequent episode; he responded by tweeting "I don't believe I've ever been this overjoyed to lose a job before!" From the beginning of Trump's second term to present, he was portrayed by cast member James Austin Johnson (who played the role several times between Trump's two presidencies).

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." 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.

Returning to host

Over three dozen former SNL cast members have returned to host the show. The first former cast member to 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). Chase returned as a guest at the 50th Anniversary Special.

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 has hosted six times, which makes her 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 host the show; hosting it near the end of its 31st season in May 2006.

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 been 35 years and 6 days apart.

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.

Saturday Night Live cast members who have hosted

Name	Total 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	February 18, 1978	February 15, 1997
Billy Crystal	2	March 17, 1984	May 12, 1984
Pete Davidson	1	October 14, 2023
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	3	September 25, 2010	October 11, 2025
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

The "SNL Curse"

Although SNL is best known as the launchpad for many successful careers, eight former cast members have met their untimely deaths. This has given rise to a superstition known as the "Saturday Night Live Curse".

Allegedly "cursed" Saturday Night Live cast members

Name	Age	Death date	Cause of death
John Belushi	33	March 5, 1982	Belushi died of a drug overdose from a speedball injection (cocaine and heroin). His 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 13th season finale, a first for a former female cast member. However, SNL was put on a production hiatus due to the 1988 Writers Guild of America strike. Radner's health worsened the following year. Before the 14th season finale was broadcast, 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; 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 20th season episode (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.
Chris Farley	33	December 18, 1997	Influenced by Belushi, Farley died of a drug overdose from a speedball injection. His death occurred less than two months after he returned 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 doing so, Brynn had allegedly consumed a combination of cocaine, alcohol, and the antidepressant drug Zoloft, and then died by 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 killed himself 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.

See also

• Saturday Night Live Band
• List of Saturday Night Live guests
• List of Saturday Night Live writers

References

Bibliography

• Marx, Nick; Sienkiewicz, Matt; Becker, Ron (2013). "Introduction: Situating Saturday Night Live in American Television Culture". In Marx, Nick; Sienkiewicz, Matt; Becker, Ron. Saturday Night Live and American TV. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. pp. 1–21. ISBN 978-0-253-01090-2. JSTOR j.ctt16gznsz.4. Search this book on

External links

• A visual history from The New York Times
• A 2015 ranking from Rolling Stone

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