SNL Cast - Bios and Photos
81"Live From New York! It's Saturday Night!"
Currently in its 35th season, Saturday Night Live has become an American institution. Saturday Night Live, or SNL as it's known to many, has launched many a movie career including those of Bill Murray, Adam Sandler, Will Ferrell and Mike Myers. Over the years, SNL's cast and writers have created a slew of memorable characters including The Church Lady, The Spartan Cheerleaders and Mary Catherine Gallagher.
Now there's a new brand of cast members that are creating new and memorable characters right now. SNL's current cast is filled both with seasoned veterans of the show and a few newer faces as well. Here's a look at the cast members who keep the show running.
The SNL Audition Process
Many people wonder if they can simply go and just "try out" for SNL.
For the most part, the answer is no. Potential featured players and cast members usually come recommended to Lorne Michaels via their stand-up work or work with groups such as Second City or The Groundlings. Though that's not always the case, it is fairly common.
Once a "good word" is put in for a particular comedian, their agent is contacted for a reel and based on those factors, it is decided whether or not they should audition. If the actor seems to be a good match, their agent will once again be contacted and an audition will be assigned.
According to Chris Parnell in an interview with IGN, the actor is flown out to NYC by the show and asked to audition before Lorne Michaels inside Studio 8H where the show is filmed. Once there, the actor is asked to perform three original characters and three impressions.
Former cast member Jimmy Fallon has stated in many interviews that he was told before going in that "Lorne never laughs," though apparently he made an exception for Fallon's Adam Sandler impression.
Once the actor has auditioned, they then must play the waiting game until they are contacted to appear on the show as a featured player. However, just because one becomes a featured player doesn't insure their status as a repertory player. Some famous faces who were featured, but never made it to cast member include:
- Al Franken (despite appearing on the series for 11 and a half seasons)
- Laurie Metcalf
- Damon Wayans
- Ben Stiller
- Sarah Silverman
- Jay Mohr
As of its 33rd season, there were no new featured players introduced into the series.
Fred Armisen
Fred Armisen joined SNL in 2002 as a featured player. A skilled drummer, Armisen made a splash as "Fericito," a Venezuelan comedian who plays the timbales and peppers his act with phrases such as "Ay Dios Mio!" and "I'm just keeding!" Since then, he has created a number of other regular characters including "Gunther Kelly," a singer who performs along with Will Forte's high pitched "aaahs" to songs about such obscure topics as tax preparation. In 2004, Armisen was added to the roster as a repertory player. This year marks his eighth season with the SNL cast.
Beginning as a musician, it wasn't until Armisen appeared in the short film, "Fred Armisen’s Guide to Music and South by Southwest," that his career took a turn toward comedy. Since first appearing on SNL, he has appeared in a number of films including "Anchorman," "Eurotrip" and Tenacious D's "The Pick of Destiny."
Abby Elliott
Abby Elliott is the youngest female cast member of SNL to
date. Daughter of SNL Alum Chris Elliott, Abby is also the first 2nd
generation SNL cast member. Now in her second season of the series, she has several
successful celebrity impressions under her belt including Angelina Jolie,
Rachael Maddow and Jamie Lynn Spears.This will be her second season with SNL.
Will Forte
Before joining SNL, you were more likely to find Will Forte working behind the scenes instead of before the camera. A former member of "The Groundlings," Forte produced and wrote for a number of television series such as "That 70s Show," "Third Rock From The Sun" and "Late Night With David Letterman."
Will joined the SNL cast in 2002 and has since created a number of original characters including "The Falconer" and "Tim Calhoun," a nearly inaudible politician who relies heavily on index cards when speaking. This season is Forte's eighth season with SNL.
Bill Hader
Bill Hader held a number of jobs within the industry before landing his gig with SNL. Working as a field agent for the MTV series, "Punk'd," he also did PA work while performing with Second City Los Angeles.
Being added to SNL as a Featured Player in 2005, Hader quickly became known for his impressions which included Al Pacino, Colonel Sanders and even Animal from The Muppets. Currently in his second season with SNL, Hader has also recently appeared in the hit film, "Superbad."
Darrell Hammond
Darrell Hammond has the distinction of being the cast member who has been with SNL for the longest period of time: thirteen seasons. A master impressionist, Hammond quickly became known for his impression of Former President Bill Clinton. Along with Clinton, Hammond commands a vast repertoire of impressions including Al Gore, Sean Connery, Dick Chaney and even Al Sharpton.
Since making a splash on SNL, Hammond has performed for both President Clinton and President Bush and has appeared in a number of films and television series including "Law and Order: SVU."
Seth Meyers
Currently one of the head writers for SNL, Seth Meyers joined the series as a Featured Player in 2001. Since becoming a Repertory Player, Seth has carved out a niche for himself as both writer for the series and complimenting player to many a sketch. A Boston Red Sox fan, he quickly became known as the ranting Sox fan who would frequently appear on Weekend Update with Jimmy Fallon and Tina Fey.
After Tina Fey's departure, Seth took over Tina's place at the Weekend Update desk. This season marks Seth's ninth season with SNL.
Bobby Moynihan
Bobby Moynihan is in his 2nd season of SNL. In his first of SNL, Bobby racked up a number of celebrity impressions including Barney Frank, Gonzo the Great, Nathan Lane and Garfield. He has crafted a several original characters, as well, including “Liam” in the popular “Gilly” sketches. Later this year, he will appear in “The Invention of Lying,” directed by and starring Ricky Gervais and in 2010 he will appear in “When in Rome” starring Kristen Bell and Josh Duhamel.
Nasim Pedrad
The first Iranian cast member of SNL, the 35th season of SNL will be Nasim Pedrad’s first season. Along with performing with The Upright Citizen Brigade and The Groundlings, Nasim has appeared on television series such as Gilmore Girls and E.R. Nasim is the 5th SNL member to be born outside of the USA.
Andy Samberg
Andy Samberg was one half of the viral video sensation, "Lazy Sunday," along with SNL cast member Chris Parnell. Along with Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer, the trio formed "The Lonely Island," filming digital shorts and uploading them to the internet for surfers to download.
The group brought this format to SNL with SNL's "Digital Shorts" which included "Lazy Sunday" as well as a number of other shorts including a hilarious look a young Chuck Norris. This is Samberg's fifth season with SNL.
This summer, Andy appeared in the comedy, "Hot Rod" in the title role of Rod Kimble.
Andy Samburg in "Cool Guys Don't Look at Explosions"
Jenny Slate
The 35th season of SNL marks Jenny Slate’s first season on the show. A graduate of Columbia University, Slate has performed in weekly comedy showcases at New York’s Upright Citizens Brigade as well as appearing on the 7th Floor West sketch on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
Jason Sudeikis
Like Tina Fey before him, Jason Sudeikis began his stint at SNL as a writer before becoming a Featured Player in 2005. Perhaps best known for his impressions of Taylor Hicks, Jason later went onto a recurring role in Tina Fey's series, "30 Rock." Since his debut on SNL, he has impersonated a number of celebrities and politicians including Harry Connick, Jr., George W. Bush, Dane Cook and Simon Cowell.
Jason is currently working on a number of films including "The Ten" and "Bill." This is his third season with SNL.
Kenan Thompson
When Kenan joined SNL, he was no stranger to television sketch comedy. Having got his start on Nickelodeon in the series "All That" and later on, "Kenan and Kel," Kenan came to SNL a seasoned TV performer.
Since his debut on SNL, he has went on to work on a number of films including taking on the title role of "Fat Albert" in the 2004 film. This season marks his fifth season with SNL. As his recurring character, DJ Dynasty Handbag of Deep House Dish would say, "Ooo wee T'Shane!"
Kristin Wiig
Kristin Wiig made a splash on SNL with her original character, "The Target Lady." Portraying an oddball Target employee, The Target Lady regularly runs off to find items that her customers bring up to the counter to purchase for herself later. Among her other SNL characters are one half of "The A-Holes" and a stellar impression of Megan Mullaly as Karen Walker.
A former member of "The Groundlings," Kristin joined SNL in 2005. Since then, she has appeared in "Knocked Up," "Unaccompanied Minors" and the upcoming "The Brothers Solomon." This is her fifth season with SNL.
Saturday Night Live on the Web
- NBC.com > Saturday Night Live
NBC's official Saturday Night Live site complete with cast listings, videos, photos, recaps and a community message board. For those looking for SNL merchandise, you can also find plenty of swag in the NBC online shop. - Saturday Night Live Tickets - How to Get Tickets to See Saturday Night Live
About.Com's guide on how to get tickets to see a live taping of Saturday Night Live. While difficult, it is manageable (I've had many friends who have been successful). Heather at about.com gives you a few good tips and what to expect. - NBC Studio Tour in The NYC Insider: an Insider's Guide to New York City
A complete run through of what to expect when taking the NBC Tour of Studio 8H. If you've never been to NBC Studios in NYC, you're in for a treat and any self-respecting SNL fan should make it a goal to visit. - FallonFey.com
While Jimmy Fallon and Tina Fey's near perfect reign on Weekend Update has come to an end, their exploits still live on across the internet. This site has been a favorite of mine for years. - Saturday Night Live Transcripts
Have you ever had that perfect SNL quote on the tip of your tongue, but you couldn't be sure if you were saying it right? SNL Transcripts puts your worries to an end with a whopping 3,228 transcripts from all 33 seasons of SNL.
SNL Cast Members on the Web
- Official Kenan Thompson Website
Kenan Thompson's official website lists all the latest news regarding everything Kenan. Keep up with Kenan's work on SNL, film and various events he's attending. - Fred Armisen - Thunderant
Fred Armisen's Official Page for his comedy duo, Thunderant. Fred and Sleater-Kinney guitarist Carrie Brownstein make up this comedy duo. Here you can watch their numerous video shorts and keep up with what they're up to. - Fred Armisen on MySpace
Almost everyone is on MySpace and Fred Armisen is no exception. Here, you can read his blog and, of course, you can add him to your friends list and tell everyone that Fred Armisen is your friend. - The Lonely Island | TheLonelyIsland.com
The Lonely Island is the site belonging to Adam Samberg, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone, the trio behind SNL's popular digital shorts. Their site has a ton of videos, news, music and contact information for the comedy group. - Bill Hader Online - A Bill Hader Fansite
Everything you could possibly ever want to know about Bill Hader is at Bill Hader online, a fansite dedicated to, whoelse? Bill Hader. Videos, photos, news, detailed biographies - if you're a Bill Hader fan, this site has it all.
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SNL is my favorite show and I hope to be a writer for it someday. I love this site!
Kristin Wiig is terrible. We wish she wasn't on SNL. We turn to something else when she comes in on a skit.
Kristin Wiig is the best thing that happened to snl since tina fey and amy left...i only watch it to see her skits
Kristin Wiig sucks! She plays all these lame annoying characters. There's nothing funny about quirky target clerk or I-can-oneup-you woman.
This hub is the great!!!
Kristin Wiig is the best! All her skits are hilarious!
who is that brunette girl who is kinda chubby but shes soooo funny? shes pretty though
I'm English and I didn't really get it. The news section was weird, after they said the joke they kinda repeated it in case you didn't get it. There was no subtlety.
Ahh. SNL is my favorite show. Andy Samberg and Bill Hader are the best. I'm glad they are staying at least for another season. :) Kristen Wiig, Will Forte, and Fred Armison are also pretty darn amazing. :D
How can i get in contact (email) with Seth Meyers?
I love SNL....the best ever show
I love Kristin Wiig! Now, Seth Meyers, on the other hand, is awful. Would be TOtally okat with never seeing him on the show again. It will be interesting to see I'd these new girls can hack it. I'm really glad that newbie girl from last season is gone. She was embarrassingly bad.
Who's the person who played Gilly? I keep forgetting!!
Gilly is played by Kristin Wiig
Kristen Wiig makes the show worse than its worst era ever, which was before she came on. The Target lady, Gilly, and every other "dumb" person she portrays is only a cover for her own insufficiencies as an actress. Boooo! I hope she reads this and decides to resign from SNL. It would be her best act!
Hey thanks so much for the positive comments and yes I am the most popular out of everybody else!!
Keep watching!!
Thanks!!!!!
^^ This is Kristen Wiig? Well, you're sorely mistaken; people here think you're the worst thing to hit the airways since, well, faces of death. Please do what's best and enroll in a comedy school so you can learn how to be funny. It's just not working, sweetheart.
You're beautiful and talented. What else it there?
ding dong Jenny Slate's doorbell skit was hilarious!
Kristen Wiig is awesome and anyone who doesn't like her obviously doesn't have a sense of humor at all.
I love Kristen Wiig. Penelope and Aunt Sue forever!!!
Oh and I have nothing bad to say about The Lonely Island boys either..
This current cast is incredibly underrated. I don't know if the writing isn't up to par or whatever but the performers really don't get enough credit. I wish some of the people who ignorantly keep saying "SNL is just not as good anymore" and similar things would actually stop and watch these people. Fred Armisen is awesome. Will Forte is hilarious but underutilized, Bill Hader is borderline comedic genius - his impressions are unbelievable. Bobby Moynihan is coming into his own and has grown on me. Nasim Pedrad (besides being gorgeous) is really good and has "it". Andy Samberg is like Jimmy Fallon except he doesnt break character every sketch - he's tremendous in the Digital Shorts. Jason Sudekis is absolute MONEY and does everything that he's asked of (and he's in almost every sketch) very well. Kenan Thompson is really starting to find his niche on the cast. Kristen Wiig is the Will Ferrel, or whatever star you want, of the cast. She's hilarious, she shines in the spotlight, she carries struggling cast members at time. In short, Wiig is GOLD.
The only negatives are Abby Elliot, who besides a few decent impersonations, never seems like she belongs, and Seth Myers who does alright on Weekend Update despite coming off as pretentious.
All in all this cast is great.
Wiig is hot, that's why she is cast. Her acting is terrible, and her shtick is way off. 'Nuff said.
If you really can't stand the cast (or kristen) how about you keep your negative self loathing comments to yourself and just stop watching. the loss of one asshole is not even a loss. Kristen IS a comedic genius and whoever says other wise lacks a sense of humor and is a grade A asshole. I would like to see "shesucksbad" get up in front of America every saturday and make people bust out in laughter. In fact I am watching SNL right now and she's absolutely hilarious.Do you really not have anything better to do with your time then to criticize? People who don't like the show, cast, or kristen, should turn their televisions off and sit in their pathetic drab, little world and keep to themselves instead of being such a downer to all the rest of us (who have a sense of humor). She's at the top of her game, and she receives the most skits because she is what the people want and she is amazing for ratings. So kristen, I'm a huge fan and personally would love to shake your hand! Thanks for the laughs, keep them coming.
I really love this show. It's inspiring to watch all these comedic geniuses come together. I
I named my stray cat T'Shane cause he's from the hood!
Kristen wiig is my favorite!!!! She always plays the weird characters and does a great job!!! She makes me laugh every time! I also looovvveee Seth meyers!!!!
I LOVE andy samberg he is my idol and my hero and what not i have three of his videos on my ipod and seven episodes of snl on there too i have memorized three of the songs and they make me crack up even after the fiftieth time watching them! Love his so much
I enjoy being a downer, especially because of the funny "Debbie Downer" skit SNL showed when it WAS a FUNNY show. Now it's just terrible. Especially Kristen. But that goes without saying, but my delete button doesn't work.. or I woulda used it on Ms. Wiig already.
hey shesucksbad - why not enjoy being a downer in another life and get the hell out of this one you freaking zero. also, Kristen - keep going girl!
as for my personal fav - of course its Abbey Elliott - WOW serious eye candy & she looks like she would be just absolute fun to date!! Whats better in life than to be with a girl whos smart, has quicksilver wit, and looks gorgeous! Not much in my mind Anyway - Go SNL, a great show!!
Awww. Would you like a tissue? It's gonna be okay, I promise. All you people who take offense to my comments are going to grow up and be big people someday! So congrats, and good luck. I've conducted a study to see how people don't deliver advice, but rather attack when not confronted visually. Unfortunately most people on this forum have failed, but there's hope! Don't take things you read on the internet so seriously! Get some fresh air and quit being such babies! Geez!!!
i cant find the snl video with kristen wiig farting in it and they are really loud and in the skit they are shooting a movie.
SNL started great 35 years ago but has long been NOTHING and should have been cancelled long ago! MAD-TV was GREAT for its entire 15(?)-year run until Fox stupidly cancelled it. BRING BACK MAD-TV!
SNL has gotten stupider and less mature.
R-r-remember when SNL was a good show? That was awesome! Those days are llllllooooooonnnnnnngggggg gone.
Wow, Tina Fey fantasizing about a 12 year old boy sexually...how well would that have been if it was a male having sexual thoughts on a little girl ?
I heard that Al Pacino will have a great movie called Son of No One I read that at
I think jenny slate and masim pedrad are both really hot
Honestly I love each character! They have their own special traits that I just adore about them! SNL is Hilarious! And I really like Kenan Thompson! He was on his own little kid Snl when he was on All that! SNL is the greatest!
Kristin Wiig is really funny so stfu
I LOVE SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE!!!!
snl bites, one main reason Kristen wiig!
Snl is the best and I don't know why everyone's hatin on Kristen Wiig! She's freakin hilarious!!!! I especially like the airline correspondant character. Just kidding I don't just kidding I do. She's an awesome character!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You people who say that Krisin Wiig is bad are just dumb, and have obviously never watched the show. I think she is just awesome. If you think she is so bad, then how can you even stand to watch that Kenan guy? He is terrible I'm sorry. Idk if it is the writers or what, but he hasn't had a good skit for a while. So all you people, not to name names (shesucksbad), should just stop hating on Krisin Wiig, she has carried the show ever since Tina and Amy left. Fred Armisen, Will Forte, and Bill Hader would all be so good, if they got more air time though!
Wiig sucks -- end of story!
I think snl is great. I have nothing against Kristin Wiig, but they tend to use her in almost all of the sketches. I think she is hilarious, but they need to use the other girls
more. All the guys are pretty awesome, though!
Wiig is really funny!!
I like Bill Hader the best! He does such a great job playing all of the creepy stalker-like parts! It cracks me up!
ilove snl but it makes me mad how they got rid of all the good girls but kriston wigg!!!!!!!!!!!!
i love andy sandurg! snl digital shorts are the best!!!
hey,'i.p. daily' you are way stupider!!!!!! snl rocks!!!
Ok all you krisin wiig haters-shut up. you wouldn't know funny if it slapped you on the face. especially u shesuckbad. if kristin wiig has ever been kinda stupid on the show, then it was probably just her role in that skit. i was truly surprised that kristin wiig got all those negative comments-she's clearly the best on the show! kristin has kept the show alive! just like kristinsthebest said. i would like to see all of you wiig haters up in front of America every saturday night and put on at least half as good a show as kristin does. u have no right to criticize her-u don't know what its like. yes neither do i, but at least i know that. kristin wiig is my idol! if i could meet any famous person it would definitly be kristin.
hey idiots kristen wing is fricking hilarious!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hey everyone. Thanks for commenting on my comments! So, for those hatin' on me because I think Kristen Wiig is the worst thing to hit SNL since Sinéad O'Connor ripped up a picture of the Pope; consider this: Yeah, she may "carry" the show with her humor... but unfortunately she's carrying it to hell in a hand basket. Just like Tina Fey does with that dumb show on NBC. Everyone who likes their humor cannot think for themselves, therefore like the dumbest comedians on free OTA TV.
All in favor of ignoring shesucksbad, not because we disagree with her opinion which she's free to have, but because she's incredibly rude say I.
Anyway, I love SNL and it's wonderful, beautiful, hilarious cast. So sad to see some of my favorites go in the past few years...And this year Will Forte will surely be missed :(
Hey shesucksbad, imagine Kristin Wiig naked, then you'll have to believe that she sucks good! She has quite the bangin' body. Go baby!
SNL IS AWESOME! If anyone thinks that anyone of the actors is bad well then you don't have a sense of humor AT ALL!!! All of the actors tie the whole show together! I just think that they need more "guest-people" on the weekend updadte. I don't care who because I LOVE you all
Think what you want, but Kriten Wiig is Jesus
Hey SNL Rocks,
If Kriten is so good, why is her dumb-ass sister KriSten on SNL? And by the way, there is only one Jesus, and he and his brother Jose cut my grass on Thursdays.
SNL used to be a great I remember watching the very first show in 1975 and have been a loyal fan up until resently. The only thing that was holding it together was Maya Rudolf and she left on 2008. I am tired of seeing political skits at the beginning of every episode. The musical guests are pretty lame too. Tina Fey just got an award for her writing efforts on SNL, but I tend to think she is why the skits are so poor now days.
Just watched the Nov 21st SNL special, and sure enough Seth Meyers Had to babble on about Sara Palin AGAIN for the 1000th time during the weekend update. It was something about a word in a dictionary that Sara used and was totally ridicules and showed his severe liberal slant.
Another thing that he did was to bring on a black rapper and he sang the most ridicules rap (puke)song about thanksgiving and Seth said it was great and actually meant it.
Seth Meyers is constantly trying to preach his liberal agenda in his weekend update skits just like Tina Fey did and will be loosing viewers as more people catch on.
With a little luck, the only viewers that they will lose are the ones that can't spell ridiculous and losing! But then again, maybe buying a dictionary with Palin's new made up word in it would help.
Kristen Wiig is the best thing that happened to SNL in years. She is miles better than Tina Fey. I liked everything she's done without exception. Yes, I too watched SNL in 1975. That SNL has produced some of the best comedians over the years is legendary, and Kristen is bound to continue the tradition.
And..the writing has really improved lately. The Julian Assange skit was good, but the Chinese Premier bending over ones were really funny. It's good to see that Americans can still have a laugh at themselves...
I think SNL's biggest problem (one it is overcoming) is that it is too self-reverential for its past format. Shake it up! Betty White, etc.--that's the direction to go.
For how much these people claim to hate snl so damn much.....they sure spend a lot of time complaining about it instead of moving on with their lives. I am sure this site is for fans....not whiny dinks. Stefan is the best though!!!
OMGEZZ i just peed
SNL is the shit and so is the whole cast i hope to be on SNL one day even if it's just to sweep up the garbage :)
Kristen is terrible.
2 muhammad- excuse me, but the whole cast works really hard at wat they do. Do you have ANY idea how hard it is to make a break as an actor? All of them are really talented and are really funny, especially Kristen Wing And Andy Samberg.Snl is clever, creative, and TOTALLY hilarious.You have NOOOOO taste
P.S. Muhammad was a Babalonian King who treated people like dirt, you guys must be related
content_pessimist the "black rapper" was the pharaoh guy and the raps were a joke. it was a joke. snl is jokes. that's how its meant to be, and Seth Meyers just smiles alot.
For real. SNL is dead, and Kristen's finger was on the trigger. Too bad Seth told her to pull it. We all enjoyed the show, but it's up to Jesus to resurrect it.
Fred Armisan really shines as Prince. I loved him and Maya Rudolph's skit, "The Prince Show" where she played Beyonce.
How about a hub about past SNL folks like Eddie Murphy, Joe Piscapo and Phil Hartman?
I remember saying "boy, they need to really clean house and get rid of all these God awful female featured players and start over." Well, I got 1/3 of my wish and Jenny Slate is gone but Abby Elliott and Nasim Pedrad remain. Thankfully Vanessa Bayer is good but she's not given much to do other than the "Miley Cyrus" sketch. Which is pretty cool. It's pretty cool.
well i don't no wat u guys think about snl's cast members and frankly i dont care. the others are ok but tina fey is the best and will always be the best. all us sain people know it.
A grate Idea for a SNL skit:
A take off of Suzie Ormond's "Can I afford it" segment.
Have Barack obama call in & ask Suzie if he can afford it?
Kristen, Andy, and Bill do a phenominal job bringing the twists to the show. Like so many others, my dream is to appear as a featured player on SNL.
The rest of the cast is awesome, though I think Abby should try to expand her horizons. But who am I to critique? =D
Kristen is GONE!! YAY!
The Washingtonian 3 years ago
I love SNL, this hub was so great to see it all tied together.