Saturday Night Live Cast

, 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.

List

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.

Table

Timeline

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

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:12/31/2024
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
at:09/24/1977 color:gray layer:back width:0.7
at:10/07/1978 color:gray layer:back width:0.7
at:10/13/1979 color:gray layer:back width:0.7
at:11/15/1980 color:black layer:back width:1.0
at:10/03/1981 color:black layer:back width:1.0
at:09/25/1982 color:black layer:back width:1.0
at:10/08/1983 color:black layer:back width:1.0
at:10/06/1984 color:black layer:back width:1.0
at:11/09/1985 color:gray layer:back width:0.7
at:10/11/1986 color:gray layer:back width:0.7
at:10/17/1987 color:gray layer:back width:0.7
at:10/08/1988 color:gray layer:back width:0.7
at:09/30/1989 color:gray layer:back width:0.7
at:09/29/1990 color:black layer:back width:1.0
at:09/28/1991 color:black layer:back width:1.0
at:09/26/1992 color:black layer:back width:1.0
at:09/25/1993 color:black layer:back width:1.0
at:09/24/1994 color:black layer:back width:1.0
at:09/30/1995 color:gray layer:back width:0.7
at:09/28/1996 color:gray layer:back width:0.7
at:09/27/1997 color:gray layer:back width:0.7
at:09/26/1998 color:gray layer:back width:0.7
at:10/02/1999 color:gray layer:back width:0.7
at:10/07/2000 color:black layer:back width:1.0
at:09/29/2001 color:black layer:back width:1.0
at:10/05/2002 color:black layer:back width:1.0
at:10/04/2003 color:black layer:back width:1.0
at:10/02/2004 color:black layer:back width:1.0
at:10/01/2005 color:gray layer:back width:0.7
at:09/30/2006 color:gray layer:back width:0.7
at:09/29/2007 color:gray layer:back width:0.7
at:09/13/2008 color:gray layer:back width:0.7
at:09/26/2009 color:gray layer:back width:0.7
at:09/25/2010 color:black layer:back width:1.0
at:09/25/2011 color:black layer:back width:1.0
at:09/24/2012 color:black layer:back width:1.0
at:09/15/2013 color:black layer:back width:1.0
at:09/27/2014 color:black layer:back width:1.0
at:10/03/2015 color:gray layer:back width:0.7
at:10/01/2016 color:gray layer:back width:0.7
at:09/30/2017 color:gray layer:back width:0.7
at:09/29/2018 color:gray layer:back width:0.7
at:09/28/2019 color:gray layer:back width:0.7
at:10/03/2020 color:black layer:back width:1.0
at:10/02/2021 color:black layer:back width:1.0
at:10/01/2022 color:black layer:back width:1.0
at:10/14/2023 color:black layer:back width:1.0
at:09/30/2024 color:black layer:back width:1.0

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"

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
bar:Rhall from:10/06/1984 till:04/13/1985 color:blue
bar:Short from:10/06/1984 till:04/13/1985 color:purple
bar:Stephenson from:10/06/1984 till:04/13/1985 color:red
bar:Brown from:03/15/1986 till:03/16/1991 color:lightorange
bar:Cusack from:11/09/1985 till:05/24/1986 color:green
bar:Downeyr from:11/09/1985 till:05/24/1986 color:blue
bar:Dunn from:11/09/1985 till:05/19/1990 color:purple
bar:Hall from:11/09/1985 till:05/24/1986 color:red
bar:Lovitz from:11/09/1985 till:05/19/1990 color:orange
bar:Miller from:11/09/1985 till:05/18/1991 color:green
bar:Quaid from:11/09/1985 till:05/24/1986 color:blue
bar:Sweeney from:11/09/1985 till:05/24/1986 color:purple
bar:Vance from:11/09/1985 till:05/24/1986 color:red
bar:Vitale from:11/23/1985 till:02/08/1986 color:lightorange
bar:Wayans from:11/09/1985 till:03/15/1986 color:limegreen
bar:Carvey from:10/11/1986 till:02/06/1993 color:blue
bar:Hartman from:10/11/1986 till:05/14/1994 color:purple
bar:Hooks from:10/11/1986 till:05/18/1991 color:red
bar:Jackson from:10/11/1986 till:05/16/1992 color:orange
bar:Nealon from:10/11/1986 till:10/16/1987 color:limegreen
bar:Nealon from:10/17/1987 till:05/13/1995 color:green
bar:Myers from:01/21/1989 till:02/16/1990 color:skyblue
bar:Myers from:02/17/1990 till:05/16/1992 color:blue
bar:Myers from:12/05/1992 till:01/21/1995 color:blue
bar:Stiller from:03/25/1989 till:04/22/1989 color:lavender
bar:Farley from:09/29/1990 till:09/27/1991 color:magenta
bar:Farley from:09/28/1991 till:05/13/1995 color:red
bar:Meadows from:02/09/1991 till:10/01/1993 color:redorange
bar:Meadows from:10/02/1993 till:05/20/2000 color:orange
bar:Rock from:09/29/1990 till:09/27/1991 color:teal
bar:Rock from:09/28/1991 till:05/15/1993 color:green
bar:Sandler from:02/09/1991 till:09/27/1991 color:skyblue
bar:Sandler from:09/28/1991 till:10/01/1993 color:oceanblue
bar:Sandler from:10/02/1993 till:05/13/1995 color:blue
bar:Schneider from:10/27/1990 till:09/27/1991 color:lavender
bar:Schneider from:09/28/1991 till:09/25/1992 color:lightpurple
bar:Schneider from:09/26/1992 till:05/14/1994 color:purple
bar:Spade from:11/10/1990 till:09/27/1991 color:pink
bar:Spade from:09/28/1991 till:10/01/1993 color:magenta
bar:Spade from:10/02/1993 till:05/18/1996 color:red
bar:Sweeneyj from:11/10/1990 till:09/27/1991 color:redorange
bar:Sweeneyj from:09/28/1991 till:05/14/1994 color:orange
bar:Cahill from:11/16/1991 till:05/16/1992 color:limegreen
bar:Cleghorne from:09/28/1991 till:10/01/1993 color:oceanblue
bar:Cleghorne from:10/02/1993 till:05/13/1995 color:blue
bar:Fallon from:09/28/1991 till:05/16/1992 color:lightpurple
bar:Hutsell from:11/16/1991 till:09/25/1992 color:pink
bar:Hutsell from:09/26/1992 till:10/01/1993 color:magenta
bar:Hutsell from:10/02/1993 till:05/14/1994 color:red
bar:Smigel from:09/28/1991 till:05/15/1993 color:lightorange
bar:Macdonald from:10/02/1993 till:09/23/1994 color:limegreen
bar:Macdonald from:09/24/1994 till:03/14/1998 color:green
bar:McKean from:03/12/1994 till:05/13/1995 color:blue
bar:Mohr from:10/09/1993 till:05/13/1995 color:lavender
bar:Silverman from:10/09/1993 till:05/14/1994 color:pink
bar:Banks from:04/08/1995 till:05/13/1995 color:orange
bar:Elliott from:09/24/1994 till:05/13/1995 color:green
bar:Garofalo from:09/24/1994 till:02/25/1995 color:blue
bar:Kightlinger from:09/24/1994 till:05/13/1995 color:purple
bar:McKinney from:01/14/1995 till:05/17/1997 color:red
bar:Shannon from:02/25/1995 till:09/29/1995 color:lightorange
bar:Shannon from:09/30/1995 till:02/17/2001 color:orange
bar:Breuer from:09/30/1995 till:05/09/1998 color:green
bar:Ferrell from:09/30/1995 till:05/18/2002 color:blue
bar:Hammond from:09/30/1995 till:05/16/2009 color:purple
bar:Kattan from:03/16/1996 till:09/27/1996 color:pink
bar:Kattan from:09/28/1996 till:05/17/2003 color:red
bar:Koechner from:09/30/1995 till:05/18/1996 color:orange
bar:Oteri from:09/30/1995 till:05/20/2000 color:green
bar:Quinn from:03/16/1996 till:09/26/1997 color:skyblue
bar:Quinn from:09/27/1997 till:05/20/2000 color:blue
bar:Walls from:09/30/1995 till:05/18/1996 color:purple
bar:Wolf from:04/13/1996 till:10/19/1996 color:pink
bar:Gasteyer from:09/28/1996 till:05/18/2002 color:orange
bar:Morgan from:09/28/1996 till:05/17/2003 color:green
bar:Fallonj from:09/26/1998 till:09/24/1999 color:skyblue
bar:Fallonj from:09/25/1999 till:05/15/2004 color:blue
bar:Parnell from:09/26/1998 till:09/24/1999 color:lavender
bar:Parnell from:09/25/1999 till:05/19/2001 color:purple
bar:Parnell from:03/02/2002 till:05/20/2006 color:purple
bar:Sanz from:09/26/1998 till:09/24/1999 color:pink
bar:Sanz from:09/25/1999 till:05/20/2006 color:red
bar:Dratch from:10/23/1999 till:09/28/2001 color:lightorange
bar:Dratch from:09/29/2001 till:05/20/2006 color:orange
bar:Rudolph from:05/06/2000 till:09/28/2001 color:limegreen
bar:Rudolph from:09/29/2001 till:11/03/2007 color:green
bar:Fey from:10/07/2000 till:09/28/2001 color:skyblue
bar:Fey from:09/29/2001 till:05/20/2006 color:blue
bar:Minor from:10/07/2000 till:05/19/2001 color:lavender
bar:Edwards from:09/29/2001 till:05/17/2003 color:pink
bar:Meyers from:09/29/2001 till:10/03/2003 color:lightorange
bar:Meyers from:10/04/2003 till:02/01/2014 color:orange
bar:Poehler from:09/29/2001 till:01/11/2002 color:limegreen
bar:Poehler from:01/12/2002 till:12/13/2008 color:green
bar:Richards from:09/29/2001 till:10/03/2003 color:skyblue
bar:Richards from:10/04/2003 till:01/17/2004 color:blue
bar:Armisen from:10/05/2002 till:10/01/2004 color:lavender
bar:Armisen from:10/02/2004 till:05/18/2013 color:purple
bar:Forte from:10/05/2002 till:10/03/2003 color:pink
bar:Forte from:10/04/2003 till:05/15/2010 color:red
bar:Mitchell from:10/04/2003 till:09/30/2005 color:lightorange
bar:Mitchell from:10/01/2005 till:05/20/2006 color:orange
bar:Thompson from:10/04/2003 till:09/30/2005 color:limegreen
bar:Thompson from:10/01/2005 till:end color:green
bar:Riggle from:10/02/2004 till:05/21/2005 color:skyblue
bar:Sudeikis from:05/07/2005 till:09/29/2006 color:lavender
bar:Sudeikis from:09/30/2006 till:05/18/2013 color:purple
bar:Hader from:10/01/2005 till:09/29/2006 color:pink
bar:Hader from:09/30/2006 till:05/18/2013 color:red
bar:Samberg from:10/01/2005 till:09/29/2006 color:lightorange
bar:Samberg from:09/30/2006 till:05/19/2012 color:orange
bar:Wiig from:11/12/2005 till:09/29/2006 color:limegreen
bar:Wiig from:09/30/2006 till:05/19/2012 color:green
bar:Wilson from:02/23/2008 till:05/16/2009 color:skyblue
bar:Elliotta from:11/15/2008 till:09/24/2010 color:lavender
bar:Elliotta from:09/25/2010 till:05/19/2012 color:purple
bar:Moynihan from:09/13/2008 till:09/24/2010 color:pink
bar:Moynihan from:09/25/2010 till:05/20/2017 color:red
bar:Watkins from:11/15/2008 till:05/16/2009 color:lightorange
bar:Pedrad from:09/26/2009 till:09/23/2011 color:limegreen
bar:Pedrad from:09/24/2011 till:05/17/2014 color:green
bar:Slate from:09/26/2009 till:05/15/2010 color:skyblue
bar:Bayer from:09/25/2010 till:09/14/2012 color:lavender
bar:Bayer from:09/15/2012 till:05/20/2017 color:purple
bar:Brittain from:09/25/2010 till:01/14/2012 color:pink
bar:Killam from:09/25/2010 till:09/14/2012 color:lightorange
bar:Killam from:09/15/2012 till:05/21/2016 color:orange
bar:Pharoah from:09/25/2010 till:09/14/2012 color:limegreen
bar:Pharoah from:09/15/2012 till:05/21/2016 color:green
bar:McKinnon from:04/07/2012 till:09/27/2013 color:skyblue
bar:McKinnon from:09/28/2013 till:05/21/2022 color:blue
bar:Bryant from:09/15/2012 till:09/27/2013 color:lavender
bar:Bryant from:09/28/2013 till:05/21/2022 color:purple
bar:Robinson from:09/15/2012 till:05/18/2013 color:pink
bar:Strong from:09/15/2012 till:09/27/2013 color:lightorange
bar:Strong from:09/28/2013 till:12/17/2022 color:orange
bar:Bennett from:09/28/2013 till:10/02/2015 color:limegreen
bar:Bennett from:10/03/2015 till:05/22/2021 color:green
bar:Jost from:03/01/2014 till:10/02/2015 color:skyblue
bar:Jost from:10/03/2015 till:end color:blue
bar:Milhiser from:09/28/2013 till:05/17/2014 color:lavender
bar:Mooney from:09/28/2013 till:10/02/2015 color:pink
bar:Mooney from:10/03/2015 till:05/21/2022 color:red
bar:OBrien from:09/28/2013 till:05/17/2014 color:lightorange
bar:Wells from:09/28/2013 till:05/17/2014 color:limegreen
bar:Wheelan from:09/28/2013 till:05/17/2014 color:skyblue
bar:Zamata from:01/18/2014 till:10/02/2015 color:lavender
bar:Zamata from:10/03/2015 till:05/20/2017 color:purple
bar:Che from:09/27/2014 till:09/30/2016 color:pink
bar:Che from:10/01/2016 till:end color:red
bar:Davidson from:09/27/2014 till:09/30/2016 color:lightorange
bar:Davidson from:10/01/2016 till:05/21/2022 color:orange
bar:Jones from:10/25/2014 till:09/30/2016 color:limegreen
bar:Jones from:10/01/2016 till:05/18/2019 color:green
bar:Rudnitsky from:10/03/2015 till:05/21/2016 color:skyblue
bar:Day from:10/01/2016 till:09/28/2018 color:lavender
bar:Day from:09/29/2018 till:end color:purple
bar:Moffat from:10/01/2016 till:09/28/2018 color:pink
bar:Moffat from:09/29/2018 till:05/21/2022 color:red
bar:Villaseñor from:10/01/2016 till:09/28/2018 color:lightorange
bar:Villaseñor from:09/29/2018 till:05/21/2022 color:orange
bar:Gardner from:09/30/2017 till:09/27/2019 color:limegreen
bar:Gardner from:09/28/2019 till:end color:green
bar:Null from:09/30/2017 till:05/19/2018 color:skyblue
bar:Redd from:09/30/2017 till:09/27/2019 color:lavender
bar:Redd from:09/28/2019 till:05/21/2022 color:purple
bar:Nwodim from:09/29/2018 till:10/03/2020 color:pink
bar:Nwodim from:10/03/2020 till:end color:red
bar:fineman from:09/28/2019 till:10/02/2021 color:lightorange
bar:fineman from:10/02/2021 till:end color:orange
bar:Yang from:09/28/2019 till:10/02/2021 color:limegreen
bar:Yang from:10/02/2021 till:end color:green
bar:Dismukes from:10/03/2020 till:09/30/2022 color:skyblue
bar:Dismukes from:10/01/2022 till:end color:blue
bar:Holt from:10/03/2020 till:05/22/2021 color:lavender
bar:Johnson from:10/03/2020 till:09/30/2022 color:pink
bar:Johnson from:10/01/2022 till:05/18/2024 color:red
bar:Athari from:10/02/2021 till:05/21/2022 color:lightorange
bar:Johnsonja from:10/02/2021 till:10/13/2023 color:limegreen
bar:Johnsonja from:10/14/2023 till:end color:green
bar:Sherman from:10/02/2021 till:10/13/2023 color:skyblue
bar:Sherman from:10/14/2023 till:end color:blue
bar:Hernández from:10/01/2022 till:09/29/2024 color:lavender
bar:Hernández from:09/30/2024 till:end color:purple
bar:Kearney from:10/01/2022 till:05/18/2024 color:pink
bar:Longfellow from:10/01/2022 till:09/29/2024 color:lightorange
bar:Longfellow from:09/30/2024 till:end color:orange
bar:Walker from:10/01/2022 till:09/29/2024 color:limegreen
bar:Walker from:09/30/2024 till:end color:green
bar:Troast from:10/14/2023 till:05/18/2024 color:skyblue
bar:Padilla from:09/30/2024 till:end color:lavender
bar:Wakim from:09/30/2024 till:end color:pink
bar:Wickline from:09/30/2024 till:end color:lightorange

Tenures

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. 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 past 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 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.

President of the United States impressionists

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

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 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 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. 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 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). 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 come back 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.

The "''SNL'' Curse"

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 a superstition known as the "''Saturday Night Live'' Curse".

See also

* Saturday Night Live Band
* List of ''Saturday Night Live'' guests
* List of ''Saturday Night Live'' writers

Notes

References

Bibliography

*

External links

A visual history
from ''The New York Times''

A 2015 ranking
from ''Rolling Stone''

{{DISPLAYTITLE:List of ''Saturday Night Live'' cast members

Lists of actors by television series
Saturday Night Live
Cast