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34 Trivia Tidbits That Shine A Spotlight on ‘Saturday Night Live’

November 12, 2023

Name a comedic actor or musical group, and SNL probably had something to do with them — even if it was rejection.

So many great comedians like Pee-wee Herman, Stephen Colbert and Tiffany Haddish famously didn't get cast on the show, but ended up with great careers. Then there are former cast members who describe the experience of working on SNL like they were traumatized war veterans. There have also been several sketches and characters that have caused controversy or boosted the profile of now-Hollywood-level writers.

Love it, or hate it, Saturday Night Live is still very much a big part of the cultural conversation. Here’s what celebrities, former cast members, writers and fans have said about SNL…

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34

STEVE CARELL CRACKED.COM Did he or didn't he? Lorne Michaels says he kicked himself over not hiring Carell after his audition. Carell claims he never tried out. — Entertainment Weekly

33

Cypress Hill

CYPRESS HILL OCTOBER 22, 1993 with CRACKED.COM Lorne banned Cypress Hill for life after DJ Muggs sparked up a spliff onstage. (Psst, Lorne, it's legal in NYC now.) — Good Housekeeping

32

Californians

CALIFORNIANS FRED ARMISEN CRACKED.COM Whenever he returned from the west coast, Armisen would discuss L.A. directions with castmates Bill Hader and Kenan Thompson. The inane talk about best driving routes became a running Californians joke, though Armisen says he doesn't mind the Cali traffic. — Hollywood Reporter

31

SHE'S TAKING THE KIDS TO HER SISTER'S ANGEL EVERY - BOXER'S GIRLFRIEND HEIDI GARDNER CRACKED.COM IT WAS WHEN THAT JAKE GYLLENHAAL RACHEL MCADAMS MOVIE CAME OUT, SOUTHPAW. IN THE PROMO, SHE SAY 'YOU'RE NOT THE FIGHTER, I'M THE FIGHTER.' I'M LIKE THINK AMY ADAMS SAID THAT TWO YEARS AGO IN THE FIGHTER. AND THEN YOU GO THROUGH ALL OF THEM AND IT'S THE SAME SCENES, EVERY TIME. I JUST GOT EXCITED. — Conan YouTube

30

LESLIE JONES CRACKED.co COM I don't miss it. At all. That job was hard, man. That job was like two jobs, and very restrictive too. I wasn't very free there. — Insider

29

Coffee Talk

COFFEE TALK WAS NOT A MOVIE, DISCUSS UNPRODUCED CRACKED.COM BUT IT WAS A SCREENPLAY AT ONE POINT. MIKE MYERS (WHO MUST HAVE BEEN WORKING ON A DOZEN OF 'EM) WAS DEVELOPING A SCRIPT, BUT THE PROJECT WAS AXED AFTER THE JOYLESS FAILURE OF OTHER MID-90S SNL FILMS. NO BIG WHOOP. — New York Magazine

28

PAUL REUBENS CRACKED.COM After losing a spot on SNL to Gilbert Gottfried, Reubens borrowed five grand from his parents to develop his own stage show. And Pee Wee Herman was born. — UPROXX

27

ASHLEE SIMPSON OCTOBER 23, 2004 CRACKED.COM I feel SO bad my band started playing the wrong song and I had no excuse SO I had to do a hoedown! (Actually, someone played the wrong vocal track for Ashlee to lip-sync, SO she panic-danced before slinking offstage.) — ET Online

26

ALBERT BROOKS I REALLY WANT TO DIRECT CRACKED.COM BROOKS CLAIMS NBC WANTED HIM AS SNL'S PERMANENT HOST BUT HE WANTED TO MAKE SHORT FILMS INSTEAD. THE SIX HE DIRECTED FOR SNL'S FIRST SEASON PAVED THE WAY FOR `LOST IN AMERICA' AND 'DEFENDING YOUR LIFE.' — Live from New York: The Complete, Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live as Told by Its Stars, Writers, and Guests

25

CANTEEN BOY ADAM SANDLER CRACKED.COM Sandler specialized in characters that were losers. Canteen Boy's having a rough day today. I feel like people will respond to it because they know people like that. I'd rather write about... people who have a tough time. It's more interesting than a winner. — LA Times

24

ADAM MCKAY WAS ON HIS WAY TO THE MOVIES 2004 CRACKED.COM THERE'S NO ONE SMARTER THAN FORMER HEAD WRITER ADAM MCKAY, ACCORDING TO HORATIO SANZ. HIS TRADEMARK MARRIAGE OF THE FUNNY AND STRANGE EVOLVED IN HIS FILM PARTNERSHIP WITH WILL FERRELL (ANCHORMAN, TALLADEGA NIGHTS, STEP BROTHERS). — Live from New York: The Complete, Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live as Told by Its Stars, Writers, and Guests

23

OTERI KNEW THEY HAD A HIT WHEN SHE SAW A FRIDGE MAGNET FEATURING THE CHEERLEADERS FERRELL/OTERI, SPART ART CRACKED.COM I WAS A CHEERLEADER IN HIGH SCHOOL, AND I WOULD STOMP MY FEET AND CLAP WHILE WAITING FOR MY TURN, SAYS OTERI. AND THEN WILL STARTED DOING IT REALLY SERIOUSLY. THEY TURNED IT INTO A SKETCH, DECIDING THAT THE DUO'S SPARTAN SPIRIT WOULD GREATLY SURPASS THEIR CHEERING TALENT. — Hollywood Reporter

22

Chris Elliott

CHRIS ELLIOTT CRACKED.COM It was just such a miserable experience that I have sort of blacked out a lot of these things. That whole year I was just embarrassed. — Ranker

21

MARTIN LAWRENCE FEBRUARY 19, 1994 CRACKED.COM Only East Coast viewers saw Lawrence's unedited monologue, a bit about oral sex and feminine hygiene that was full of enough improvised profanity to earn a spot on Lorne's Lifetime Ban List. — Yahoo

20

Dieter

DIETER LAUNCHED MASSIVE LAWSUITS UNPRODUCED CRACKED.COM MYERS HATED HIS OWN (FUNNY!) SCREENPLAY, SO HE BACKED OUT OF THE SPROCKETS MOVIE. UNIVERSAL SUED MYERS FOR $5 MILLION, THEN IMAGINE ENTERTAINMENT: SUED FOR $30 MILLION. MYERS COUNTERSUED AND LONG STORY SHORT, WE WERE PUNISHED WITH 'THE CAT IN THE HAT'. — Looper

19

TIFFANY HADDISH CRACKED.COM If they don't give it to me, f*** them, Haddish said after her audition. They didn't. Haddish got the last laugh as the first black female comic to host the show. — Decider

18

ADRIEN BRODY MAY 10, 2003 CRACKED.COM If you're going to introduce Sean Paul in fake dreadlocks and an offensive Jamaican accent, you should probably let Lorne know before you're on live TV. — Far Out

17

BEN STILLER SUCCESSFUL FOCKER CRACKED.com STILLER SIGNED A 5-YEAR SNL DEAL IN 1989, THEN QUIT AFTER FIVE EPISODES. HE FOUND SKETCH SUCCESS ON MTV'S 'BEN STILLER SHOW,' THEN GOT FREAKING HUGE WITH 'THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY, 'ZOOLANDER,' AND THE 'MEET THE PARENTS' TRILOGY. — Rolling Stone

16

HDA BEARS ROB SMIGEL CRACKED.COM Smigel cooked up the Super Fans from two tasty ingredients: The Sportswriters on TV, a Chicago-based roundtable discussion, and the overweight, mustachioed, Old Style-swigging fans he'd see at Cubs games. Bonus: Sunglasses meant Smigel could easily read cue cards without learning his lines. — The Ringer

15

GREG DANIELS WAS CONAN'S COLLEGE ROOMMATE 1988 CRACKED.COM DANIELS AND O'BRIEN BOTH WROTE FOR THE HARVARD LAMPOON, 'NOT NECESSARILY THE NEWS,' 'SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE' AND 'THE SIMPSONS.' then GREG BROKE OFF ON HIS OWN AND CREATED A COUPLE LITTLE SHOWS CALLED 'PARKS AND RECREATION'. AND 'THE OFFICE.' — ScreenRant

14

NO BREAKFAST, ONLY CHEESEBURGER CHEESEBURGER BELUSHI/ACKROYD. CRACKED.COM WRITER DON NOVELLO WAS INSPIRED AFTER GOING TO THIS BILLYGOAT TAVERN JUST TO HEAR THE GUYS GOING 'CHEESEBURGER CHEESEBURGER CHEESEBURGER. WE HAD A LIVE GRILL , THEY WERE REALLY MAKING CHEESEBURGERS. NOVELLO GOT ONE OF THE GOOD OFFICES AFTER THE SKETCH TOOK OFF. — Live from New York: The Complete, Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live as Told by Its Stars, Writers, and Guests

13

Michael Phelps

MICHAEL PHELPS SEPTEMBER 13, 2008 SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE CRACKED.COM Critics say he looked pained to be there. His Michael Phelps Diet sketch featuring a cameo from Subway's Jared Fogle hasn't aged well. — Last Night On

12

-PRESIDENTS WAS WRITTEN ON SPEC UNPRODUCED GRACKED.COM ROBERT (TV FUNHOUSE) SMIGEL AND ADAM (ANCHORMAN) MCKAY HAD A BLAST WRITING AN EX-PRESIDENTS SCREENPLAY, HOPING TO PRODUCE IT FOR CHEAP. WHEN THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN, SMIGEL TURNED THE SCRIPT INTO A GRAPHIC NOVEL. — AV Club, Amazon

11

STEPHEN COLBERT CRACKED.COM When Lorne Michaels was asked Whom did you overlook that you kicked yourself over later? his first response was Stephen Colbert. — Hollywood Reporter

10

CHRIS ROCK STANDUP SUPERSTAR CRACKED.CO SNL NEVER QUITE KNEW WHAT TO DO WITH ROCK, so HE DID IT HIMSELF. FROM KILLING IT ON THE STAND-UP STAGE TO CREATING SHOWS LIKE 'EVERYBODY HATES CHRIS', HE SNAGGED FOUR EMMYS AND THREE GRAMMYS FOR HIS TROUBLE. — Time

9

SNL

DRUNK UNCLE BOBBY MOYNIHAN CRACKED Moynihan spent hours on a sure-fire sketch about a suit salesman, the best character in SNL history. Colin Jost asked for a quick Update bit -. Drunk Uncle was whipped up in 15 minutes. Suit Salesman bombed and Drunk Uncle appeared 10 more times. — Rolling Stone

8

JB Smoove

JB SMOOVE HAD SOME GREAT SKETCH PITCHES 2006 CRACKED.COM BUT UNFORTUNATELY, MOST NEVER MADE THE AIR. LIKE THE FACE-LIFT WIG THAT HIDES YOUR HANDS AS THEY PULL BACK YOUR WRINKLES. OR A SKETCH WHERE TOM BRADY WOULD PLAY A 1950S QUARTERBACK FAMOUS FOR BEING THE FIRST NFL PLAYER TO SMACK TEAMMATES ON THE ASS. — Late Night with Seth Myers YouTube

7

A DAVID S. PUMPKINS ANY QUESTIONS? TOM HANKS GRAGKED THE SKETCH WAS WRITTEN IN LATE- NIGHT DESPERATION. I THINK NAMES AND SUITS ARE FUNNY, SAYS MIKEY DAY. I JUST REMEMBER THINKING, DAVID PUMPKINS. HE'S GOT PUMPKINS ON HIS SUIT. IT WAS ALWAYS ABOUT THE COUPLE'S QUESTION: WHY ARE THEY HERE? THE WRITERS' ANSWER: THIS GUY'S WEIRD AND WE'RE ONBOARD. — Vulture

6

LINDSAY LOHAN MARCH 3, 2012 CRACKED.CO Lohan was OK in her first few tries at host, but her 2012 appearance was full of missed cues and fumbled lines. If it was an attempt to rehab her tabloid image, it failed. — Goliath

5

STUART SAVES HIS FAMILY NEEDED BOX OFFICE THERAPY CRACKEDG HAROLD (GROUNDHOG DAY) RAMIS IS ON HAND TO MAKE STUART BETTER THAN YOU MIGHT EXPECT. CRITIC ROGER EBERT FOUND IT GOOD ENOUGH AND SMART ENOUGH. BUT DOGGONE IT, MOVIE VIEWERS DIDN'T LIKE IT, FAILING TO EARN EVEN ONE MILLION DOLLARS. — Roger Ebert

4

Aubrey Plaza’s SNL Dreams

AUBREY PLAZA CRACKED.COM I wanted to be on that show for as long as I could remember, says Plaza. She landed an SNL internship in 2005 but didn't make the cast after her 2008 audition. — The Guardian

3

ELVIS COSTELLO DECEMBER 17, 1977 CRACKED.COM Filling in for the Sex Pistols, Costello ditched his planned number and launched into 'Radio Radio' instead. Lorne Michaels gave him the middle finger the entire song. — Ultimate Classic Rock

2

GARTH ALGAR DANA CARVEY CRACKED.COM Carvey based Wayne's pal Garth on his nerdy genius brother Brad. Both Brad and Garth share a love for videos, drums, and red licorice. Carvey was afraid Wayne's World would be seen as a Bill and Ted rip-off, but no one seemed to mind the similarities. — Eighties Kids

1

TERRY AND BONNIE TURNER TALKED IT OUT 1986 GRACKED.com THE CREATORS OF 'THIRD ROCK FROM THE SUN'AND 'THAT 70S SHOW' WERE MARRIED WHEN WRITING ON SNL. SHE COULD SHORE ME UP AND I COULD SHORE HER UP. SAYS TERRY. WE BOTH WENT TO THERAPY DURING THE SHOW. WAIT-SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE DROVE US BOTH TO THERAPY. I NEVER THOUGHT OF THAT UNTIL NOW. — Live from New York: The Complete, Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live as Told by Its Stars, Writers, and Guests

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