For nearly 50 years, NBC’sSaturday Night Livehas kept audiences laughing every weekend with sketch comedy performed by an ensemble cast of comedians, accompanied by a different celebrity host and musical guest each week. The show first premiered in 1975 and was created byLorne Michaels, and whether it’s controversial or some viewers insist it has never matched the quality of its early seasons, it has still endured. In its time on the air, it has won over 90 Emmy Awards.
Many comedians have started their careers on the long-running show, including some brilliant, hilarious women, known for everything from spot-on impressions to their use of physical comedy in sketches which have since become important pieces of pop culture. The best of them were not only great to watch in their time onSNLbut left an impression long after they left the show and are still beloved fans, in some cases even decades after their final appearance, and had continued success in comedy.
A famous guest host stars in parodies and sketches created by the cast of this witty show.
10Jane Curtin
Jane Curtinwas part of the very first cast featured onSNL, called the Not Ready for Prime Time Players, and was the first female anchor of “Weekend Update.” After leaving SNL, she won back-to-back Emmys for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her role in sitcomKate & Allieand later appeared in3rd Rock from the Sun. She also reprised one of her characters for the film Coneheads.
Curtin was known for her effective deadpan delivery—her nickname is “Queen of Deadpan”—best demonstrated in segments like “Point/Counterpoint,” where she and fellow castmemberDan Aykroydplayed wonderfully off of each other as they debated newsworthy issues. Her characters were often hilariously driven to frustration by some of the more over-the-top ones played by others in the cast. She has returned to the show several times over the years, often for anniversaries.
9Kate McKinnon
Kate McKinnonspent a decade as a cast member on SNL, where she was known for her celebrity impressions and unique, eccentric characters, andhas returned as a hostin the years following her departure. Since leaving the show, she has appeared in a number of TV shows and movies, including theGhostbustersreboot. One of her most recent film roles wasthe unforgettable Weird Barbiein 2023’sBarbie.
McKinnon was seemingly willing to do or impersonate anyone, no matter how ridiculous. But on top of that, some of her funniest work included the recurring sketch “Close Encounter,” in which she, some castmates and often the celebrity guest host would play characters recounting their experience being abducted by aliens—and someone almost always broke character, thanks in part to her. McKinnon was nominated for 10 Emmy Awards for her work on SNL. She won two.
8Maya Rudolph
Maya Rudolph, daughter of singerMinnie Ripperton, joined the cast ofSNLin 2000. Her impersonations includedOprah,Beyoncéand fashion designerDonatella Versace. Rudolph has appeared in a number of TV shows and movies since leaving SNL, such asBig MouthandBridesmaids. She has also returned toSNLmultiple times over the years, from small guest appearances to hosting three times,including appearances as Vice PresidentKamala Harris.
Rudolph’s impressions have become almost as famous as the people she’s playing—her enthusiastic Oprah was especially memorable, andher Beyoncé and Harris are fan favorites. Her impersonation of Harris won her an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series. Her commitment to a character and a bit have resulted in plenty of hilarious moments in both her time in the cast and returning to the show.
7Molly Shannon
CastmemberMolly Shannonspent six years onSNL, starting in 1995. Since leaving, she has had roles in a number of films, often working alongside her former costars in such movies asA Night at the RoxburyandTalladega Nights, as well asSuperstar, based on herSNLcharacter Mary Katherine Gallagher. Like many other former comedians in the cast, she has returned to the show to host and reprise her best characters.
When Shannon leftSNL,she was the longest-running female cast member in its history at the time.Her characters are among the show’s most famous, especially the eccentric Catholic schoolgirl Mary Katherine Gallagher. Her other memorable characters includethe 50-year-old dancer Sally O’Malley, who loved it “kick, stretch, and kick!” Both characters also made great use of physical comedy. Her work after the show is a testament to her skills at both comedy and drama.
6Kristen Wiig
For seven seasons,Kristen Wiigmade audiences laugh onSNLwith characters like the Target Lady and impersonations of everyone from personal-finance guruSuze Ormanto classic Hollywood iconJudy Garland. Wiig has returned to the show as hosta total of five times. Following her time on the show, she co-wrote and starred in the filmBridesmaids, which also featured SNL alumMaya Rudolph, andappeared in the filmMacGruber, based on a recurring sketch which parodiedMacGyver.
Wiig’s talent as a versatile comedian was evident when she was onSNL. Her impressions were often uncanny, as she immersed herself in and perfectly mimicked her subjects’ voice and mannerisms, and she had a great sense of comedic timing. That talent earned her notable recognition—she was nominated for four Emmy Awards during her time onSNL, and she was also nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress for her role inBridesmaids.
5Rachel Dratch
Rachel Dratch’s seasons onSNLincluded characters like Debbie Downer. Post-SNL, Dratch has had a variety of small film roles, including Hallmark movie parodyA Clüsterfünke Christmaswith former SNL costarAna Gasteyer. She has done voiceover work on animated series includingBob’s Burgers,Star Trek: Lower Decksand more and presented the short-form comedy seriesLate Night Snack. She has also appeared on Broadway, where her work earned her a Tony nomination.
Some of the funniest moments onSNLhave come from comedians breaking character, and it happened often in Dratch’s “Debbie Downer” sketches. One of the sketch’s funniest iterations came from being set in Disney World, the happiest place on earth,where Debbie’s increasingly bleak comments and even personal news resulted in just about everyone breaking character, including Dratch herself. The close-up of her grimacing face paired with the sound of a trombone made the premise even better.
4Ana Gasteyer
Ana Gasteyerchanneled the biggest celebrities of her time onSNLfor impersonations like celebrity chefMartha Stewartand politicianHillary Clinton. After leaving the show, Gasteyer played Cady’s mother inMean Girls, which also featuredSNLalumAmy Poehlerand was written byTina Fey, and has also appeared in multiple Broadway productions. Gasteyer has returned to the show several times since leaving to reprise her most famous characters.
Gasteyer’s sketches were often the highlights of episodes, whether she was delivering an impression or presenting an original character, and she often used her talent for singing. Among her most famous sketches—and perhaps the most famous—was the euphemism-laden “NPR’s Delicious Dish” featuring Schweddy Balls by baker Pete Schweddy, played byAlec Baldwin, followed up years later with Dusty Muffin featuring guestBetty White. Gasteyer’s deadpan delivery makes both sketches even funnier.
3Amy Poehler
Amy Poehlerentertained with her impressions and as half of the “Weekend Update” team. She often worked with fellow castmemberTina Fey, including outside of the show in films such asSistersandBaby Mama, plus a small but memorable role inMean Girls, written by Fey. Poehler’s work after her time onSNLalso includes acclaimed sitcomParks and Recreation, which she produced and starred in, andvoicing Joy in theInside Outfilms.
Poehler was a versatile performer onSNL, known for impersonations—among her best and most well-known was politicianHillary Clinton—and recurring sketches like talkshow “Bronx Beat.” Some of her funniest moments came from her playing children, from a great impression of a youngDakota Fanningto the character of high-strung Kaitlin. Poehler’s success, and some of her best work,continued after the show, helping to make her one of the most successful comedians of her generation.
2Gilda Radner
Gilda Radner was among the Not Ready for Prime Time Players, the original cast ofSNL. She was known for parodying recognizable TV stereotypes such as news anchors and original characters like Roseanne Roseannadanna and the elderly Emily Litella. She portrayed her most famous characters again in her one-woman Broadway show in 1979 and pursued a film career after leaving the show. She died in 1989 from ovarian cancer.
The original cast ofSNLis still often considered the best, andRadner was an integral part of it—and she had a major influence on both the show and comedy moving forward. Her legacy has continued long after her death, and her work paved the way for the women in comedy who followed her, especially on SNL. She won an Emmy in 1978 for her work on the show.
Tina Feyfirst worked as a writer onSNLstarting in 1997 before becoming a cast member in 2000—and she was the show’s first female head writer. In addition to her characters and impersonations, she served as co-anchor of weekly news segment “Weekend Update.”Fey continued to have a successful career in comedyfollowing her time onSNL,starting with the sitcom30 Rock, which she both created and starred in, and continuing withMean Girls.
Fey was always entertaining,from her characters to her sarcastic delivery on “Weekend Update,“and her work as both a writer and performer was a testament to her comedic abilities. Her work onSNLearned her nine Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards. And while her impact on the series is undeniable—she’s often named as being in the running to take over for Michaels—her work afterward, most notably pop-culture stapleMean Girls, helped cement her reputation in comedy.
