Top 20 Worst Saturday Night Live Cast Members
#20: Jenny Slate
Is it fair to say that Jenny Slate’s tenure on “Saturday Night Live” is remembered primarily for her infamous F-bomb gaffe on the show? Why, yes… yes it is. This is because the undeniably talented and funny comedienne didn’t manage to make much of a lasting impact beyond this moment, during her single-season tenure. Her time on the “SNL” stage was just so short. Slate never really blossomed or explored her role as a featured “Saturday Night Live” player, and as such, we’ll never really know how well she could’ve done, if things had been different.
#19: Chris Elliott
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Chris Elliott joined the cast of “Saturday Night Live” back in 1994. That same year, a Chris Elliott-starring vehicle titled “Cabin Boy” debuted in theaters. This latter piece of media is how we prefer to recall Elliott’s comedic profile during this time. Well, that and Chris’ awesome ‘90s sitcom, “Get a Life.” That’s because Elliott never really approached these same levels of surreal silliness with anything he did on “SNL.” His uniquely quirky comedic voice was potentially never destined to jell with the late-night institution, but don’t feel too badly about Chris’ one-and-done “SNL” tenure: he did juuuust fine for himself.
#18: Janeane Garofalo
Full disclosure: this is going to be an apologist type of list. That’s because we honestly love so many of these comedians… just not for the work they did on “SNL.” Janeane Garofalo’s razor-sharp wit is probably best meant for the writer’s room or the stand-up stage. It never really felt at home on a late-night comedy show like “Saturday Night Live.” Garofalo joined for the same 1994-95 season as Chris Elliott, perhaps lending credence to the notion that “SNL” was attempting to bring in some outside-the-box creative voices. The only thing was, it didn’t always know what to do with these types of talented mavericks.
#17: Michael O’Donoghue
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Speaking of writer’s rooms, there’s a very short list of 70’s scribes with the sort of anarchic and pitch-black brilliance possessed by Michael O’Donoghue. He was a veteran of “National Lampoon” and “SNL’s” very first head writer, a man responsible for some all-time classic slices of envelope-pushing comedy. However, O’Donoghue was perhaps never truly meant to be in front of the camera. This was evidenced by the fact that he largely eschewed character work during his tenure, despite initially being credited as a cast member for “SNL’s” first few episodes. We think this was for the best, but celebrate all of the work Michael O’Donoghue put in behind the scenes to make “SNL” great.
#16: Brad Hall
You’d be forgiven for forgetting that Brad Hall (aka Mr. Julia Louis-Dreyfus) was ever on “SNL.” However, you’ve likely seen his work elsewhere, specifically his time writing, producing, and directing shows like “Watching Ellie” and “The Single Guy.” Hall was only a cast member of “Saturday Night Live” for about a season-and-a-half during the early 80s. During that time, his role was primarily as an anchor for the show’s classic “Weekend Update” segment. Hall didn’t leave much of an impression in this role, at least compared to others who had tried their hand, and his tenure on “SNL” is largely forgotten by many today.
#15: Anthony Michael Hall
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The fate of “Saturday Night Live” was hanging delicately in the balance during its eleventh season, with many in the industry wondering whether or not the show would actually be canceled. This uncertainty wasn’t helped by audience responses to this new cast, which included a fresh-faced Anthony Michael Hall. Hall was only seventeen when he joined “SNL,” and was clearly out of his depth. The rigors of a weekly comedic show can be grueling for seasoned industry veterans, never mind a teenager. Much of Hall’s work this season would suffer, and he would leave “SNL” after it was over.
#14: Damon Wayans
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It almost seems unthinkable that someone as talented like Damon Wayans didn’t thrive on the “SNL” stage, but, as we’ve discovered, this job isn’t for everyone. Wayans was on the same eleventh-season cast as Anthony Michael Hall, but was actually fired before the season was even over. This came about as a result of some unscheduled improvisation on the part of Wayans. “SNL” showrunner Lorne Michaels is known for his distaste for improv. So, when Damon decided to buck what was written, and play his cop character as a flamboyantly gay stereotype, he was dropped as a featured “SNL” player.
#13: Brooks Wheelan
Brooks Wheelan probably didn’t do his best work on “Saturday Night Live.” The stand-up comedian has proven that he’s more than capable of making us laugh on the comedy stage, but Wheelan struggled to break out during his tenure on SNL’s 2013-14 season. He did manage to excel at doing impressions on the show, but there were really no original characters for Brooks to make his mark on the stage. The comic seems to be doing fine, however. After announcing his firing via Twitter in 2014, he moved on into the world of podcasting in 2017. His show, “Entry Level” is still releasing episodes as of 2023.
#12: Charles Rocket
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A good “SNL” episode is only as good as the writing. The sixth season of “Saturday Night Live” was notorious for the departure of Lorne Michaels, the cast, and nearly all of the writers. New blood was the name of the game, but “SNL ’80,” as it’s sometimes known, struggled BIG TIME. This could be seen at the “Weekend Update” anchor desk with Charles Rocket. Rocket had proven he could be funny with his “Rocket Report” segments that were taped on the streets of New York and largely improvised. However, his delivery of mean-spirited and unfunny jokes did nothing to endear him to the “SNL” faithful. This was a cast member that truly deserved better material.
#11: Horatio Sanz
We’d be remiss for not mentioning Jimmy Fallon alongside Horatio Sanz when it comes to their “SNL” tenure. That’s because the pair’s wall-breaking laugh shenanigans are arguably better known than anything they did on the show. Yes, it’s true that Sanz was a part of that all-time classic “Cowbell” sketch, but his performance wasn’t really part of what made that segment funny. Instead, Sanz felt like more of a distraction, a glass vase that was constantly teetering on the edge of a “will he or won’t he?” cliff of grins and snickering.
#10: Jim Belushi
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This cast member wasn't necessarily awful... just "mediocre." Expectations were likely high when the younger brother of comedy icon John Belushi joined the “SNL” cast in 1983, but perhaps this is the reason why his tenure isn't nearly as well remembered. Jim never came up with any truly standout characters, but did solid impressions, doing a good enough job to stick around for a couple years from 1983-85, but the mark left by the younger Belushi just wasn't memorable enough to stand out from the crowd.
#9: Tony Rosato
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Tony Rosato enjoyed a place with "Saturday Night Live," as well as the classic Canadian sketch comedy series "SCTV," but he never quite achieved what you might refer to as a "leading" status on either program. In fact, it's what Tony did AFTER leaving “SNL” in 1982 that was far more memorable than anything he did on Saturday night. Rosato was the voice of Luigi on two classic early 90s kids shows based upon Nintendo nostalgia, "The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3" and "Super Mario World," proving that it was perhaps voice acting, and not comedy, that was his true calling.
#8: Gilbert Gottfried
"Saturday Night Live '80" was the unofficial title given to the show's sixth season, a tumultuous year which saw creator Lorne Michaels, who was suffering from burnout, being replaced by Associate Producer Jean Doumanian. Doumanian was forced to hire an almost entirely new cast of comedians and writers, after most followed the lead of Michaels. One of these cast members was a young Gilbert Gottfried, but not even Gottfried's un-honed talent and unique delivery could save what many felt were needlessly crass and poorly written sketches. To be fair, the late Gilbert was also not yet the comedian he would become in future years, and his performance in the cast was yet another misstep for this infamous season of “SNL”'s history.
#7: Rob Riggle
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Sometimes, the featured players of "Saturday Night Live" go on to become repertory mainstays, the backbone of “SNL”'s comedic genius. Other times, they fade away like whispers in the wind, never to be heard from again. Then, there's Rob Riggle, who was a featured player from 2004 to 2005, had only one recurring original role (Leviticus the Street Prophet) and a small handful of impressions to his name. Needless to say, the future "Daily Show" correspondent made little to no impact during his twelve months on the show, and soon left “Saturday Night” for greener pastures on basic cable.
#6: Jay Mohr
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Speaking of "featured players," the next comedian on our list was only on “SNL” for two years, but - at least for viewers of a certain age - it feels as if Jay Mohr was on the show for a much longer period of time. Perhaps this is due to the fact that Mohr never rose to the level of repertory player, or that he did a decent number of impressions on the show. None of them were really enough to elevate him to the level required for those on the main cast, however, those who do most of the comedic heavy lifting. As a result, Mohr just sort of got lost in the shuffle, a middling minor cast member who departed the show without leaving any sort of lasting mark.
#5: Colin Quinn
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There have been many hosts of "Weekend Update" over the years for "Saturday Night Live," but none of them sunk the ship faster than former "Remote Control" alum Colin Quinn. Quinn's delivery on the segment was just awful, his jokes stilted and his awkward pauses cringe-inducing, to say the least. This is a shame, because Colin has proven on many occasions to be a funny and charismatic guy, but his tenure here on “SNL” is best left forgotten. A "Weekend Update" host who's better left to the ethers of television history. That's our story, and we're sticking to it.
#4: Randy Quaid
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There have been a lot of cinematic heavy hitters who have passed through the hallowed halls of "Saturday Night Live." We have one big name left to come on our list, but another one that might surprise you is Randy Quaid. The "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" star was only on the show from 1985-86, but had a couple of recurring characters and a number of impersonations under his belt. Unlike other classic cast members, however, none of them have stood the test of time as anything truly "classic," and Quaid's tenure on the show is forgotten by all but the most diehard of fans.
#3: Jim Breuer
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The next cast member on our list actually did have a recurring character that fans still remember. It's more whether or not they remember it fondly that's the real question. Don't get us wrong, there are plenty out there who recall Jim Breuer's "Goat Boy" character as great fun; a shining moment from the comedian's three-year stint on the show from 1995-98. That said, Breuer's work on the show is divisive to say the least, with many just not gelling with the man's loud and abrasive style of metalhead stoner comedy. That said, if Breuer's shtick is your cup of tea, may we suggest checking out a little film called "Half Baked?"
#2: Victoria Jackson
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Chalk this next entry up to something similar to the Jim Breuer situation, only replace "Goat Boy" with your average, everyday bubbly airhead. This was the caricature to which Victoria Jackson largely played during her six-year stint on “SNL,” a run which was definitely a "love it or hate it" sort of proposition. Sure, we can admit that Jackson's song and dance routines are still a little charming, but the grating delivery and eventual "samey-ness" of her characters really haven't aged all too well since her departure back in 1992. In this case, absence definitely does NOT make the heart grow fonder.
#1: Robert Downey, Jr.
Remember how we told you earlier that there'd be another silver screen icon who once bombed as part of the “SNL” cast? Well, here we go. It may seem crazy for younger viewers to imagine today's Tony Stark as an impossibly obnoxious, annoying, and over-acting ham, but that's exactly the niche that Robert Downey Jr. comfortably filled throughout much of the 1980s. Robert was only on "Saturday Night Live" from 1985-86, but it was arguably one of the show's worst seasons since its disastrous 1980 run in terms of ratings and reception. Downey didn't help matters any with his one-note, coked out delivery, either, but thankfully the actor would rebound a year later with a role in the excellent 1987 film "Less Than Zero."
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