Longevity should always be acknowledged; so, NBC deserves to be lauded for steeringSaturday Night Livewith steady hands, enabling the sketch comedy show to remain on air for close to 50 years. Apart from entertaining the world by parodying contemporary American culture,SNLhas played a key role in launching the careers of many comedians and actors. Any cast member who gets hired, therefore, wishes to stay long enough to make an impact.
Ordinarily, most cast members spend at least two seasons on the show, but there have been a few surprising cases where comedic talents only appeared in a few episodes before being dismissed or quitting. Various factors can be singled out for the quick departures and this article shall go into detail about what exactly happened. Life afterSNLalso played out differently for those who left. Some still made it big, while others presumably regretted losing the coveted gig.
Saturday Night Live
The longest-running sketch-comedy/satire show on television, premiering in 1975, Saturday Night Live is a weekly series that features new hosts for each episode, with a core cast of actors and comedians that rotate over time. Episodes feature several skits that are sometimes ad-libbed on the fly, with the hosts engaging in most of them, and also provide musical guest performances that cap off each night.
15Damon Wayans (12 Episodes)
Damon Wayansis one of the most celebrated television actors, thanks to his great performances inMy Wife & Kids,In Living Color,and theLethal Weaponreboot. Before all the success, he wasa stand-up comedianwho created big enough buzz to land himself a cameo role inBeverly Hills Cop.He then joinedSaturday Night Livefor Season 11, but was let go after only 12 episodes because he went off-script during a sketch involving policemen.
Wayans Claims He Wanted to Be Fired
Wayans has claimed that his decision not to follow the script wasn’t triggered by over-excitement or the desire to prove he was good at improvising. He was frustrated about not having enough screen time, so he felt that it was time to leave and seek better opportunities. To him, getting fired was better than handing in a resignation letter. Wayans also had a few verbal bombs to throw at the boss, claiming that the show’s creator, Lorne Michaels, didn’t want him to become successful too soon.
14Charles Rocket (12 Episodes)
Charles Rocket’s story is an unfortunate one as he suffered one ofthe most heartbreaking actor deaths. The actor was found dead in 2005, with the authorities concluding that he had committed suicide. Before that, he appeared in many movies and shows in supporting roles, includingSNL. He appeared in Season 6, where he became popular for playing a fictional game show host named Phil Lively. Sadly, he was fired for saying a curse word on air.
More Cast Members Were Fired
After doing a parody of the popular “Who Shot J.R?” story arc fromDallas, Rocket said, “Oh man, it’s the first time I’ve ever been shot in my life. I’d like to know who f***n did it.” This led to his dismissal, but he wasn’t the only one who was let go. Ratings for the season had been poor, and critics weren’t being kind either. The show was thus placed on hiatus to be retooled, and when it came back, Eddie Murphy and Joe Piscopo were the only cast members to be retained.
13Alan Zweibel (11 Episodes)
Alan Zweibelhas won multiple Emmys, thanks to his writing work onSaturday Night Live, Curb Your Enthusiasm,andMonk. He was also honored with the Thurber Prize for American Humor back in 2006. Though he is primarily a writer, Zweibel can act, too, and he proved that during Season 5 ofSNL. However, he chose not to continue on that path after the season finale.
There Were Several Upgrades
At the start of Season 5, showrunner Lorne Michaels felt that many of the writers were good enough to do sketches. He thus upgraded Zweibel together with Dan Aykroyd, Jim Downey, Doyle-Murray, Don Novello, and Tom Schiller. Among them, Doyle-Murray would be the only one to return to writing the next season. Thankfully, each of them found success in various ways. Most recently, Zweibel wrote and co-produced thecritically-panned but audience-approvedcomedy-drama film,Here Today.
Related:10 All-Time Best SNL Movie and TV Show Parodies, Ranked
12Matthew Laurance (10 Episodes)
Matthew Lauranceis better known for his role as Mel Silver inBeverly Hills, 90210.Besides that, he has had supporting roles in numerous other movies and television shows, some alongside his twin brother, Mitch Laurance. Before getting his big break, Laurance appeared as a cast member in one ofSNL’s shortest seasons, Season 6 (there were only 13 episodes).
Cast Overhaul
Laurance was one of several cast members who were fired as part of an overhaul. The show was ailing at the time, so the network felt the need to bring in fresh faces for Season 7. Still, this was a blessing in disguise for Laurance, as he began getting TV roles frequently, something that hadn’t happened when he was still anSNLcast member. In addition to his on-screen gigs, Laurance has served as an acting coach on various projects.
11Jim Downey (Nine Episodes)
Jim Downeyis the longest-tenured writer inSaturday Night Live’s history, having crafted scripts for 31 seasons. Lorne Michaels even described him as the “best political humorist alive,” and in Season 5, he was part of the team of writers that were upgraded to cast member status. For Downey, this turned out to be a short-term gig as he quickly left to become the head writer forLate Night with David Letterman.
A Return Was Always in the Cards
SNLwas always part of Downey’s DNA, so it wasn’t surprising to see him return. He would keep his writing gig until 2013, when he officially announced his retirement. It’s also worth noting that even though Downey was credited as a cast member in only one season, he occasionally appeared in sketches in numerous other seasons, his last one coming in 2005. Fans can also spot him in a few movies, notably one of2007’s major Hollywood hits,There Will Be Blood.
10Yvonne Hudson (Eight Episodes)
Yvonne Hudsonis best known for being the first Black woman cast member onSaturday Night Live, as well as the third Black cast member. Unfortunately, she was fired in the middle of Season 6. She never signed up for any other screen projects ever since, though she continued to appear in minor uncredited roles on the popular sketch comedy show, until 1984.
A Rocky Season
Hudson’s dismissal wasn’t all down to her performance. She simply joined at the wrong time. Season 6 had seen Jean Doumanian take over as showrunner after Lorne Michaels resigned, citing burnout. Doumanian had to hire a whole new team of cast members, since most of the previous ones had followed Michaels out of the door. With the many changes came a dip in ratings and poor critical reception. Consequently, the network saw the need for an overhaul.
9Tom Schiller (Seven Episodes)
Tom Schilleris yet another writer who had a lengthy stint atSNL. He was part of the writing team when the show began and ended up being among the group that was upgraded to cast member status for a single season. Schiller would end up writing for a total of 11 seasons. Besides that, he has directed over 600 commercials that are mainly comedic.
Writing Runs in the Family
For Schiller, sticking to writing and directing was always the wise choice as it’s something that runs in the family. His father, Bob Schiller, wrote for one ofthe greatest ‘50s sitcoms,I Love Lucy, andAll in the Family. So good was Bob that he was even allowed to write for two competing shows, CBS’sIt’s Always Janand NBC’sThe Jimmy Durante Show.He might have never mentioned it, but he presumably was very proud of the person his son became.
8Patrick Weathers (Seven Episodes)
Patrick Weathersmade a bigger impact on the music industry than the television industry. Before appearing in Season 6 ofSaturday Night Live,he had a budding music career, performing on many occasions alongside legendary Hip Hop group Run DMC. He would then become part of Jean Doumanian’s infamous cast members, and after he was let go, he gladly switched back to music.
A Low-Profile Life and Career
It’s hard to tell how big Weathers would have become if he had been given more time onSNL. After all, his skits, especially those that involved music, were well received. Since then, he has rarely made any major headlines, so it can only be assumed that he is doing well. At the moment, Weather’s biggest fans have plenty to enjoy from his vast music collection.
7Ben Stiller (Four Episodes)
Ben Stillerneeds no introduction. As a member ofthe Frat Pack(a group of actors who have dominated the comedy genre since the mid-90s), Stiller has starred in many high-grossing movies, collecting plenty of accolades in the process. Most recently, he served as a director and producer for the Emmy-winning sci-fi series,Severance. Given how much he has done, fans often forget that he was once a featured performer onSNLin 1989.
Not a Perfect Match
Stiller andSNLmight have seemed like a perfect match at first, but things didn’t work out, resulting in him leaving after only four episodes. The discord was born out of the fact that Stiller wanted to continue making short films, yet hisSNLcontract didn’t allow him to do so. Many budding comedians would have been glad to sacrifice a previous passion for a chance to continue appearing in the popular sketch comedy show. After all, it was a career-maker. Surprisingly, Stiller chose to continue doing what he loved the most. The rest is history. Despite not leaving on good terms, Stiller would return to host in 1998 and 2011.
6Fred Wolf (Four Episodes)
Fred Wolfhas been a full-time screenwriter for the past few decades, but he began his career as a stand-up in Los Angeles in the late-1980s. He then landed a role as a co-host of the Comedy Central seriesComics Only,before joining the writing team ofSaturday Night Live, where he went on to serve for several years as a lead writer. In Season 22, he briefly served as a featured cast member.
A Healthy Collaborative Relationship with Former Co-Workers
It’s unclear why Wolf left, as 1996 had been one of the show’s best years. Moreover, he was now earning extra income as both a writer and cast member. Still, Wolf’s decision to leave wasn’t a bad one, as he has made significant contributions to the genre. Since leaving the variety sketch series, he has frequently collaborated with many of his formerSNLcolleagues in movie and television projects, namely Adam Sandler, David Spade, Chris Farley, Norm Macdonald, and Rob Schneider.
