Top 20 Relationships That Started on SNL

#20: Fred Armisen & Abby Elliott

Three months following his split from his then-wife Elisabeth Moss, it was reported that Fred Armisen was seeing Abby Elliott, who had joined the cast of “SNL” a couple of years earlier. While the co-stars were quiet about their relationship, a source told E! Online that “they are together,” but “it is very new.” Armisen was still married to Moss, eventually finalizing their divorce in May 2011. A few months later, news broke that Armisen and Elliott’s relationship had come to an end. According to a source that spoke to People, the two grew apart as they filmed in different locations over the summer. While the breakup reportedly wasn’t bad, the two would see even less of each other once Elliott left “SNL” in 2012.

#19: Lindsay Shookus & Jon Hamm

In 2002, Lindsay Shookus was producer Marci Klein’s assistant on “SNL,” while Jon Hamm appeared in an episode of “Gilmore Girls.” By 2008, Shookus was an associate producer on “SNL,” and Hamm hosted for the first time. In 2019, rumors began circulating that Shookus and Hamm were romantically involved upon being seen together at the Broadway premiere of “Derren Brown: Secret.” A source said the two had been “friends for over a decade,” presumably around the time Hamm made his “SNL” debut. Dating rumors heated up as the two were again spotted at the Primetime Emmys and an “SNL” afterparty. Shookus and Hamm never officially announced a relationship, suggesting they may’ve just been friends. Either way, Hamm married Anna Osceola in 2023.

#18: Kim Kardashian & Pete Davidson

One had recently separated from her soon-to-be ex-husband, Kanye West. The other had dated a revolving door of high-profile stars. When they shared a kiss as Aladdin and Jasmine in an “SNL” sketch, sparks apparently flew, with Kardashian asking a producer for Davidson’s number. Ironically, Davidson threw shade at the West three years earlier in a “Weekend Update” segment, criticizing the singer’s pro-Trump rant on the show. Davidson also referenced Kardashian in the segment, saying that his wife probably wouldn’t appreciate his “MAGA” hat. West was equally savage when word got out that Davidson was dating Kardashian before the divorce was finalized. Davidson and Kardashian split after nine months, with the latter later suggesting she rushed into another relationship too fast as her marriage ended.

#17: Colin Jost & Nasim Pedrad

Pedrad joined “SNL” as a cast member in 2009. Although Jost wouldn’t begin his “Weekend Update” tenure for 2014, he had been an “SNL” writer since 2005. Since Jost wasn’t a household name yet, perhaps it was easier to keep his brief romance with Pedrad out of the headlines. Most people weren’t even aware of the relationship until 2020, when Jost published his memoir, “A Very Punchable Face.” He recalled visiting Costa Rica with Nasim, taking the “scenic route” through the Nicoya Peninsula. Long story short, they wound up in the middle of the river in a 2006 Nissan Sentra at night without cell service. Even if the relationship was short-lived, that’s a story that you never forget.

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#16: Jason Sudeikis & January Jones

“Mad Men” and “SNL” have brought a surprising number of couples together, even if those relationships didn’t all last. When January Jones hosted in November 2009, she shared multiple sketches with Jason Sudeikis, whose marriage to Kay Cannon ended three months later. The following July, the media began to speculate that Jones and Sudeikis were dating, which the latter confirmed. The courtship ended by January 2011, reportedly due to the long distance with Sudeikis situated in New York and Jones working in Los Angeles. Sudeikis isn’t the only “SNL” cast member that Jones dated. Six years after she hosted “SNL,” Jones entered a five-month relationship with Will Forte, with whom she co-starred in the sitcom, “The Last Man on Earth.”

#15: Cheryl Hardwick & Michael O’Donoghue

Numerous behind-the-scenes creatives helped put “SNL” on the map during the early years. Michael O’Donoghue was the original head writer of “SNL,” staying with the show for over a decade. Cheryl Hardwick was among the show’s original band members, eventually becoming a musical director. According to O’Donoghue’s biography, he developed a friendship with Hardwick during the first three seasons. By 1985, they were in a relationship. That Valentine’s Day, Hardwick proposed to O’Donoghue, who accepted the following June when he got on one knee. The two remained together until 1994 when O’Donoughue passed away. Days later, Bill Murray paid tribute to O’Donoughue on “SNL,” raising a glass to Hardwick as well. In the background was an unattended piano that belonged to Hardwick.

#14: Seth Meyers & Alexi Ashe

Technically, Seth Meyers didn’t meet his future wife, Alexi Ashe, at “SNL.” They wouldn’t have met without “SNL,” however. Ashe’s sister, Ariel, was an interior designer on the show. Alexi thus got to know a few cast members, although she wouldn’t meet Meyers until both attended Chris Kattan’s wedding in 2008. While Kattan’s marriage to model Sunshine Deia Tutt only lasted a year, Meyers immediately connected with Ashe. After five years together, Meyers proposed by tying the ring around his dog Frisbee’s collar. Thankfully, Frisbee didn’t eat the ring as Meyers feared. Even better, Ashe said yes. They got hitched in 2013, going on to have three children. Will Forte also proposed to Ariel Ashe at an “SNL” afterparty, although it didn’t go as well.

#13: Andy Samberg & Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman showed a completely different side of herself when she first hosted “SNL” in 2006. Her collaboration with The Lonely Island, “Natalie’s Rap,” became a viral hit. Portman and Andy Samberg made for a surprisingly fun comedic pair. Some believe that they might have been a romantic pair as well. In 2007, rumors first started spreading that Samberg and Portman entered a relationship after meeting on “SNL.” While the two never confirmed this, the tabloids remained adamant that there was more than comedic chemistry between them. Whether or not this was just a rumor, both settled down with other people. In 2009, Portman met her future husband, Benjamin Millepied, while Samberg married his longtime girlfriend, Joanna Newsom, in 2013.

#12: Jimmy Fallon & Nancy Juvonen

In addition to “SNL,” Jimmy Fallon has Drew Barrymore to thank for his marriage. During one of her many appearances on the show, Barrymore brought along her friend and producing partner, Nancy Juvonen. This led to Juvonen meeting Fallon, who quickly made her feel welcome on set. While this laid the foundation for a relationship, it was during the production of 2005’s “Fever Pitch” that their mutual crush started to become something more. Although Fallon’s character falls in love with Barrymore’s, the real romance was developing behind the scenes. Fallon and Juvonen got married in 2007, having two children. It’s only fitting that “SNL” and Barrymore would bring together two “love-ahs,” even if no hot tubs were involved.

#11: Paul Simon & Edie Brickell

“SNL” has played a monumental role in Paul Simon’s life. Not just because he hosted the second episode ever, but “SNL” led to some of Simon’s most important relationships. On November 5, 1988, Edie Brickell & The New Bohemians were the musical guests. Brickell was starstruck when she saw Simon, who was standing by the camera. Suddenly, Brickell began to forget the lyrics to the song she was singing as she locked eyes with the fellow musician across the room. After the performance, Simon introduced himself to Brickell, although Lorne Michaels told them to be quiet since the next sketch was starting. The two agreed to talk more at the afterparty, which led to marriage and three children.

#10: Ariana Grande & Pete Davidson

Pete and Ariana met when she appeared on “SNL” as a musical guest in 2014, and reconnected when she hosted the show two years later. However, at the time she was dating Mac Miller and he was dating Cazzie David, whom he also met at “SNL.” In 2018, both broke off their relationships, and it wasn’t long before their whirlwind romance dominated showbiz headlines. Shortly after, they announced their engagement, but by October, it was all over. We guess that this relationship simply wasn’t meant to be. Still, there’s no denying that it inspired some pretty catchy music, and eventually Pete was able to joke about it too.

#9: Elisabeth Moss & Fred Armisen

This couple first met when Moss made a cameo in a “Mad Men” sketch alongside that week’s host, Jon Hamm. She and Armisen started dating soon after, quickly became engaged and tied the knot in a secret ceremony on the one-year anniversary of their first meeting. However, after only eight months of marriage, the pair split, and by September Moss filed for divorce citing “irreconcilable differences”. Later, Moss described the relationship as “extremely traumatic and awful and horrible” and Armisen conceded that he was a “terrible husband”. The pair went their separate ways and Armisen went on to date Abby Elliott, another “SNL” alum.

#8: Lindsay Shookus & Ben Affleck

As a member of the Five-Timers club, Affleck is no stranger to Studio 8H, which is where he supposedly first met “SNL” producer Lindsay Shookus. It’s unclear when the pair initially started dating, as the timeline coincides with his separation from Jennifer Garner and Shookus’ marriage to fellow “SNL” Producer, Kevin Miller. Still, the couple dated for almost a year and were often spotted out together. Reportedly, Affleck’s struggles with alcohol contributed to their breakup. In 2019, they were spotted together again, seemingly having rekindled the flame. However, their busy schedules reportedly often kept them apart and they called it quits once again.

#7: Cecily Strong & Mike O’Brien

It’s not just celebrity guests and hosts who are struck by cupid’s arrow on “SNL.” We suppose if you spend that much time together, eventually sparks might start flying. This was especially true for cast-mates Cecily and Mike who started dating in 2014. In an interview with Cosmo, Cecily confessed that she had some reservations about entering a workplace romance but decided to go for it after receiving advice from her father. The pair were pretty private about their relationship with no social media PDA or any big breakup announcement either. Maybe workplace romances aren’t always advisable but, sometimes the heart just wants what the heart wants.

#6: Maya Rudolph & Paul Thomas Anderson

This couple is so private that some people are still surprised to learn that they’re together. Not only that, but they also have four kids. Rumor has it that they first met on “SNL” when Anderson accompanied his then-girlfriend, Fiona Apple who was that week’s musical guest. However, they didn’t actually start dating until after he and Apple broke up. They’ve been together since 2001 and, although they never officially tied the knot, she still calls him her husband. Rudolph appeared in Anderson’s movie, “Inherent Vice” and he even claims that “Phantom Thread” was inspired by a moment from their relationship. Talk about #CoupleGoals.

#5: Carrie Fisher & Paul Simon

No one did on-again, off-again quite like Carrie Fisher and Paul Simon. Although the pair initially met a year prior, it was only after their reunion at Studio 8H in 1978 that they became an item. Their relationship withstood over a decade of breaking up and making up, as well as Fisher’s engagement to Dan Aykroyd, who she’d also met through “SNL.” Fisher left Aykroyd to marry Simon, only for the couple to divorce the following year; nonetheless, their relationship continued until the early 90s. After her tragic passing in 2016, both men only had positive things to say about their former paramour.

#4: Olivia Wilde & Jason Sudeikis

Studio 8H worked its matchmaking magic twice on this “SNL” alum. Before finding love with Olivia Wilde, Sudeikis briefly dated “Mad Men” actress, January Jones. After that relationship ended, he met Wilde at the season finale afterparty, and they instantly hit it off. However, Sudeikis believed that Wilde was involved at the time and she thought that he wasn’t interested. It was only six months later, with some help from a friend, that they finally started dating. The following year they were engaged and they went on to have two kids together. However, after a seven-year engagement, the pair announced their separation in late 2020.

#3: Gilda Radner & Bill Murray

This OG “SNL” cast member was romantically linked to a few of her co-stars. In fact, according to her friend, Judy Levy, she struggled to watch “Ghostbusters” as it starred several of her exes. She and Bill Murray dated during the show’s first few seasons. Even though they tried to keep their relationship away from the cameras, it was still widely known and supposedly ended badly. Although things didn’t work out between them, they remained friends until she sadly died in 1989. Murray has nothing but praise for Radner, who he says inspired his career and who he called “an extraordinary and spectacular person”.

#2: Emma Stone & Dave McCary

This happy couple first met when Stone hosted “SNL” in 2016 and starred in a sketch directed by McCary. However, since they’re both private people, they kept their relationship relatively under wraps, only seeming to confirm it when they attended the SAG Awards together in 2019. Later that year the couple announced their engagement on Instagram. Reportedly, McCary proposed at the SNL offices, where they first met. In 2020, they tied the knot in a wedding so secret that no one seems to know where or when it happened. And, in March 2021, news broke that they had become parents to a baby girl.

#1: Scarlett Johansson & Colin Jost

This couple first met in 2006, according to Jost, or as Johanson remembers it, 2010. But it wasn’t until the season 42 afterparty, in 2017 when both, newly single, were spotted getting cozy. Although, apparently Kate McKinnon was already their matchmaker. They dated on the down-low, only going “red carpet official” in 2018. In 2019, ScarJo’s publicist confirmed their engagement and, during her sixth hosting stint, the actress gave her new fiancé a sweet little shoutout. Their nuptials were put on hold by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, in October 2020, Meals on Wheels surprised us all by breaking the news that they were “Jost Married”.

Do you have any “SNL” courtship stories? Let us know in the comments.