As of September 2025[update], the late-night live variety seriesSaturday Night Live (SNL) has featured 172 cast members. The ensemble was originally referred to as theNot Ready for Prime Time Players.[1]
As of 2025, 172 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 in1983.[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:
| Name | Total seasons | Start | End | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenan Thompson | 23[3][c] | 2003 | present | Promoted to repertory player inhis 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. In2014, Hammond returned to the show as the announcer following the death of longtime announcerDon Pardo. |
| Seth Meyers | 12 ½[d][e] | 2001 | 2014 | Meyers anchored Weekend Update from2006 to2014. At the time of his departure, he was the longest-servingWeekend Update anchor, however, he has been surpassed by current co-anchorColin Jost. Jost's co-anchorMichael Che also surpassed Meyers (but not Jost, who currently holds the record).[4] He left the show to become the host ofLate Night. Meyers also served as head writer for 9 seasons. |
| Colin Jost | 12 ½[d][e][5][c] | 2014 | present | Jost has been a writer atSNL since2005, and has been anchoring Weekend Update since2014. He had also been a head writer for the show from2012 to2015, and again from2017 until2022.[6] |
| Michael Che | 12[7][c] | 2014 | present | Che has been a writer for SNL since2013, and started anchoringWeekend Update a year later. Che and Jost are the show's longest running Weekend Update anchors, and serving as co-head writers together from2017 until2022.[6] |
| Fred Armisen | 11 | 2002 | 2013 | Promoted to repertory player inhis third season on the show. |
| Cecily Strong | 10 ½[d][f][5] | 2012 | 2022 | |
| Kate McKinnon | 10 ½[d][f] | 2012 | 2022 | McKinnon has stated in an interview that she was planning to leave the show in2020, but instead remained for two more years due to theCOVID-19 pandemic[8] |
| Aidy Bryant | 10 | 2012 | 2022 | In an interview, Bryant said that she planned to leave at the end of the show's45th season in 2020, but ended up postponing her departure by two years, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[9] |
| Mikey Day | 10[c] | 2016 | present | Day initially joined the show as a writer in2013.[10] He was promoted to the cast as a featured player in2016, and was promoted to repertory status in2018.[11] |
| Tim Meadows | 9½[d] | 1991 | 2000 | At the time of his departure, Meadows had the longest 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.[17]
| 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 inseason 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 seasons14 and19. |
| 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 inseason five. He left the show as a writer after the season finale. |
| Laurie Metcalf (1981) | 1 | She was hired as part of Ebersol's temporaryseason six cast following the termination ofJean 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 forseason seven. |
| Emily Prager (1981) | 1 | She was hired as part of Ebersol's temporaryseason six cast following the termination ofJean 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 forseason seven. |
| Dan Vitale (1985–1986) | 2 | Hired as an on-and-off featured player forseason 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 until2013. |
| Ben Stiller (1989) | 4 | Before becoming a cast member, he submitted a short film (a parody of the filmThe Color of Money) that was shown on the season 12 episode hosted byCharlton 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 asMichael 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 ofseason 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 the22nd 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 throughseason 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 duringseason 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 hostedSNL in 1987, making him the only member of the house band to do so. |
| Robert Smigel (1991–1993) | 10 | A longtime writer ofSNL who appeared occasionally uncredited until becoming a featured player for the1991–92 season. He remained with the show through the1992–93 season before leaving to be the head writer ofLate 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 forseason 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 from1985 to1994, 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 forseason 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 hostedSNL in 1995. |
| Don Novello (1979–1980, 1985–1986) | 13 | SNL writer Don Novello appeared frequently throughout the show's history as his characterFather Guido Sarducci, but he was only a featured player for part of the1979–80 season and part of the1985–86 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 in1984. |
| 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 duringseason 17 as an off-and-on featured player. She did not return the following season, as she was fired along with castmateSiobhan Fallon. |
| Sarah Silverman (1993–1994) | 14 | Silverman joined the writing staff at the beginning ofseason 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 duringseason 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 ofseason 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)[g] 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)[h] |
| Joe Biden | Alex Moffat (2021) James Austin Johnson (2021–2023) Jason Sudeikis (2021)[i] Mikey Day (2023–2024) Dana Carvey (2024)[h] |
| 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, andJames 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 thelame duck period after Bush had lost theelection.[18] 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.[19][20]
Presidents are not usually portrayed onSaturday 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).[21]
Donald Trump, having been a public figure before being president,was portrayed by several cast members over the years. He was portrayed byPhil Hartman (1988–1990),Darrell Hammond (1999–2011, 2015–2016),Jason Sudeikis (2012) andTaran Killam (2015).Alec Baldwin started impersonating Trump as a guest during the42nd season ofSNL in late 2016, when Trump was the Republican nominee during the2016 United States presidential elections. Baldwin continued with the guest impersonations of Trump after the elections when Trump waspresident-elect, as well as afterTrump was sworn in as president. Baldwin continued to impersonate Trump throughoutTrump's first presidency.
Alec Baldwin's impersonation of Donald Trump earned himan 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 ofSeason 44, Baldwin publicly announced that he would no longer be impersonating Trump, but changed his mind prior to the beginning ofSeason 45 afterSNL executive producerLorne Michaels convinced him to continue with the impersonation.[22][23] Following the2020 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!"[24] From the beginning of Trump's second term to present, he was portrayed by cast memberJames 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."[25] In June 2021, after Trump had left office, it was reported that while Trump was in office he had inquired if theFederal Communications Commission or theUnited States Justice Department could forceSNL to stop portraying him. Trump denied that he has ever made such an inquiry, but claimed that his portrayal bySNL "should be considered an illegal campaign contribution from theDemocrat Party." He also criticized Baldwin's portrayal of him, but praised Darrell Hammond's portrayal of him.[26]
Over three dozen formerSNL cast members have returned to host the show. The first former cast member to host the show wasChevy Chase in February 1978. Chase is also the first former cast member to reach theFive-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 the50th Anniversary Special.
In addition to Chase, other former cast members that are in the Five-Timers Club areBill Murray,Tina Fey,Will Ferrell, andKristen 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 theFive-Timers Club, having hosted the show most recently on December 21, 2024, during the show's50th season.
The show's22nd season is notable, as seven of the 20 hosts were former cast members. They includedDana Carvey,Robert Downey Jr.,Phil Hartman,Chris Rock,Martin Short, Chase andMike Myers.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus was the first former female cast member to host the show; hosting it near the end of its31st season in May 2006.[27]
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 theninth season prior to joining the cast in thetenth season) andMichael McKean (he hosted the show in thetenth season and joined the cast in thenineteenth 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 andDan 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.
| 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[28] | 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 | 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 |
AlthoughSNL is best known as the launchpad for many successful careers, eight former cast members have met their untimely deaths. This has given rise to[failed verification] a superstition known as the "Saturday Night Live Curse".[29][30]
| Name | Age | Death date | Cause of death |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Belushi | 33 | March 5, 1982 | Belushi died of a drug overdose from aspeedball injection (cocaine and heroin). His death led to the conviction ofCathy Smith for administering the fatal injection. |
| Gilda Radner | 42 | May 20, 1989 | Radner died fromovarian cancer. She was originally scheduled to host the13th season finale, a first for a former female cast member. However,SNL was put on a production hiatus due to the1988 Writers Guild of America strike. Radner's health worsened the following year. Before the14th season finale was broadcast, news broke of Radner's death. In lieu of the opening monologueSteve Martin, visibly shaken, introduced a replay of the "Dancing in the Dark" sketch he and Radner had performed in a 1978 episode;[31] her ex-husbandG. 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 fromcerebral hemorrhage after suffering from severe chronicmigraine headaches for most of his life.Bill Murray honored O'Donoghue's memory in an appearance on a20th season episode[32] (hosted bySarah Jessica Parker with musical guestR.E.M.) by replaying his sketch "Mr. Mike's Least Loved Bedtime Stories: The Soiled Kimono" from 1977.[33] |
| 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 hostSNL, 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 hisEncino, California home. Before doing so, Brynn had allegedly consumed a combination ofcocaine,alcohol, and the antidepressant drugZoloft, and then died by suicide. DuringSNL'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 hisCanterbury, Connecticut backyard. Local police concluded his death a suicide; Rocket had allegedly killed himself by slashing his throat with abox cutter. |
| Jan Hooks | 57 | October 9, 2014 | Hooks died after battlingthroat cancer for several months. Two days after her death, Hooks was given a tribute onSNL during the third episode of its40th season, in which a sketch she had filmed with Hartman, "Love Is a Dream", was re-aired.[34] |
