One star admits he was a part of the present’s “worst season in its historical past,” whereas one other one lasted one episode!
Incomes an invite to affix the solid of Saturday Evening Dwell is not any simple activity — and is a large honor for any aspiring comic.
Over the course of fifty years on the air, the present has helped launch the profession of some main stars. However not all of those celebs made their mark throughout their time on SNL. The truth is, some stars solely spent one season as a part of the solid earlier than getting let go!
No matter how a lot time they spent as a featured participant, these former SNL solid members went on to have tremendous profitable careers.
Discover out why these celebs left SNL…
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Robert Downey Jr. joined the solid of SNL in 1985 however didn’t final very lengthy on the present. In what he’s known as “arguably the worst season in its historical past,” Robert says he shortly realized that he wasn’t meant for the sketch comedy present. On the finish of the season, Robert and fairly just a few different younger solid members have been let go from the present.
“I realized a lot in that yr about what I wasn’t. I used to be not any person who was going to give you the catchphrase. I used to be not any person who’s going to do impressions. I used to be any person who was very ailing suited to rapid-fire sketch comedy,” he advised The Off Digital camera Present. “I used to be sort of like, ‘Wow this appears actually laborious and like a whole lot of work.’ However I’d nonetheless say to this present day that there’s not a extra thrilling 90 minutes you’ll be able to have, whether or not you might be any good or not, it’s simply superb.”
2. Ben Stiller
Ben Stiller didn’t even make it by way of a complete season of SNL. He had been introduced on to the solid after he bought a satirical brief movie to the present and thought he may proceed making movies for the collection. After becoming a member of the solid throughout season 14, he lasted solely 5 weeks earlier than deciding that he acquired too nervous earlier than a stay present to proceed.
“At that time, I simply wished to make brief movies and I knew I wasn’t good stay as a result of I’d get nervous,” Ben shared on The Howard Stern Present. “I simply felt I couldn’t do effectively in that state of affairs.”
Though he’s now hosted the present and made many visitor appearances, he says he nonetheless will get extremely nervous when he takes the stage.

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In 1993, Sarah Silverman joined the solid of season 19 of SNL however was sadly fired by the top the next yr. Though she admits she was actually crushed to depart after only one season, she says it was an unbelievable studying expertise.
“Wanting again, it was an ideal expertise. It was actually like boot camp for therefore many issues. And it was nearly like New York itself, SNL, as a result of it’s like, if you can also make it there, every little thing else appears not so laborious, ?” Sarah advised Collider.
She continued, “I by no means assume I’m gonna get fired. I’ve been fired a lot and I’m at all times stunned. I may let you know for everybody on the market that will get fired, there was a while after SNL the place I used to be like, ‘Am I in present enterprise?’ You simply return to zero, and I used to be like, ‘Oh yeah, I’m a comic book! I can do comedy! That’s my entire factor.’”
After the “enormous defeat,” Sarah ended up having the chance to host the present in 2022.
4. Jenny Slate
When Jenny Slate joined the solid of SNL in 2009, she didn’t begin issues off on an ideal observe. Throughout her first ever skit, she unintentionally cursed — which is a giant no no on stay tv. Jenny immediately appeared distraught however she says she didn’t find yourself getting in hassle and it wasn’t the rationale she acquired fired on the finish of only one season.
“I had felt that it was a foul match. I actually favored all of the individuals there rather a lot. I didn’t really feel that they have been a foul match to be pals with however I don’t know. I used to be not in a position to regulate into…being relaxed in that ambiance,” Jenny advised Collider. “I used to be scared. I don’t assume I favored it that a lot wanting again on it. I additionally would have carried out something to flee.”
Whereas leaving SNL was laborious and triggered her to expertise stage fright, Jenny says it compelled her to “double down” on her personal particular voice as a slapstick comedian.

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Billy Crystal was set to look within the premiere episode of SNL again in 1975 however his standup monologue ended up getting minimize for time. He then acquired one other likelihood to take the stage when he joined the solid of season 10. Whereas he beloved the expertise, he solely stayed one season.
“I feel once I got here to the present I used to be kind of a piñata of concepts and ideas and characters, and every kind of issues occurred,” Billy shared in Dwell From New York: The Full, Uncensored Historical past of Saturday Evening Dwell. “Day-after-day I used to be excited on the discovery of what we may do. I by no means put a time restrict on how lengthy I’d be there or what it might give me or get me. I didn’t strategy it like that. I simply felt personally as a performer and as a inventive individual I needed to give it my shot.”
6. Martin Quick
Martin Quick acquired his begin on SCTV, a Toronto based mostly sketch comedy present, after which was requested to affix season 10 of SNL, together with a grouping of fairly just a few different proficient comedians. Regardless of having a knack for sketch comedy, Martin says SNL had a totally totally different vibe from SCTV which he didn’t get pleasure from.
“Saturday Evening Dwell, should you have been a author/performer — like I used to be on the present — it could possibly be Monday and it might be like, ‘I don’t have any concepts.’ The host is available in and also you faux your method by way of that assembly. Now it’s Monday night time and you’ll’t consider something,” he advised HuffPost.
He continued, “And also you get up and you’ve got that feeling in your abdomen on Tuesday, ‘What am I going to put in writing?’ Since you needed to slide the script beneath the door by 6 a.m., so the typist may kind it for the read-through at 11 a.m. or 1p.m., or no matter it was. The purpose was that it was last exams, each week. So, that was a giant distinction.”
Martin has since hosted the present on three events.

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Laurie Metcalf was one of the vital short-lived solid members in SNL historical past. After becoming a member of the present in 1981, she solely appeared on one episode the place she portrayed a Weekend Replace reporter and took half in a pre-taped sketch. After the episode aired, the WGA went on strike and the present went on hiatus. When the present lastly resumed filming, Laurie was not requested to return.
“You understand, it looks as if a dream as a result of it was so way back and it was a whirlwind 5 days I spent in New York. I feel it was my first journey to New York ever,” she advised Vulture.
She continued, “I used to be so out of my factor; I had no thought what I used to be doing. However I do know that I did it as a result of there’s proof, there’s footage. After I see that, I notice I used to be very naïve and courageous about it in a method. Like, ‘Okay, you need me to do that? Okay, let’s go.'”
8. Joan Cusack
Joan Cusack was solid on SNL in 1985 alongside Robert Downey Jr. and ended up additionally being minimize on the finish of season 11. Whereas the season is broadly thought to be one of many worst in historical past, Joan says it wasn’t the appropriate match for her both.
“It wasn’t working. And it wasn’t working for me too. I used to be depressing. I feel I wound up within the hospital, really. I had, like, some surgical procedure, and it’s, like, horrible,” she stated on Contemporary Air with Terry Gross & Tonya Mosley. “I don’t assume anybody watched that yr in any respect. They have been going to cancel the present, really, that yr, and Lorne Michaels on the final minute determined to return again. And I feel perhaps that they had two months to sort of get every little thing collectively … Nobody acquired an opportunity to get to know one another that a lot beforehand.”

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Anthony Michael Corridor additionally joined SNL in 1985, changing into the youngest individual to ever be part of the solid at simply 17-years-old. Whereas he admits he was “scared s–tless” to look on the present, he says it “meant a lot to” him to be solid after being a lifelong fan. Wanting again, he says he understands why he was minimize on the finish of the season.
“To be very trustworthy and candid with you, it was not nice — it was a shaky-legs season,” he advised the Unbiased. “I’m grateful for the expertise, however I didn’t have a breakout season. I didn’t even have any breakout characters or something like that.”
10. Damon Wayans
Damon Wayans was additionally an addition to the solid in 1985 however he didn’t even final your complete season. Wanting again, Damon says he wasn’t pleased that he wasn’t getting used to his full potential on the present and after some lackluster skits, he determined to take issues into his personal arms. Throughout a sketch known as Mr. Monopoly, he modified his cop character to be extraordinarily flamboyant — and it didn’t go over effectively and he was let go.
“I rebelled. I, , I wasn’t proud of one, the best way that I used to be getting used on the present, and two, simply I didn’t assume the present had the appropriate edge,” he defined in 1992. “However in wanting again, this was Lorne [Michaels] first yr again and he had an entire new solid, all new writers and new producers and all people was like jacking for place. So, , perhaps I shouldn’t have rebelled. I ought to have waited however I’m glad I did.”

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11. Rob Riggle
Rob Riggle was a featured participant on SNL from 2004 to 2005, which he later known as a “dream come true.” However on the time, the solid was stacked with fan favorites and he was the one new man added that season. He ended up discovering it laborious to get display time and ultimately wasn’t requested again the following season.
“The yr I used to be employed, I used to be the one man employed. The solid was huge. Fifteen individuals on the solid and I’m the one new man,” he shared on The Day by day Beast’s Final Chortle podcast. “Properly, Darrell Hammond’s getting his, Tina Fey, Amy [Poehler] is getting hers, Maya Rudolph is getting hers, Will Forte, go down the listing, they’re all getting their time. I am moving into there and I am ingesting out of a firehose.”

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