, the late-night live variety series Saturday Night Live (SNL) has featured 174 cast members. The ensemble was originally referred to as the Not Ready for Prime Time Players.
List As of 2026, 174 comedians have served as cast members on the show. Sid Caesar is the only person to be named an honorary cast member. Caesar was presented with a plaque during the goodnights of his hosting stint in 1983.
Table
+Saturday Night Live cast membersPerformerStartEndTotal seasonsRepertory playerFeatured playerMiddle groupWeekend Update anchorHostedBest of...Writer200220131120212022119751979419801199512010201772026present11983198521975197942013202182025present219951998320102012219861991620122022101991199211986199371975197622014present13 199119954197511984198511975198052025present21985198612014202281979198012016present11 1980198112020present719801198519861198021981198219992006719811984419851990519811982120012003220082012419941995119982004619911992119901995519952002720002006620192026720022010819791980819861988199520172025819941995119962002619801981119811985419841985120052013819851986119821984219841985119952009141986199482022present52020202111986199151980198111991199431986199262021present62020202442014201952014present1419962003819811984420222024219941995120102016619951996119821985319801981120222025 31982198531985199051993199852025present21980198111994199521995199732012202211199120001019811200120141320132014119851991620002001120032006320162022619931995220132022919962003719751980520082017919801984419771980419891995719861995919751980519791980219851986201720181201820257201320141197511995200052024present31998200682025present2200920145201020166198019844200120088198111985198611996200051975198052017202252026present120012004320042005119801981120122013119901993319801981119811982220152016120002007920052012719911995519982006819801199019944197919801199520017197919802198419852021present61984198511993199412009201012025present21991199321990199661984198511989120122022112005201391990199441985198612003present242023202411985198612016202261985198612022202531995199612024202512008200911985198611980198112013201412013201412024present320052012720082009219961996220192025720142017419801
Timeline Lighter colors denote "featured players" versus repertory cast members.
Tenures Longest tenures The following comedians have served as cast members on the show for more than 9 seasons:
+Saturday Night Live cast members with the longest tenuresNameTotal seasonsStartEndNotes242003presentPromoted to repertory player in his third season on the show.1419952009At the time of his departure, Hammond had the longest tenure as a cast member on the show. In 2014, Hammond returned to the show as the announcer following the death of longtime announcer Don Pardo. 13 ½2014presentJost has been a writer at SNL since 2005, and has been anchoring Weekend Update since 2014. He had also been a head writer for the show from 2012 to 2015, and again from 2017 until 2022.132014presentChe has been a writer for SNL since 2013, and started anchoring Weekend Update a year later. Che and Jost are the show's longest running Weekend Update anchors, and serving as co-head writers together from 2017 until 2022.12 ½20012014Meyers anchored Weekend Update from 2006 to 2014. At the time of his departure, he was the longest-serving Weekend Update anchor, however, he has been surpassed by current co-anchor Colin Jost. Jost's co-anchor Michael Che also surpassed Meyers (but not Jost, who currently holds the record). He left the show to become the host of Late Night. Meyers also served as head writer for 9 seasons.1120022013Promoted to repertory player in his third season on the show.112016presentDay initially joined the show as a writer in 2013. He was promoted to the cast as a featured player in 2016, and was promoted to repertory status in 2018.10 ½20122022Strong is currently the longest tenured female player on the show.10 ½20122022McKinnon has stated in an interview that she was planning to leave the show in 2020, but instead remained for two more years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.1020122022In an interview, Bryant said that she planned to leave at the end of the show's 45th season in 2020, but ended up postponing her departure by two years, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.9½19912000At the time of his departure, Meadows had the longest tenure as a cast member on the show.
Shortest tenures Two people have been publicly announced as having been hired to the cast, but never performed as cast members:
Catherine O'Hara, hired in 1981, quit before appearing on air. She subsequently hosted the show twice. Shane Gillis was announced as a cast member in 2019, but the offer was withdrawn due to controversies surrounding previous use of racial stereotypes. Gillis went on to host episode 12 of season 49 and episode 13 of season 50. Eight months after Gillis hosted the show, executive producer Lorne Michaels revealed that the decision to fire Gillis was not his, and it was forced on him by NBC executives.
The following cast members spent less than a full 20-episode season on the show.