I’ve learned that I live in a bubble of people who are constantly online, consuming everything pop culture, and that’s not everybody’s reality. I had a rude awakening really hit when a friend thought Martin Short was just the guy from Only Murders in the Building.
So, as a decades-long Saturday Night Live fan, I want to impart my knowledge of popular celebs and creatives who you probably didn’t know started on SNL.
1.
Believe it or not, the comedic timing of Iron Man‘s Robert Downey Jr. goes way back before he was “disguised as a dude” in Tropic Thunder. Before becoming one of the highest-grossing actors of all time, he had a stint on Saturday Night Live.
Robert was part of the new cast of Saturday Night Live from 1985 to 1986 alongside Weird Science costar Anthony Michael Hall. Unfortunately, his season received poor ratings, and it wasn’t in the cards for Robert to just crack jokes live on the small screen.
2.
Bob Odenkirk is a two-time Emmy Award-winning actor, comedian, writer, and producer known for his roles as Saul Goodman/Jimmy McGill on Breaking Bad and its spin-off, Better Call Saul, but his career began with Saturday Night Live a couple of decades earlier.
Bob got his start as a writer for Saturday Night Live from 1987 to 1991, during the era that included Adam Sandler, Chris Farley, David Spade, and Chris Rock. He won an Emmy for Season 14 and went on to write for shows like Late Night with Conan O’Brien and The Ben Stiller Show.
3.
Anthony Michael Hall was a breakout ’80s star, appearing in hits like Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, and Weird Science with a young Robert Downey Jr. But, did you know he joined the cast of the popular late-night sketch show for a hot minute?
Anthony was part of Saturday Night Live from 1985 to 1986. At 17, he remains one of the youngest cast members ever to join the show. He was on SNL at the same time as other actors, Joan Cusack, Randy Quaid, and Iron Man actor Robert Downey Jr.
4.
Everybody knows Conan O’Brien as the former host of Late Night with Conan O’Brien from 1993 to 2009, then The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien, and eventually Conan from 2010 to 2021. But he actually got his start writing alongside Bob Odenkirk for SNL.
Conan was a writer for Saturday Night Live from 1988 to 1991, before becoming a writer and producer on The Simpsons for a few years. Eventually, Conan became the host of Late Night, replacing David Letterman, and the rest is history.
5.
Comedian Hannibal Buress will always be synonymous with the hilarious pediatric dentist, Lincoln Rice, from Broad City, and Eric Andre’s wisecracking sidekick on the Eric Andre Show. But, before all that, he was a writer on the late-night sketch comedy show.
Hannibal was a writer on Saturday Night Live from 2009 to 2010, before becoming a writer for the popular NBC show 30 Rock, which featured many SNL alums. His career as a stand-up comedian would take off, most notably after his infamous 2014 stand-up set calling out allegations against Bill Cosby.
6.
Stand-up comedian and actor John Mulaney is everywhere now with his Emmy Award-winning stand-up specials The Comeback Kid and Kid Gorgeous, and his work with frequent collaborator Nick Kroll. Yet, it was writing for Saturday Night Live where John first shone as a writer and comedian.
John wrote for Saturday Night Live from 2008 to 2013, during the late 2000s era that included popular SNL cast members like Bill Hader, Fred Armisen, Kristen Wiig, Amy Poehler, and Seth Meyers. While he was never a cast member, he hosted the show six times.
7.
Writer and filmmaker Adam McKay’s movies have become comedy gold with classics like Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Step Brothers, and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. And there’s a reason why he frequently collaborated with Saturday Night Live alum Will Ferrell.
Before cranking out a slew of hilarious movies with Will, Adam was the head writer of Saturday Night Live from 1995 to 2001, one of the most popular eras of the sketch comedy show. After his tenure, he went on to write and produce numerous films, including the award-winning satirical drama The Big Short.
8.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus is currently one of the most Emmy-awarded actors in history for her roles on Seinfeld, The New Adventures of Old Christine, and Veep. But, years before she became a TV powerhouse, she was on Saturday Night Live.
Julia joined Saturday Night Live from 1982 to 1985 as one of the youngest female cast members at the time. Julia actually met Seinfeld’s creator, Larry David, on SNL during Season 10, when he was briefly there, and they changed TV forever with the character Elaine Benes.
9.
When a friend told me they just knew comedian, actor, and writer Martin Short from Only Murders in the Building and The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause, I almost had a meltdown, given the incredible number of movies, TV shows, and unforgettable characters he portrayed over the decades.
Martin, a theater actor, was part of a Canadian sketch comedy show before joining Saturday Night Live from 1984 to 1985. His short run on SNL actually paved the way for a handful of comedy specials, movie roles, and TV shows like Primetime Glick, a character popularized by Martin’s sketch comedy work.
10.
Ben Stiller had one of the shortest runs on the late-night sketch show, yet one of the most successful careers in Hollywood as an actor and filmmaker. So, it’s fair to overlook that, before he was directing and starring in movies like Reality Bites and Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, he was involved with Saturday Night Live.
Ben was a cast member of Saturday Night Live for a couple of months in 1989 — the season featuring Dana Carvey, Phil Hartman, and Dennis Miller. He quit SNL after a couple of episodes because he wanted to focus on directing and making shorts versus performing sketches.
11.
Tim Robinson’s comedy series Detroiters and the award-winning I Think You Should Leave didn’t come out of nowhere. The comedian and actor was a writer on Saturday Night Live years before refining his craft to become one of the most absurdly funny sketch artists today.
Tim worked on Saturday Night Live from 2012 to 2016, but you probably don’t remember seeing him on your television that much. He actually went from performer to staff writer, and he’s responsible for unforgettable sketches like Regine, played by Fred Armisen.
12.
Writer and director Greg Daniels might not be a name you’re immediately familiar with, but there’s no doubt you’ve seen his creative work. He’s known for writing for The Simpsons, co-developing the US adaptation of The Office, co-creating King of the Hill, and co-creating Parks and Recreation. Before that, he was a writer for SNL.
Greg was a writer for Saturday Night Live from 1987 to 1990 before he would eventually become the creator of some of the most popular TV shows of the last couple of decades, one that particularly included a huge SNL alum like Amy Poehler.
13.
Fans of Los Espookys or Fantasmas can easily recognize Julio Torres, but before he was mastering surrealist comedy on the small screen, he was a writer for Saturday Night Live.
From 2016 to 2019, Julio was a writer for SNL, where he was nominated for several Emmys for his work alongside other writers like Andrew Dismukes and Bowen Yang before they became cast members.
14.
When people think of Mike Myers, of course, they’re going to mention one of the highest-grossing animated franchises in the world, Shrek. But long before he was bathing in a swamp or Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, Mike was a Saturday Night Live mainstay.
Mike was a cast member of SNL from 1989 to 1995 during the era that produced some of the biggest movie stars of the ’90s, like Chris Farley, Chris Rock, and Adam Sandler. During his tenure, Mike snagged an Emmy for his work and helmed one of the most popular SNL sketch-to-movie adaptations, Wayne’s World.
15.
Speaking of this particular era, yes, Adam Sandler is from the same era of Saturday Night Live as Mike Myers. It was truly the golden era. Before he became one of the highest-grossing comedy superstars with movies like Happy Gilmore, Big Daddy, Grown Ups, and more, Adam was doing sketches on late-night TV.
Adam was a cast member on SNL from 1990 to 1995, an era that genuinely raised elder millennials. He was initially hired as a writer and became a featured player in 1991. Funny enough, Adam Sandler and Chris Farley were fired from SNL, and they both went on to have very successful movie careers.
16.
And finally, Natasha Rothwell completely stole the show in series like HBO’s Insecure and The White Lotus, even when she wasn’t the main character. But, as many others mentioned above, Natasha started in improv comedy and writing for the late-night sketch show.
Natasha had a brief stint as a writer for Saturday Night Live from 2014-2015, right around the time the series was seriously lacking Black female comedians and writers. Ultimately, Natasha didn’t feel seen or heard at SNL, and would eventually find a new place working alongside Issa Rae and the creators of Insecure.
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