8 Times ‘SNL’ Cast Members Made Weirdly Unexpected Cameos in Music Videos
It’s the Inverse Law of Entertainment: All musicians want to be comedians, and all comedians want to be musicians. Most comics aren’t blessed with musical talent, but some still get a taste by appearing in the videos of their favorite artists. Saturday Night Live cast members, probably thanks to their musical heroes guesting on the show, get more chances than most.
Here are eight times that SNL comedians randomly pop up in music videos by iconic artists…
Will Ferrell, Maya Rudolph and Amy Poehler
The Beastie Boys’ “Make Some Noise” video is full of comedy cameos, including Seth Rogen, Jack Black, Rashida Jones, Will Arnett, Rainn Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, Mary Steenburgen, Ted Danson and David Cross. SNL is well represented as well with Ferrell as the future Ad-Rock, Rudolph as a lady hitting on Danny McBride and Poehler as a sneering bistro patron.
Jason Sudeikis and Will Forte
Sudeikis and Forte, along with Jason Bateman and Ed Helms, replace Mumford & Sons in this hilariously overwrought video for “Hopeful Wanderer.” Director Sam Jones refused to give the musical group approval over which comedians got cast, according to Vulture, but “the band loved it — they didn’t want to change a thing.”
Chevy Chase
Paul Simon did the impossible with his “You Can Call Me Al” video — he made the obnoxious Chase likable.
Marcello Hernández
Hernández proposes to his girlfriend in Bad Bunny’s “No Me Quiero Casar” video, only to be shut down in front of family and friends. Call it Bad Bunny’s revenge for having to dress as Hernández’s overprotective aunt on Saturday Night Live.
Eddie Murphy
Murphy is an Egyptian king in Michael Jackson’s “Remember the Time” video, jealously guarding his bored queen (Iman) from being swept up in Jackson’s song. Murphy is better here than when he actually tried to sing in Jackson’s “Whatzupwitu” video.
Dan Aykroyd
Few videos do cultural appropriation like Digital Underground's “Same Song,” featuring Humpty as an Arab, an Asian and an Eskimo and Aykroyd as a Scottish bagpipe artist, a gang member and a man in a Middle Eastern getup. It’s quite the cultural artifact.
Chris Farley
The “Soul to Squeeze” video by Red Hot Chili Peppers features several references to Coneheads, thanks to the movie soundtrack that features the song. Young Farley played Connie Conehead’s wannabe boyfriend in the film, leading to his cameo here.
Molly Shannon
Shannon is just one of the comic celebrities blessed by good witch Sheryl Crow in her “A Change Will Do You Good” video. The video hasn’t aged great, thanks to the disgraced comedians — Andy Dick, Ellen DeGeneres and Jeff Garlin — with whom Shannon shares the screen.