List of Saturday Night Live cast members

As of 2023, 164 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]

Table

Saturday Night Live cast members^[a]

Performer	Time on SNL	No. of seasons	Repertory Player	Featured Player	Middle Group	"Weekend Update" Anchor	Hosted	Best of...	Writer
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
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	10	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
Joan Cusack	1985–1986	1	Y
Pete Davidson	2014–2022	8	Y	Y			Y
Tom Davis	1977–1980	3		Y					Y
Mikey Day	2016–present	8	Y	Y					Y
Denny Dillon	1980–1981	1	Y
Andrew Dismukes	2020–present	4	Y	Y					Y
Jim Downey	1980	1		Y					Y
Robert Downey Jr.	1985–1986	1	Y				Y
Brian Doyle-Murray	1980, 1981–1982	2	Y	Y		Y			Y
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	2008–2012	4	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	5	Y	Y
Will Forte	2002–2010	8	Y	Y			Y
Al Franken	1977–1980, 1986, 1988–1995	11		Y					Y
Heidi Gardner	2017–present	7	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 Hernandez	2022–present	2		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	3	Y	Y
Punkie Johnson	2020–present	4	Y	Y
Leslie Jones	2014–2019	5	Y	Y					Y
Colin Jost	2014–present	11	Y	Y		Y			Y
Chris Kattan	1996–2003	8	Y	Y				Y
Tim Kazurinsky	1981–1984	4	Y						Y
Molly Kearney	2022–present	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
Julia Louis-Dreyfus	1982–1985	3	Y				Y
Michael Longfellow	2022–present	2		Y
Jon Lovitz	1985–1990	5	Y				Y	Y
Norm Macdonald	1993–1998	5	Y	Y		Y	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 1985–1986	2		Y			Y		Y
Luke Null	2017–2018	1		Y
Ego Nwodim	2018–present	6	Y	Y
Mike O'Brien	2013–2014	1		Y					Y
Michael O'Donoghue	1975	1	Y						Y
Cheri Oteri	1995–2000	5	Y					Y
Chris Parnell	1998–2001, 2002-2006	8	Y	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, 1984–1985	2	Y	Y					Y
Sarah Sherman	2021–present	3	Y	Y
Martin Short	1984–1985	1	Y				Y		Y
Sarah Silverman	1993–1994	1		Y			Y		Y
Jenny Slate	2009–2010	1		Y
Robert Smigel	1991–1993	2		Y					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	21	Y	Y
Chloe Troast[3]	2023–present	1		Y
Danitra Vance	1985–1986	1	Y
Melissa Villaseñor	2016–2022	6	Y	Y
Dan Vitale	1985–1986	1		Y
Devon Walker	2022–present	2		Y
Nancy Walls	1995–1996	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
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	5	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.

Longest tenures

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

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.^[10] 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 his past use of racial slurs.^[11] Gillis went on to host episode 12 of season 49.

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 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 skit 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 skits 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.^[12]

Darrell Hammond had the longest tenure portraying a U.S. president, portraying Bill Clinton from 1995–2001 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.

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.^[13] 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.^[14][15]

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 1975–79, and Darrell Hammond portrayed Nixon on episode 12 of season 34. James Austin Johnson portrayed Trump in several episodes of seasons 47-49.^[16]

Impersonation 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 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. ^[17][18] 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!"^[19]

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."^[20] 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.^[21]

Several 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. 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. There was a 35 year and 6 day gap between his second and third hostings of the show.

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 last appearance as cast. 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.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Not Ready for Prime Time Players.

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

Bibliography

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