14 Firsts, Mosts and Other Records From ‘Saturday Night Live’ History
Saturday Night Live, née NBC’s Saturday Night, has broken so much new ground in late-night television that in many ways, it’s shaped the industry in its own image. But who were the firsts among the firsts?
The First Cast Member
Big names like Chevy Chase, John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd have gotten more press over the years, but Gilda Radner was the first person Lorne Michaels added to the roster. She tragically passed away in 1989.
The Most ‘Live From New York’s
Chevy Chase got there first, announcing the calling card after the first sketch ever aired. But Darrell Hammond would say the famous phrase the most often throughout his career, clocking in at 70 times.
The First Host
The structure of the show was a lot different in the beginning, but Michaels was already set on a rotating menu of hosts. The first to do it was George Carlin: he did three monologues, appeared in zero sketches and shared the stage with two musical guests (Billy Preson and Janis Ian) in the first episode.
The First Host to Come Back as a Whole Different Person
The first to confuse producers was one Roseanne Barr, who later appeared as Roseanne Arnold and then just Roseanne. Following in her footsteps was some guy who first called himself The Rock, and then Dwayne Johnson.
The Youngest and Oldest Hosts
Drew Barrymore held the show on her shoulders at age seven, while Betty White took the reins at 88.
The First and Most Prolific Returning Musical Guests
Singer and guitarist Phoebe Snow was featured twice in the first season. Dave Grohl holds the record for most frequent musical guest, with 16 appearances.
The First Combo Host/Musical Guest
Before Ray Charles, M.C. Hammer, Britney Spears, Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift, Paul Simon pulled double all the way back in Season One.
The Youngest and Oldest Cast Members
Leslie Jones joined the cast at the age of 47 in 2014, and Anthony Michael Hall was brought on board in 1985, at an astounding 17-years-old. That’s younger than some cast members of Nickelodeon’s sketch show for kids, All That.
The Three Amigos…es
Three sets of brothers have performed on the cast at the same time: Jim and John Belushi, Dan and Peter Aykroyd and Bill Murray and Brian Doyle-Murray.
The First Nepo Baby
Chris Elliott was a cast member in 1994 and 1995, and his daughter Abby Elliott joined the cast in 2008.
The Biggest Moneymakers
The SNL spin-off films that made the most money were Coneheads ($21 million), A Night at the Roxbury ($30 million), Superstar ($30 million), Wayne’s World 2 ($48 million), The Blues Brothers ($57 million) and the OG Wayne’s World ($121 million).
The Biggest Winners
That would be Michaels, and the show itself. SNL holds the record for the most Emmy wins, at 90, while Michaels is the one person with the most Emmy nominations, at 106.
The First One Who Got Away
When asked who he regrets not adding to the cast, Lorne has namechecked Steve Carell, Lisa Kudrow, Stephen Colbert and Jim Carrey. Carrey was his first big whiff, having auditioned back in 1980. Michaels has said, “I wasn’t at the Jim Carrey audition, but somebody who was there said, ‘I don’t think Lorne would like it.’ And they were probably wrong. But it doesn’t matter.”
The Longest Commute
Longtime production designer Eugene Lee commuted from Rhode Island from 1975 to 2023, but Don Pardo had him beat. He moved to Arizona in 1995, and would fly back to 30 Rock once a week for maybe a decade or more.