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From controversial SNL sketches to famous quotes (“More cowbell!”), Saturday Night Live has produced its share of memorable live TV moments in the years since it first aired in 1975. The tenures of some of its cast members, however, haven’t remained so vivid in our memories. For some, their time on the show lasted only one season (or less). For others, later successes overshadowed their SNL runs. For many, it was both. Read on to see 30 former cast members you might have forgotten ever graced the SNL stage.

1. Robert Downey Jr.

At just 20 years old, Robert Downey Jr. was relatively inexperienced when he joined the 1985–86 SNL cast. He never quite found his footing on the show, and his first season was also his last.

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Robert Downey Jr.

Clearly, Downey Jr.’s failure to connect with SNL audiences wasn’t a harbinger of things to come. Two Academy Award nominations, three Golden Globe awards, and multiple movie franchises later, he’s one of Hollywood’s most universally loved actors.

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2. Ben Stiller

In 1989, at the age of 24, Ben Stiller was hired to the cast of SNL. He lasted less than one season, however, before he quit and decamped to Los Angeles to pursue a movie career.

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Ben Stiller

Nearly a decade would pass before Stiller gained widespread fame with his starring role in There’s Something About Mary. Subsequent hits, not least among them the Meet the Parents and Night at the Museum franchises, made him a household name.

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3. Damon Wayans

As a cast member in SNL’s 1985–86 season, Damon Wayans’ promise as a sketch comedian was undeniable. When he made a change to a character without getting approval from the show’s producers, however, his talent couldn’t save him. He was fired, and he later told The Weekender that SNL creator Lorne Michaels “did the right thing.”

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Damon Wayans

Thankfully, Wayans’ dismissal from SNL didn’t prompt him to leave skits behind for good. His four-season run on the Fox series In Living Color secured his place as a sketch comedy star and ensured a long career as a comic entertainer.

4. Sarah Silverman

Given her flair for pushing boundaries, it’s surprising that Sarah Silverman’s stint on SNL was largely unremarkable. She appeared in only a handful of sketches and not one of the skits she wrote ever made it to air.

Sarah Silverman

Since her time on SNL, Silverman has released three comedy specials, made many TV appearances, headed up multiple programs of her own, held roles in movies like School of Rock and Wreck it Ralph, and become a poster child for acerbic, taboo-flouting comedy.

5. Billy Crystal

Thanks in part to his role as Jodie Dallas on the NBC comedy Soap, Billy Crystal was already well known when he joined the cast of SNL in 1984. His knack for impressions made him one of the show’s most successful players, but he left after just one season.

Billy Crystal

Crystal’s star continued to rise after SNL. He’s since added classic comedies like When Harry Met Sally, City Slickers, Analyze This, and Monsters, Inc. to his filmography; hosted the Oscars nine times; and won a Tony Award for his one-man stage show, 700 Sundays.

6. Gilbert Gottfried

In 1980, Lorne Michaels had just left SNL, the entire cast had gone with him, and associate producer Jean Doumanian was handed the reins. A young comedian named Gilbert Gottfried joined the show for what was, by all accounts, a dismal season. After twelve episodes, Doumanian was replaced and Gottfried was fired along with several other members of the cast.

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Gilbert Gottfried

Although his tenure on SNL was brief, Gottfried’s eventual presence on comedy staples like The Howard Stern Show and Comedy Central’s celebrity roasts established his reputation with adult audiences, while his voicing of Aladdin’s Iago endeared him to younger ones, making Gottfried—and his voice—iconic.

7. Joan Cusack

When Lorne Michaels returned to produce SNL in 1985, he hired all new cast members, including Joan Cusack. After the season received low ratings, he fired nearly all of them, including Joan.

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Joan Cusack

Like many others on this list, Cusack recovered well after getting fired from SNL. She went on to earn Oscar nominations for her roles in Working Girl and In & Out and was nominated for an Emmy for her role in Showtime’s Shameless four times before winning in 2015.

8. Randy Quaid

Randy Quaid had already earned an Oscar nomination for his supporting role in 1974’s The Last Detail when he joined the cast of SNL’s ill-fated 1985 season. He, too, was let go at season’s end.

Randy Quaid

Recent years have seen Quaid receive more attention for his exploits offscreen, but we’ll never forget his star turn as Cousin Eddie in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.

9. Laurie Metcalf

In 1981, years before she rose to fame as Jackie Harris on Roseanne, Laurie Metcalf made her SNL debut. A writer’s strike forced the show into hiatus directly following the episode, and when SNL resumed, it did so without her.

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Laurie Metcalf

Although her time on SNL was brief, Metcalf’s success as an actor has been anything but. She won three Emmys for her role on Roseanne, her work in theater has garnered two Tony Awards, and her role in Lady Bird earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

10. David Koechner

During SNL’s 1995–96 season, David Koechner hatched a few memorable recurring characters, including the excessively fawning British fop Fagan, but it didn’t prove to be enough. He wasn’t asked back the next season.

David Koechner

Koechner’s stint on SNL was far from fruitless, however. He went on to add more memorable characters to his repertoire, including sports reporter Champ Kind in former cast mate Will Ferrell’s 2004 ensemble comedy Anchorman and traveling salesman Todd Packer of The Office.

11. Julia Louis-Dreyfus

As a cast member from 1982 to 1985, Julia Louis-Dreyfus lasted longer on SNL than most of the others on this list, but she’s made no secret of the fact that the show’s competitive, sexist atmosphere at the time made her miserable.

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Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Louis-Dreyfus’ last year on SNL coincided with writer Larry David’s first and only year writing for the show. The two became friends, and five years later, David convinced her to join the cast of the new sitcom he was working on with Jerry Seinfeld. Her roles on Seinfeld, The New Adventures of Old Christine, and Veep have resulted in 11 Emmy wins. In 2018, Louis-Dreyfus received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

12. Rob Riggle

Rob Riggle’s path to comedy was an unconventional one. He joined the U.S. Marines at age 19 and was still serving in the Marine Corps Reserve when he landed a spot on the SNL cast in 2004. He was on the show for just one season—but stayed with the reserves until 2013.

Rob Riggle

Shortly after his season on SNL, Riggle became a correspondent on The Daily Show and over the years has gotten big laughs in Step Brothers, The Hangover, The Other Guys, and 21 Jump Street.

13. Christopher Guest

Just after his starring role in the now-classic 1984 mockumentary This is Spinal Tap, Christopher Guest joined the SNL cast. Like his talented co-stars Billy Crystal and Martin Short, however, he only lasted one season.

Christopher Guest

Since then, Guest’s work as a filmmaker has established him as one of comedy’s greats. Movies like Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, and Waiting for Guffman have all left their mark on modern comedy.

14. Michael McKean

First finding fame in Laverne & Shirley, and later starring in This is Spinal Tap, Michael McKean was far from green when he landed a spot on the SNL cast in 1993.

Michael McKean

After exiting the show in 1995, McKean appeared in fellow SNL and Spinal Tap alum Christopher Guest’s films Best in Show and A Mighty Wind and garnered critical acclaim for his role as Chuck McGill in AMC’s Better Call Saul.

15. Chris Rock

Chris Rock graced the SNL stage for three seasons, after which he set his sights on joining the cast of In Living Color. Sadly, he only appeared in a handful of episodes before the show was cancelled.

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Chris Rock

Three years after his departure from SNL, Rock’s HBO comedy special Bring the Pain earned two Emmy Awards. His subsequent specials and albums brought in steady Grammy and Emmy wins, establishing Rock as one of the most respected and successful comedians of his generation.

16. Janeane Garofalo

Thanks to her supporting role on the The Larry Sanders Show, Janeane Garofalo was already an established actor and comedian when she joined the cast of SNL in 1994. A few months into the job, in a New York magazine interview, she likened the experience to a fraternity-style hazing. She left the show mid-season.

Janeane Garofalo

Garofalo’s less-than-pleasant experience at SNL did little to slow her career’s momentum. Her continued work on The Larry Sanders Show earned her two Emmy nominations, and roles in movies like Reality Bites and Wet Hot American Summer established her as a cult icon.

17. Harry Shearer

Like the other stars of This is Spinal Tap, Harry Shearer joined the SNL cast shortly after the movie’s release. Unlike Christopher Guest and Michael McKean, however, it wasn’t his first time: He was also a member of the cast during the show’s 1979–80 season.

Harry Shearer

After his second stint at SNL, Shearer went on to become a staple on The Simpsons, providing the voices for several characters, including Mr. Burns, Waylon Smithers, Principal Skinner, Ned Flanders, Reverend Lovejoy, Kent Brockman, and Dr. Hibbert.

18. Martin Short

Following a successful turn on SCTV, Martin Short joined SNL for its 1984–85 season. His contributions, including the recurring character Ed Grimley, helped revive the struggling show, but the grueling schedule proved to be too much, and he left the show after one season.

Martin Short

After his stint on SNL, Short’s unforgettable performances in movies like Three Amigos, Innerspace, and the 1992 remake of Father of the Bride ensured he would remain one of comedy’s most beloved figures.

19. Jenny Slate

Part of SNL’s 2009–10 cast, Jenny Slate is another of the show’s many one-season wonders, though she might be the only one who accidentally let the f-word slip during her very first sketch on the show.

Jenny Slate

By any measure, Slate’s single season on SNL looks to be just a passing moment in a very promising career. Since her time on the cast, Slate has held recurring roles in Bob’s Burgers, Lady Dynamite, and Parks and Recreation; co-written a New York Times best-selling children’s book; and received acclaim for her starring role in the 2014 indie film Obvious Child.

20. Anthony Michael Hall

With prior roles in Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, and Weird Science, Anthony Michael Hall was a John Hughes staple, but he, like most of SNL’s 1985–86 cast, wasn’t kept on beyond one season.

Anthony Michael Hall

After leaving behind the lovable geek persona he’d perfected in the ’80s, Hall went on to play dramatic roles in Edward Scissorhands and Pirates of Silicon Valley.

21. Jim Breuer

Jim Breuer joined the cast of SNL in 1995 and stayed for three years. He became known for characters like Goat Boy and Heavy Metal Guy and impersonating Joe Pesci hosting a late-night talk show. He has said he didn’t get along with some of the show’s writers, even insinuating that they occasionally stole sketch ideas from under him while preparing for shows.

Jim Breuer

Since leaving the show, Breuer mostly works as a touring stand-up comedian, and his acting appearances since the show have been minor, though you might know him from appearances in movies like Half Baked or guest parts in shows like Kevin Can Wait and Family Guy.

22. Tom Davis

Tom Davis was one of the original writers hired for Saturday Night Live in 1975 and also performed on the show usually as a duo with his creative partner Al Franken. Way before Please Don’t Destroy or The Lonely Island came to be, this pair created “The Franken & Davis Show” segments on SNL while still appearing in regular sketches. One of Davis’ biggest claims to fame on the show was his creation of the hilarious Coneheads characters. Davis had an impressive tenure on the show, lasting from 1975 to 2003 as a writer.

Tom Davis

Davis was very dedicated to SNL, only making minor acting appearances in movies mostly created by his old colleagues, like a cameo in the feature-length Coneheads film. He released the memoir 39 Years of Short-Term Memory Loss about his career at SNL in 2009. Davis was sadly diagnosed with cancer that same year and died three years later.

23. Mike O’Brien

Mike O’Brien joined the show as a staff writer in 2009 and spent a year as a featured player from 2014-2015 where he produced some funny and surreal pre-taped sketches like “Grow-a-guy” and “The Jay-Z Story.”

Mike O’Brien

Besides some minor appearances in movies like Booksmart and shows like I Think You Should Leave, O’Brien’s biggest post-SNL claim to fame was creating the NBC/Peacock sitcom A.P. Bio, starring Glenn Howerton and Patton Oswalt, which ran for four seasons to positive reception.

24. Chris Eliott

Chris Elliott joined SNL for a year from 1994-1995 after working for much of the 1980s as a writer and occasional character performer on Late Night with David Letterman. His SNL tenure wasn’t nearly as long as his time on Letterman and didn’t leave a huge splash.

Chris Elliott

Even if his year on SNL was rocky, Elliott has kept quite busy in the years since playing memorable characters and still writing occasionally. One of his most famous recent characters was the consistently hilarious Roland Schitt on Schitt’s Creek, but Elliott has been a part of other excellent sitcoms like Everybody Loves Raymond, How I Met Your Mother, and King of the Hill.

25. Brad Hall

Brad Hall was cast in SNL alongside his future wife Julia Louis-Dreyfus and stayed as a series regular for one year less than she did from 1982-1984. Some of his most notable impressions were John Hinckley Jr., Walter Mondale, and Pete Best.

Brad Hall

Both working in front of and behind the camera since leaving the show, Hall has created shows like Watching Ellie and Brooklyn Bridge and directed episodes of Veep. As an actor, he played himself alongside Julia Louis-Dreyfus in a couple of episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm and more recently had a recurring part on American Auto.

26. Casey Wilson

Like many SNL favorites, Casey Wilson cut her teeth in live comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade theater and was cast for two seasons from 2008-2009. She had some standout impressions like Rachael Ray and Katy Perry but later reflected that she was relieved to be fired, telling USA Today, “It felt a bit like I was on a sports team, but I was always on the bench. And it’s just not a good feeling.”

Casey Wilson

Wilson has had an excellent career following SNL, with her best-known character being Penny Hartz on Happy Endings. She has also shown up on plenty of great comedy shows, both live-action and animated, in bit parts, like in the infamous “Fatwa!” episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, Grace & Frankie, Family Guy, Solar Opposites, and more.

27. Tim Robinson

You might have forgotten the hilarious Tim Robinson’s SNL stint because of all his great sketch work since then, but he was cast as a featured performer in 2012. Atypically for the show, Robinson stopped appearing on SNL after one season as a performer but was hired as a staff writer and stayed in that role until 2016.

Tim Robinson

Robinson kept honing his unique brand of humor in funny acting roles and his Comedy Central sitcom Detroiters, which was short-lived. Fortunately, we’ve been blessed with three seasons and counting of his bizarre sketch show I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson on Netflix.

28. Morwenna Banks

Morwenna Banks is a well-known British actor, writer, and comedian, first building renown in the United Kingdom with credits like the sketch show Absolutely, Red Dwarf, and Saxondale, among others. She only appeared in four episodes of SNL for the 1994-1995 season, and her husband, David Baddiel, once tweeted briefly, “She didn’t enjoy her time there—it was before Tina Fey and women being valued on that show.”

Morwenna Banks

Despite not enjoying her tenure on the show, Banks has been working extensively mostly as a writer and voice actor. She voices a few characters including Mummy Pig in Peppa Pig and has too many more cartoon credits to name. Some of her writing projects include the AppleTV+ spy drama Slow Horses, on which she is a staff writer and a Sky Max adaptation of Nick Hornby’s novel Funny Girl starring Gemma Arterton.

29. Jay Mohr

Jay Mohr was a featured player on SNL for the 1993-1995 season and admitted in his memoir Gasping for Airtime that he suffered from panic attacks, stole material from the comedian Rick Shapiro, and struggled with not getting many sketches successfully on air. He still had some funny moments, like solid impersonations of Christopher Walken and Don Rickles.

Jay Mohr

He has been able to look back at his difficulties at SNL honestly, and Mohr has done tons of great work since then as a stand-up comedian, actor, and radio host. You may have seen him in movies like the sports drama Air and shows like Monk, American Housewife, and The Mick.

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30. Noël Wells

Noël Wells appeared as a featured player from 2013-2014 but was cut after only one season. She did some great impressions on the show, including the Nancy Grace parody pictured here and her hilarious take on Lena Dunham. When reflecting on her time on the show in an interview with Vanity Fair, Wells said, “The quicker you find out that you’re not going to go through the Establishment, the quicker you can decide to make your own version of how you want your craft to be.”

Noël Wells

Following SNL, she appeared on Master of None as Rachel to great reception and has worked as a voice actor on shows like Star Trek: Lower Decks and Craig of the Creek. Wells even released her first film as a writer-director, Mr. Roosevelt, which premiered at South by Southwest in 2017. Wells stars in the movie as Emily Martin alongside Nick Thune, Britt Lower, and Daniella Pineda.

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