25 of the Best SNL Cast Members
Let's make one thing crystal clear here. I didn't watch SNL from the jump. For reasons that may or may not be obvious to people who frequent this site, I was raised on In Living Color and even Mad TV (which I don't think is better) before I jumped on the SNL bandwagon. So if someone's time came and went before the 90s on SNL they're most likely not going to show up on this list.
It should also be noted that I'm not listing people who I like who happened to be on SNL. I'm listing people I liked specifically on SNL. So you can miss me with the requests for RDJ to be on this list. Let's get to it!
Cast Member/Rank:
#25- Jay Pharoah (2010-2016)
Strength:
Jay Pharoah really benefits from the era that he was hired. It just seems like he got hired while they were willing to let a black man do more than have a cool line here or there. Jay is great with impressions, word to the gif above where he went through ever black comedian ever on Weekend Update. I also liked his principal but his impressions are top notch and why he's got a spot on this list.
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#24- Leslie Jones (2014-Present)
Strength:
Leslie Jones is just someone you want to root for. It's great seeing her show up on Weekend Update and play off of Colin Jost, but it's even better seeing a black woman get a chance to take over entire segments and take ownership of her brand of humour. You know... the opposite of Sasheer Zamata who was relegated to the straight man and musical numbers. Leslie Jones somehow makes up for how Sasheer was treated.
Cast Member/Rank:
#23- Norm MacDonald (1993-1998)
Strength:
Norm MacDonald is probably not the Canadian you expected to see on this list. But may I refer you to the opening paragraphs of this post where I made it clear that I wasn't here to praise people I like who happened to be on SNL. I'm here to talk about the cast members I have legitimate fond memories about. Norm's that dude. His work on Weekend Update was excellent. Norm's voice and tone make me laugh with minimal effort on his part. He was perfect for that seat behind the desk!
Cast Member/Rank:
#22- Michael Che (2014-Present)
Strength:
I'm a big fan of Weekend Update if you couldn't tell already. It's the perfect joke delivery system for me and Michael Che is a great addition to the pantheon of Weekend Update anchors. Some might argue even better than when he's out from behind the desk and doing stand up. At this point, people like Hannibal and Jerrod have made Michael's laid back style the norm but there was a time where black men had to be more animated... like a Jay Pharoah. I'm just glad Michael gets to show a different lane.
Cast Member/Rank:
#21- Kyle Mooney (2013-Present)
Strength:
Spoiler Alert! I am a Lonely Island fan. This means that Kyle Mooney's digital shorts have got him on this list. I loved his movie, Brigsby Bear, last year but I think he brings something special to Saturday Night Live in particular. Just think back to when he first introduced us to his relationship with Leslie Jones. That's a great on going story that gets revisited every now and then.
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#20- Tim Meadows (1990-2000)
Strength:
I can't properly put into words why I think Tim Meadows is so great. Which is unfortunate due to the nature of blogging. Let's just agree that we can all think of a time he made us laugh and I feel like all of that is just an extension of what you can find throughout his career on SNL.
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#19- Rachel Dratch (1999-2006)
Strength:
Rachel Dratch's Debbie Downer and lover with Will Ferrell or even with Jimmy Fallon are three characters that have left an indelible mark on me. I find them funny every time they come up. The fact that I could watch any of those characters in any given sketch on loop speaks volumes to what a quality player Rachel was on SNL.
Cast Member/Rank:
#18- Vanessa Bayer (2010-2017)
Strength:
Every Vanessa Bayer character I love is from Weekend Update. The child actor who sings her own theme song, the jewish boy who doesn't engage with Che or whoever the Weekend Update Anchor happens to be, and the weather woman who randomly uses jibberish to get through her segments are all amazing characters. Much like Rachel, Vanessa was a great utility player on SNL while still carving out her own characters.
Cast Member/Rank:
#17- Nasim Pedrad (2009-2014)
Strength:
Nasim Pedrad's delivery is not to be slept on. There is no specific character by Nasim that I can really point to, just know that every time she is front and center, she makes a great vocal choice that belies her diminutive stature. It was truly a shame when SNL lost her energy.
Cast Member/Rank:
#16- Ana Gasteyer (1996-2002)
Strength:
A lot of people would like me to talk about the schwety balls sketch. Yeah that's cool, but you haven't lived till you've witnessed Ana Gasteyer take on the top 40 with her character in the gif above. I think what shines through with every character I can think of with Ana is her professionalism. I really believed the characters I can remember she played.
Cast Member/Rank:
#15- Taran Killam (2010-2016)
Strength:
I lived for Taran Killam's truly old school critic on Weekend Update. I love that he would get angry at the audience and just kept the same energy throughout his segments. Outside of that gem of a character, Taran commit to whatever he was doing and that made him great to watch.
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#14- Bobby Moynihan (2008-2017)
Strength:
I don't know why but Bobby Moynihan is one of the only cast mates I can remember actually not liking because I thought he was a pale imitation of other cast members who I thought filled a similar role. Then he started breaking out some dope Weekend Update characters. Drunk Uncle being my favourite. The way his latent racism would bubble up to the top then be suppressed by his overall depression always made for a great comedic ride. Bobby is the goods!
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#13- Tracy Morgan (1996-2003)
Strength:
Tracy Morgan is the reason I watched SNL with any regularity. Sorry if that offends you. His sewer dwelling hobo who sang about firecracker beer and didn't quite understand the stock market was great with Britney Spears and Kate Hudson but that was just the tip of the iceberg. Astronaut Jones and Brian Fellow are some of the best creations to grace SNL's stages ever! Tracy's strength came from the fact that he knew his delivery was what made him funny and the different ways he chose to showcase that.
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#12- Maya Rudolph (1999-2008)
Strength:
I don't know why, but Maya Rudolph just makes me happy. Everything she does feels so well crafted that I kind of look past her clear knack for humour and just appreciate how professional and charismatic she was on screen. It also felt like Maya got to do more than the black women who came before her on the show so that probably also plays into why I loved her on the show so much.
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#11- Will Forte (2002-2010)
Strength:
I guess Will Forte's humour just lines up perfectly with my sensibilities. Everything from the way he moves, speaks and delivers his lines makes me laugh or impresses me. I didn't even care about MacGyver and he had me loving MacGruber. A movie Nadia and I went to see even though we didn't know anyone else who wanted to see it. I don't care how one note the sketches are, they were always funny. Plus let's never forget the basketball coach in this gif. You're probably playing the music in your head right now.
Cast Member/Rank:
#10- Cecily Strong (2012-Present)
Strength:
Man, the day Cecily Strong leaves SNL, it's going to be rough. Cecily just oozes competence. Cecily does the singing, the accents, and had a glorious year as a Weekend Update anchor. I guess it's an ok consolation that Cecily is now free to kill it with characters during Weekend Update. I don't feel like it's controversial to say Cecily is one of the only reasons to consistently tune into Saturday Night Live these days.
Cast Member/Rank:
#9- Amy Poehler (2001-2009)
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I love Amy Poehler yelling Rick like most people, but her ability to crush as an Anchor on Weekend Update is truly awe inspiring. It's true that Amy went on to become one of my favourite comedic characters on TV, but the foundation of my fandom for Amy Poehler truly started on SNL.
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#8- Kristen Wiig (2005-2012)
Strength:
Kristen Wiig was Cecily Strong before Cecily got on the scene. I mean in terms of being a reason for everyone to tune in consistently and the sense that her departure would be a big loss. Kristen's career after SNL speaks for itself, word to Bridesmaids and being tapped to be a Wonder Woman villain, but while she was on SNL it was quite clear she would take the world by storm.
Cast Member/Rank:
#7- Fred Armisen (2002-2013)
Strength:
I know this is stupid to admit but when Fred Armisen was introduced by Jimmy Fallon (as a character) on Weekend Update I really believed he was who Jimmy said he was. What I'm saying is Fred commits like few others. He's got quite the arsenal of characters to choose from and I don't think it's easy to say what Fred would be like during his downtime. He's that scary good at getting into his characters.
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#6- Bill Hader (2005-2013)
Strength:
It's all about the voices with Bill Hader. He can disappear in his voices. I also think this reporter who hits people with the mic is ALWAYS funny. I'm sure everyone has a favourite Bill Hader character on SNL. I know I have multiple. The point is Bill brings great value to whatever project he's a part of and I'm glad he got to showcase his talent on SNL.
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#5- Kate McKinnon (2011-Present)
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If Cecily is one reason to consistently tune into SNL these days, Kate McKinnon is certainly the other. Talk about dissappearing into characters. Like Fred, I can't place what Kate would be like during downtime, she's got characters for days and I love watching her go to work every Saturday!
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#4- Andy Samberg (2005-2012)
Strength:
It turns out I'm the only one who likes everything Andy Samberg has done (sans the Sandler movies... animated or otherwise). I had to fight Pauline about why Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping is pure comedy gold, and I will defend Hot Rod to the death. The idea being that Andy Samberg humour is right up my alley and he got a chance to really work it out during his digital shorts. I'm really thankful for almost every single Andy Samberg digital short.
Cast Member/Rank:
#3- Tina Fey (2000-2006)
Strength:
I love Tina Fey writing. I am not hear to praise her work in sketches, but her tenure as a Weekend Update anchor was A1, and she worked with the likes of Tracy Morgan to get gold. When I talk about the levels of comedy writing I aspire to reach, I'm definitely thinking about what Tina Fey has produced.
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#2- Eddie Murphy (1980-1984)
Strength:
This one is kind of cheating. Not because Eddie Murphy was a great movie star, and because even Pauline agrees that Life is a dope movie. But because, a lot of the stuff I remember Eddie Murphy for on SNL was him working by himself. The Mr. Rogers, Buckwheat, Gumby, and James Brown parodies were all pretty much a one man show. And yet here we are respecting Eddie's gangster as he and Joe pretty worked alone to create iconic moment after iconic moment during Eddie's time on SNL.
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#1- Will Ferrell (1995-2002)
Strength:
Finally, even though Will Ferrell has disappointed me as of late by aligning himself with Mel Gibson. I can't front like after Tracy Morgan, Will was the reason I kept watch SNL back in my early days of SNL. As a kid who loved In Living Color, it shouldn't be taken lightly when I tell you I though of Will as the new American Jim Carrey! Harry Caray impersonations and all. I don't remember Will breaking that much and he was doing so many funny things on SNL. His ability to get all the funny out of a concept meant he was destined to become the big movie star he is today!
-YG