\n<\/p>\n
\n\tOver the course of Saturday Night Live<\/em>\u2018s history, many memorable cast members have graced the Studio 8H stage (172 of them, to be exact). But of all the various comedians to be featured on the long-running sketch comedy series, roughly 35 percent have only appeared on the show for a single season.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tBy technical terms, that means there have been around 60 one-and-done Saturday Night Live<\/em> performers, and that list includes a plethora of Hollywood\u2019s beloved writers, actors and comedians. Some previous ensemble members have faded into the background, while others have stood out among the crop, going on to win an Oscar, Grammy and plenty of Emmys and Tonys (meaning the full slate of alumni with one season under their belt, together, have an EGOT).<\/p>\n \n\tSome of them were fired. Some of them were better suited on the series as writers. A few of their careers went on to blow up in Hollywood. So without further adieu, her are all of the SNL<\/em> cast members who (for one reason or another) only lasted one season.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Dia Dipasupil\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\tAristotle Athari was part of SNL<\/em>\u2019s 47th installment. After his time on the comedy series, he went on to make appearances in Hacks<\/em> (in two season three episodes and a singular season four episode) and most recently acted in MEGAN 2.0<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Alan Singer\/NBC\/NBCU Photo Bank\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\tPeter Aykroyd graced the cast of SNL<\/em> during season five, where he also served as a writer. The brother of original cast member Dan Aykroyd, Peter died in 2021, and his death was announced during the Nov. 20 episode of the same year.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Neilson Barnard\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\tMorwenna Banks served on a mere four episodes of season 20 of SNL<\/em>. She went on to write and act in a number of projects, and she notably voices the role of Mommy Pig in the animated children\u2019s show Peppa<\/em> Pig.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Alan Singer\/NBCU Photo Bank\/NBCUniversal via Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\tBeth Call graced SNL<\/em> during its 17th season. When reflecting on her time as a featured player in conversation with Grantland<\/em>, Call called the gig \u201ca high-pressure job\u201d that\u2019s full of \u201cstiff competition.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cIt\u2019s a fun job, but it\u2019s a real job, with office politics and everything!\u201d she added. \u201cBut for the most part, it was great. People told me that Lorne liked me, and he was always very nice to me. I liked working for Lorne; I\u2019m forever grateful to him for taking a chance on me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: \u00a9TriStar Pictures\/courtesy Everett Collection\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\tGeorge Coe is from SNL<\/em>\u2018s original 1975, notably a member of <\/em>the infamous batch of Not Ready for Prime Time Players. After starring in the debut episode, he went on to make additional brief cameos in the show.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tCoe went on to have a sprawling acting career, being featured in projects including\u00a0Kramer vs. Kramer, The Stepford Wives <\/em>and Archer<\/em>. He was additionally nominated for an Oscar in 1969 for his short film, The Dove. <\/em>Coe died in 2015 following a long illness.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: JC Olivera\/WWD\/Getty Images; Alan Singer\/NBC\/NBCU Photo Bank\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\tBilly Crystal was intended to appear on the first episode of SNL<\/em> in 1975, though he was infamously cut from the cast. Nonetheless, he returned roughly a decade later as an official member of the cast in 1984. While his time with the sketch comedy series was short, Crystal\u2019s career went on an upward trajectory after he left SNL<\/em> in 1985.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tCrystal\u2019s discography is too long to list, though some of his standouts include his role of Harry Burns in When Harry Met Sally<\/em> (1989), City Slickers<\/em> (1991) and Monsters, Inc.<\/em> (2001), where he voiced Mike Wazowski. He\u2019s received three Grammy noms (the same number of times he\u2019s hosted said ceremony), six Emmys, won a Tony and holds the title for the second-most times a person has hosted the Oscars, having led the awards show nine separate times.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tCrystal is just one example on the lengthy list of one-and-done SNL<\/em> cast members who have proved that only gracing a single season of the program doesn\u2019t define one\u2019s career. \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Sonia Recchia\/Getty Images for Sundance\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\tAfter a one-season run on SNL<\/em> in the mid-1980s, Joan Cusack kicked off a prominent career as an actress. She was nominated for her first Academy Award in 1988 tied to her role in Working Girl<\/em>, and she earned her second Oscar nom in 1997 for In & Out<\/em>. Cusack has, too, lent her voice to the Toy Story<\/em> franchise as Jessie.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tThe actress earned her single Emmy in 2015 for her work as Sheila Jackson in Shameless<\/em>. Before taking the title, Cusack was notably nominated for five consecutive years at the Emmys, beginning in 2011.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Andrew H. Walker\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\tTom Davis was one of the original writers of SNL. <\/em>He worked on the show alongside his professional partner Al Franken, and Lorne Michaels notably scouted them to write for his sketch comedy show after he saw the duo performing stand-up in Los Angeles. SNL<\/em>\u2019s fifth season was his only run as a featured player.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tDavis and Franken earned four Emmys together, with three of those stemming from their writing for the series in 1976, 1977 and 1989. His final Emmy came from The Paul Simon Special<\/em> in 1977. Davis died in 2012 of metastatic tonsil cancer.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cTom was one of the writers who created SNL<\/em>,\u201d Michaels said in a statement following his death. \u201cHe was there from the beginning. No one saw things the way that Tom did. He was funny, he was original and he was always there to help no matter the hour. And I always trusted his laugh. I can still kinda hear it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Dipasupil\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\tDenny Dillon was a cast member during the notorious sixth season of the show, also known as SNL<\/em> \u201880. She is the first lesbian to be featured on the cast. In a 2020 profile with Vulture<\/em>, she confirmed that \u201canyone who was working with me probably knew\u201d she was gay, though she \u201cjust wasn\u2019t ever out publicly.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI\u2019ve been out for a long time. Me telling you I\u2019m out, I just wasn\u2019t ever out publicly. I\u2019ve been gay a long, long time. But it wasn\u2019t safe to be out in Hollywood for a long time, in the \u201990s,\u201d Dillon explained. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t safe. I\u2019m not sure if [Jean Doumanian or Dick Ebersol] would\u2019ve known; it was a different time.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Alan Singer\/NBCU Photo Bank\/NBCUniversal via Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\tWhile Jim Downey\u2019s experience in front of the camera was short lived at Studio 8H, his time behind the camera was quite extensive. Downey served as a writer on the show from 1977-1980, 1984-1998 and 2000-2005, and was a head writer for a decade from\u00a01985-1995, making him the longest writer in the show\u2019s history. <\/p>\n \n\tHe also worked as a producer for\u00a0Weekend Update<\/em>\u00a0from 1995-1997. But it was in 1980 when he became a cast member. A famous sketch he\u2019s seen in, is \u201cMr. Madison,\u201d where he delivers the line, \u201cNo one in this room is now dumber.\u201d He also appears in\u00a0Billy Madison,<\/em>\u00a0starring\u00a0SNL<\/em>\u00a0alum Adam Sandler, as the principal, and delivers the\u00a0harsh yet memorable line: \u201cI award you no points and May God have mercy on your soul.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Arturo Holmes\/Getty Images; Alan Singer\/NBCU Photo Bank\/NBCUniversal\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\tIn 1985, after a five-year hiatus, Lorne Michaels returned and, instead of sketch comics, hired a crew of young actors, including Robert Downey Jr., Anthony Michael Hall and Joan Cusack. For all his talent, sketch comedy was just not in Downey\u2019s wheelhouse. The dud of the year resulted in nearly the entire cast being let go, Downey among them. He was, of course, meant for bigger things on the big screen.<\/p>\n \n\tDowney since went on to lead the Marvel Cinematic Universe, beginning with 2008\u2019s Iron Man<\/em>. After earning an Oscar nod for best actor in 1993, he won his first Academy Award in 2024 in the supporting actor category for his work in Oppenheimer<\/em>. He\u2019ll make his long-awaited MCU return (after Iron Man\/Tony Stark died in Endgame<\/em>) in Avengers: Doomsday<\/em>, where Downey will take on a new role in the superhero series as Doctor Doom.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris\/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\tChristine Ebersole\u2019s first (and only) season on SNL<\/em> was the same as Dick Ebersol\u2019s \u2014 a total coincidence, as are the similarities of their surnames. Ebersole, like Ebersol, was thrown right into the fire, serving as Brian Doyle-Murray\u2019s \u201cWeekend Update\u201d co-anchor. These were, ah, not SNL<\/em>\u2019s heydays. They were also not Ebersole\u2019s \u2014 her best work was saved for a different kind of live stage show, earning Tony Awards for 42nd Street<\/em> and Grey Gardens<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Ernesto Distefano\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\tAfter a successful audition in the mid-1980s, the man behind some of David Letterman\u2019s best Late Night<\/em> bits and the cult sitcom Get a Life<\/em> initially turned down an offer to join SNL<\/em>. He may have wished he had trusted that instinct, as his 1994\u201319595 run was notoriously difficult. Coming off the cancellation of Get a Life<\/em> and the box office flop of Cabin Boy<\/em>, Elliott badly needed a win, but instead found the SNL<\/em> environment stifling: \u201cIt\u2019s a really unhealthy process. You\u2019re doing comedy but you\u2019re competing with your fellow cast members for airtime.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tIn the long run, though, leaving was for the best. Elliott thrived in his own eccentric projects (Eagleheart<\/em>) and scene-stealing appearances in mainstream hits (There\u2019s Something About Mary<\/em>, Schitt\u2019s Creek<\/em>, The Good Wife<\/em>, Community<\/em>), channeling his oddball genius far more effectively outside of Studio 8H.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\tSiobhan Fallon, now Siobhan Fallon Hogan, has had a nice career after her one-and-done SNL<\/em> season. Though Hogan has mostly worked as a character actress, she has made the most of those opportunities, which include standout roles in Forrest Gump<\/em> and on Seinfeld<\/em>. Though Hogan (then Fallon) didn\u2019t stick around long enough to benefit from that early-90s SNL<\/em> rebuild, her career as a writer and an actress is nothing to stick your nose up at.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Slaven Vlasic\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\tGarofalo didn\u2019t even make it a full season at SNL<\/em>, because holy cow she hated it. Garofalo says she was badly mistreated by her fellow cast members and writers. Calling SNL<\/em> \u201cthe most miserable experience of [her] life\u201d and finding much of the sketches to be juvenile, Garofalo said there was a \u201cvisceral feeling of bad karma when you [walked] into the writers\u2019 room.\u201d So yeah, she preferred working with Ben Stiller, another one-and-done SNL<\/em> player (just five years earlier). Garofalo went on to have a great career on other <\/em>TV shows, as well as in more than 50 feature films.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Will Heath\/NBC\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\tAn honorable mention among singular season SNL<\/em> castmembers, Shane Gillis was quickly fired after joining the cast in 2019 when a video resurfaced of him using a racial slur. In total, he was an official cast member for less than a week, though he has since returned as host in 2024.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Larry Busacca\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\tGilbert Gottfried on Saturday Night Live<\/em> was wildly different than the Gilbert Gottfried we know from Beverly Hills Cop<\/em>, Aladdin<\/em> and the Problem Child<\/em> movies \u2014 perhaps that\u2019s why he was so briefly a part of the show. You see, Gottfried\u2019s trademark squint and shrill voice are not natural. They\u2019re part of the act, but not part of the act he brought to SNL<\/em> in just its sixth season.<\/p>\n \n\tRight now, you\u2019re probably imagining Gottfried screeching \u201cAFLAC!\u201d Gottfried was the infamous voice of the famous insurance duck, until he tweeted out a series of jokes about the deadly 2011 tsunami in Japan \u2014 his act had, uh, evolved quite a bit by then. The notoriously dirty and dangerous comic was the subject of 2017 documentary, Gilbert<\/em>, which is where many fans were first able to separate the man from the character. He died five years later from recurrent ventricular tachycardia caused by myotonic dystrophy type II, a rare genetic muscular disease that can lead to heart complications.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Jason LaVeris\/FilmMagic\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\tThe SNL<\/em> tenure of Christopher Guest \u2014 the comedic mind behind Waiting for Guffman<\/em>, Best in Show<\/em> and other brilliant mockumentary classics \u2014 was limited to the notorious 1984\u20131985 season. Both for him and for the show, it was a transitional year: Dick Ebersol had departed, Lorne Michaels had yet to return and the eclectic cast included Billy Crystal, Martin Short and Harry Shearer.<\/p>\n \n\tHired as both a performer and a writer, Guest brought his dry, understated style to sketches that leaned toward satire. His forte was subtle character work: oddball intellectuals, offbeat commentators and dry \u201cstraight men\u201d opposite broader performers. His cerebral humor sometimes clashed with SNL<\/em>\u2019s rapid-fire format, but collaborations with Crystal and a handful of sharp parody news pieces stood out. <\/p>\n \n\tGuest\u2019s year at Rockefeller Center coincided with his true breakthrough \u2014 he had already co-written and starred in This Is Spinal Tap<\/em> (1984), the film that launched the modern mockumentary. In hindsight, SNL<\/em> was a brief detour on the way to the improvisational ensemble comedies that defined his career. He has one Primetime Emmy and Grammy under his belt.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\tAn icon of the 1980s Brat Pack and John Hughes\u2019 teen films (The Breakfast Club<\/em>, Weird Science<\/em>), Anthony Michael Hall joined SNL<\/em> in 1985 at just 17, still the youngest male cast member in the show\u2019s history. His lone season coincided with Lorne Michaels\u2019 return and an influx of new faces, but Hall was overshadowed by heavyweights like Jon Lovitz, Nora Dunn and Dennis Miller. <\/p>\n \n\tOften cast in the same awkward-teen roles that had made him famous in Hollywood, he struggled to land impressions (his Ron Reagan Jr. fell flat) and never quite found his footing. After leaving Studio 8H, Hall pivoted away from teen roles, slowly rebuilding his career with small TV and film parts before scoring later successes, including the lead role in the sci-fi series The Dead Zone<\/em> (2002\u20132007) and a memorable supporting part in The Dark Knight<\/em> (2008).<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Alan Singer\/NBC\/NBCU Photo Bank\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\tRich Hall is not one of those one-timers on our list who you almost certainly know from other projects. His comedy career was relatively frontloaded, winning a writing Emmy for David Letterman\u2019s original daytime show and then writing for and performing on Fridays<\/em>, the Saturday Night Live <\/em>competitor best known for counting Larry David (Curb Your Enthusiasm<\/em>, Seinfeld<\/em>) among its cast. Hall, a standup comic who sometimes performed as country music singer Otis Lee Crenshaw, had some successes here and there \u2014 and by \u201cthere\u201d we mostly mean the UK.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Jamie McCarthy\/Peacock via Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\tDuring the 2020-2021 season, or better known as the COVID season of the sketch comedy series, Lauren Holt was a featured player in its cast. One of her most memorable sketches was when she appeared as relationship expert Mackenzie Taylor-Joy in a Valentine\u2019s edition of\u00a0\u201cWeekend Update\u201d\u00a0and a\u00a0Bachelor\u00a0spoof, which starred Adele. That same season, cast member\u00a0Beck Bennett also left\u00a0the show after eight seasons. Since departing the show, she\u2019s gained acting credits in\u00a0Barbie, You\u2019re Cordially Invited<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Curb Your Enthusiasm,\u00a0<\/em>and lent her voice for the animated films\u00a0Aqua Teen Forever: Plantasm<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Pastacolypse.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Alan Singer\/NBC\/NBCU Photo Bank\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\tA hire from the Jean Doumanian era of SNL<\/em>, Hudson\u2019s short tenure is notable for being the first Black woman in the cast. She was a featured player in her season, not a full-fledged cast member, and only given small, supporting roles that failed to let her shine. She was fired after 12 episodes after the season debuted to bad reviews and sinking ratings.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Neilson Barnard\/Getty Images for Venice Family Clinic\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\tLaura Kightlinger was a featured player on SNL<\/em> during season 20, and while she didn\u2019t continue on with the series, she went on to appear in several other TV and film projects. She served as a consulting producer and writer on 2 Broke Girls<\/em>, and served in those same roles on the Emmy Award-winning comedy Will & Grace<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\tDavid Koechner, most well known for his roles in\u00a0The Office<\/em>\u00a0and the\u00a0Anchorman<\/em>\u00a0films, was previously a cast member on\u00a0SNL\u00a0<\/em>during the 1995-1996 season. Additional notable names that season include Will Ferrell, Tim Meadows, Darrell Hammond, Jim Breuer, Norm MacDonald, Mark McKinney and Cheri Oteri. In 2019, Koechner went on\u00a0Larry King\u00a0<\/em>and recalled how he disagreed with the show pushing \u201cfake talk show parodies,\u201d because he wanted to work on sketches instead.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: NBC\/NBCU Photo Bank\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\tAnother member of SNL<\/em>\u2019s infamous sixth season, Matthew Laurance ran as a featured player for 13 episodes in total. He starred in the 1983 musical drama Eddie and the Cruisers<\/em>, and subsequently reprised his role for the 1989 sequel. Laurance, too, acted in the beloved 1990s teen drama Beverly Hills, 90210<\/em> as Mel Silver, the father to Brian Austin Green\u2019s David Silver.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Dia Dipasupil\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\tAfter Jean Doumanian was fired from SNL<\/em> in 1981, leading to a series of cast cuts, Gail Matthius was one of the only starting featured players from season six to remain through the end of the series. Of the \u201cintense\u201d time in the show\u2019s history, she told Vulture<\/em>, \u201cI remember going one by one into Dick Ebersol\u2019s office. It was like thumbs-up or thumbs-down. Charlie [Rocket] came out: He was gone. Gilly [Gottfried] came out: He was gone. It was pretty intense, like Sophie\u2019s Choice<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tHowever, she didn\u2019t stick around for season seven, though Matthius has since established a wide-ranging career in voice acting. She\u2019s behind the voice of Tiny Toons\u2019<\/em> \u201cShirley the Loon,\u201d Martha in Bobby\u2019s World<\/em> and Molly Coddle in Bump in the Night<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Dia Dipasupil\/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\tThe Emmy and Tony winner was a part of the SNL<\/em> cast at one point \u2014 sort of. Metcalf had two brief appearances in the show, one in 1981 when she did a \u201cman on the street\u201d bit and another in 1988, where she was in the sketch \u201cLaurie Has a Story\u201d alongside Catherine O\u2019Hara. The\u00a0Lady Bird<\/em>\u00a0star reflected on the experience in a 2019\u00a0Vulture\u00a0<\/em>interview.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cIt seems like a dream because it was so long ago and it was a whirlwind five days I spent in New York,\u201d Metcalf said. \u201cThey put me in a business suit and sent me out on the street with a little mini\u2013camera crew. I was so out of my element; I had no idea what I was doing. But I know that I did it because there\u00a0is<\/em>\u00a0proof<\/em>, there is footage. When I see that, I realize I was very na\u00efve and brave about it in a way.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Dana Edelson\/NBCU Photo Bank\/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\tWith one sole run on SNL <\/em>in the 2013-2014 season, John Milhiser\u2019s time on the series is most remembered for his \u201c4th Grade Talent Show\u201d sketch featuring Lady Gaga. To commemorate the 50th season, the comedian wrote a lengthy tribute about the bit with Mother Monster on Instagram, where he further thanked Michaels for the opportunity.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI love SNL<\/em> and still religiously watch it,\u201d he wrote. \u201cMuch love to Lorne Michaels for putting me on his show and for making many of us fall in love w\/ sketch comedy.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Matthew Simmons\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\tJerry Minor hit the SNL<\/em> stage during its Emmy-nominated 2001 installment. Looking back on his time as a featured player, he told Vulture<\/em>, \u201cMy experience wasn\u2019t as fun as it could have been,\u201d while adding that he \u201cshould\u2019ve relaxed more.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tMinor has since appeared in a 2011 episode of How I Met Your Mother<\/em>, two season eight episodes of The Office<\/em> and joined the cast of Abbott Elementary<\/em> as Mr. Morton in season two.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Dia Dipasupil\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\tA charming performer who incorporated guitar and music into his comedy, Luke Null joined in season 43 along with Chris Redd and Heidi Gardner. He was a standout in Chicago\u2019s improv scene, but didn\u2019t impress Michaels, and was released from his contract after a single season. His most memorable sketch is probably the one in which he plays Kenny Longhorn, a country music-playing talk show host.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Ben Gabbe\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\tMike O\u2019Brien appeared on camera during season 39, but he had a longer tenure as a writer on the series. After joining in 2009, he remained with SNL<\/em> until 2015, and became a part of the cast in 2013-2014. Three years after his departure, O\u2019Brien created NBC\u2019s A.P. Bio<\/em>, which ran for four seasons.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: NBCU Photo Bank\/NBCUniversal via Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\tMichael O\u2019Donoghue is credited as the first head SNL<\/em> writer. Despite only making a few onscreen appearances, he remained with the program as a writer until he was fired in season three for a skit about then-NBC president Fred Silverman. Dick Ebersol later invited him back for season six, though he was fired before season seven ended.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tO\u2019Donoghue\u2019s final season with SNL<\/em> arrived in season 11 when Michaels invited him back, though he went on to be (once again) fired. He collected two Emmys for his writing on the show in 1976 and 1977. O\u2019Donoghue died in 1994 of a cerebral hemorrhage.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \n\tAn odd footnote in a brilliant career, Emily Prager appeared in a single episode of SNL<\/em> in 1981 and was then abruptly sacked. A writer and performer with a sharp wit and an ear for satire, Prager was denied a shot at establishing herself on air, and her sudden departure is often cited as one of the quickest cast turnovers in the show\u2019s long history. <\/p>\n \n\tRather than fading away, though, Prager went on to carve out a career as a novelist, journalist and essayist, contributing to The New York Times<\/em> and publishing acclaimed books like In the Missionary Position<\/em> and Roger Fishbite<\/em>. Her very short-lived SNL<\/em> experience is a footnote her career and also the show; it underscores its unpredictability \u2014 and how some voices are better suited to other mediums.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Carlos Alvarez\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\tAnother casualty of the doomed \u201985 season, the National Lampoon\u2019s Vacation <\/em>series breakout never quite found his groove on the sketch show. He is best remembered for his Ronald Reagan impression before he parted ways with the show. His career declined and he began behaving eccentrically, claiming later to be targeted by a shadowy group of \u201cHollywood star whackers.\u201d He also found himself getting in trouble with the law.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\tBefore his time on SNL<\/em>, Rob Riggle was a United States Marine. He was a cast member for the show\u2019s 30th season, and went on to join The Daily Show<\/em> in 2006 after his 2005 exit. He has one Emmy nomination.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: NBC\/Everett Collection\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\tAnn Risley was a featured player on season six of SNL<\/em>. She has since retired from her career as an actress and comedian, but landed roles in Honkey Tonk Freeway, Rich and Famous <\/em>and Desert Bloom<\/em> after her run on the sketch comedy show.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Dana Edelson\/NBCU Photo Bank\/NBCUniversal via Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\tTim Robinson started out as a featured player for season 38, though he proved better suited as writer on the show. He lent his writing skills to SNL<\/em> from 2013-2016, and has continued to act in various projects over the years. He has three Emmys, all tied to his 2023 comedy special I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Fred Hermansky\/NBC\/NBCU Photo Ban\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\tCharles Rocket was a standout cast member during his single season on SNL<\/em>. He hosted Weekend Update<\/em> and The Rocket Report<\/em>, but was fired simultaneously with Jean Doumanian and a wave of other cast members after he said the F-bomb on-air. <\/p>\n \n\tRocket went on to act in Dumb and Dumber<\/em> (1994), Dance with Wolves<\/em> (1990) and Hocus Pocus<\/em> (1993). He died of suicide in 2005.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Bob Mahoney\/Netflix\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\tA member of Los Angeles\u2019 The Groundlings, Joe Rudnitsky joined SNL<\/em> in its 2015-2016 run. Despite a one season limit, he\u2019s continued to work in Hollywood. A year after his departure, he appeared in the Reese Witherspoon-led rom-com Home Again<\/em>, Netflix\u2019s 2018 Set It Up<\/em> and the streamer\u2019s 2024 Lindsay Lohan-starring holiday comedy.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\tSon to I Love Lucy<\/em> writer Bob Schiller, Tom Schiller was brought onto SNL<\/em> as a featured player for one season, though he\u2019s most remembered for serving as a writer on the series. He joined in season one, where he remained until season five in his sole featured player season. Schiller later returned to SNL<\/em> in its 14th season and stayed for one more as a writer through season 15.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tHe further contributed to the legacy of the sketch comedy program as he directed many of the show\u2019s accompanying short films, including projects that spotlighted cast members Dan Aykroyd and Chevy Chase. Schiller has three Emmy wins under his belt, all for his writing on the series.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\tPaul Shaffer\u2019s segway to onscreen SNL<\/em> work came in season five after he served as part of the SNL <\/em>band from its debut season. So far, he\u2019s the only member of the band to transition to being a featured player. Following his 1980 exit, Shaffer transitioned to being David Letterman\u2019s musical director in 1982 on Late Night with David Letterman<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tHe remained there with Letterman until 1993, though he continued his professional working relationship with the iconic TV host for his full tenure on the Late Show with David Letterman<\/em> (1993-2015). In 1987, Schaffer notably made his \n
Aristotle Athari (2021-2022)<\/h2>\n
Peter Aykroyd (1979-1980)<\/h2>\n
Morwenna Banks (1994-1995)<\/h2>\n
Beth Cahill (1991-1992)<\/h2>\n
George Coe (1975)<\/h2>\n
Billy Crystal (1984-1985)<\/h2>\n
Joan Cusack (1985-1986)<\/h2>\n
Tom Davis (1979-1980)<\/h2>\n
Denny Dillon (1980-1981)<\/h2>\n
Jim Downey (1980)<\/h2>\n
Robert Downey Jr. (1985-1986)<\/h2>\n
Christine Ebersole (1981-1982)<\/h2>\n
Chris Elliott (1994-1995)<\/h2>\n
Siobhan Fallon Hogan (1991-1992)<\/h2>\n
Janeane Garofalo (1994-1995)<\/h2>\n
Shane Gillis (2019; Honorable Mention)<\/h2>\n
Gilbert Gottfried (1980-1981)<\/h2>\n
Christopher Guest (1984-1985)<\/h2>\n
Anthony Michael Hall (1985-1986)<\/h2>\n
Rich Hall (1984-1985)<\/h2>\n
Lauren Holt (2020-2021)<\/h2>\n
Yvonne Hudson (1980-1981)<\/h2>\n
Laura Kightlinger (1994-1995)<\/h2>\n
David Koechner (1995-1996)<\/h2>\n
Matthew Laurance (1980-1981)<\/h2>\n
Gail Matthius (1980-1981)<\/h2>\n
Laurie Metcalf (1981; Honorable Mention)<\/h2>\n
John Milhiser (2013-2014)<\/h2>\n
Jerry Minor (2000-2001)<\/h2>\n
Luke Null (2017-2018)<\/h2>\n
Mike O\u2019Brien (2013-2014)\u00a0<\/h2>\n
Michael O\u2019Donoghue (1975)<\/h2>\n
Emily Prager (1981)<\/h2>\n
Randy Quaid (1985-1986)<\/h2>\n
Rob Riggle (2004-2005)\u00a0<\/h2>\n
Ann Risley (1980-1981)\u00a0\u00a0<\/h2>\n
Tim Robinson (2012-2013)<\/h2>\n
Charles Rocket (1980-1981)\u00a0\u00a0<\/h2>\n
Jon Rudnitsky (2015-2016)<\/h2>\n
Tom Schiller (1980)<\/h2>\n
Paul Shaffer (1979-1980)<\/h2>\n