The Top 50 SNL Cast Members of All Time: Number 28 – Jan Hooks

A year after her film debut in Pee Wee’s Big Adventure where she informed audiences that there’s no basement at the Alamo, the late great Jan Hooks joined one of the strongest SNL casts of all time in 1986. She stood out even among legends like Dana Carvey and Phil Hartman whether it was warbling alongside Nora Dunn as the Sweeney Sisters or as Kathie Lee to Carvey’s Regis.

Other memorable impressions include Tammy Faye Bakker, Nancy Reagan, Sinead O’Connor, and Bette Davis. That’s in addition to out there character creations like Brenda the Waitress in a terrific sketch with Alec Baldwin. #27 will be up soon!

The Top 50 SNL Cast Members of All Time: Number 29 – Vanessa Bayer

I’m a firm believer that Vanessa Bayer is one of the most underrated performers in the show’s existence. Obviously that explains her placement at #29 on this ongoing list as the show celebrates 50 years.

The Miley Cyrus, Diane Keaton, and Jennifer Aniston impersonations are top-notch, but it’s her original characters that earn her the spot. This includes Dawn Lazarus, the hard to understand meteorologist on Weekend Update or Jacob the Bar Mitzvah boy. There’s Fred Armisen and Bayer as the whispering friends to world dictators or child actress Laura Parsons who performs scenes from far too adult movies. Perhaps my favorite is the housewife serving Totino’s to her “hungry guys” including a memorable tryst with Kristen Stewart. #28 will be up soon!

Vanessa Bayer

Years on the Show: 2010-17

The Top 50 SNL Cast Members of All Time: Number 30 – Adam Sandler

He’s unquestionably had one of the most successful post SNL film careers of any cast member in the last half century. It’s kind of crazy these days to recall that nearly 30 years ago, Adam Sandler was fired from the program after five years on air as it was suffering from poor reviews and dwindling ratings by the mid 90s.

Sandler brought a unique sensibility to SNL with his purposely unformed and frequently hilarious characters like Cajun Man and Opera Man and the seriously bizarre Canteen Boy. Some of his best work was done with Update anchor Kevin Nealon and Norm MacDonald looking on. Perhaps the pinnacle of his time was alongside Chris Farley in sketches involving Gap Girls, lunch ladies, and restaurant reviews.

I recognize Sandler might be higher on the list of others and I’ll confess that (like with his movie catalogue) I find him to be hit and miss. Yet there’s no question the highs are considerable.

Adam Sandler

Years on the Show: 1990-1995

The Top 50 SNL Cast Members of All Time: Number 31 – Seth Meyers

For 13 years, Seth Meyers served different roles on Saturday Night Live. During the first five, he was a regular featured player and while solid, he would not have made this list if not for his ascension to the Weekend Update chair in 2006 alongside Amy Poehler. They’re “Really!?!” segments were a particular highlight. Meyers would get the Update segment to himself beginning 2008. That was a year in which, as head writer, he was penning Tina Fey’s iconic bits as VP candidate Sarah Palin. He would go onto become the apple of legendary Stefon’s idea by way of Bill Hader’s legendary creation.

His Update duties (with a brief late period where Cecily Strong joined as coanchor) and SNL tenure lasted until 2014 when Meyers left to take over NBC’s 12:30pm Late Night franchise. He would succeed two other notable show vets in writer Conan O’Brien and cast member Jimmy Fallon. Like those two, Meyers is in among the pantheon of SNL’s finest. #30 will be up soon!

Seth Meyers

Years on the Show: 2001-14

The Top 50 SNL Cast Members of All Time: Number 32 – Cecily Strong

Over the period of a decade, Cecily Strong was one of the most consistently sturdy presences on Saturday Night Live in recent years. The longest tenured female cast member in the show’s history, the Second City alum briefly cohosted Update alongside Colin Jost before Michael Che replaced her.

Yet her best contributions came via the Update desk in non hosting segments such as playing Fox News host Jeanine Pirro. There’s memorable characters including the heavily opinionated Cathy Anne or the dimwitted Girl You Wish You Hadn’t Started a Conversation with at a Party or the One-Dimensional Female Character from a Male-Driven Comedy. #31 will be up soon!

Cecily Strong

Years on the Show: 2012-22

The Top 50 SNL Cast Members of All Time: Number 33 – Kenan Thompson

In the history of Saturday Night Live, Kenan Thompson stands out as easily the longest tenured cast member as he’s now in his 22nd season (a record previously held by Darrell Hammond’s 14). That means he’s been on SNL for nearly half its existence yet he was the first performer on the show born after its 1975 premiere.

With that many episodes under his belt, he obviously has some significant highlights. Right at the top is Diondre Cole, host of What Up With That? where nothing advances much past the ubiquitous theme song. There’s also his eternal optimist Willie from Update segments. That’s in addition to great impressions including Steve Harvey, Al Sharpton, Bill Cosby and Whoopi Goldberg. His Hollywood Walk of Fame star is placed next to the Lorne Michaels’ star. And Thompson’s star power has been shining for nearly a quarter century. #32 will be up soon!

Kenan Thompson

Years on the Show: 2003-Present

The Top 50 SNL Cast Members of All Time: Number 34 – Bowen Yang

In the 50th season premiere episodes of Saturday Night Live this month, it has become clear that Bowen Yang has moved into the status of MVP. From taking on the role of VP candidate JD Vance or his Update appearance as viral hippo Moo Deng or as English pop star Charli XCX, it was one Yang showcase after another. He nabs the 34 spot on my top 50 cast members of all time.

He started as a writer in 2018 before joining as a Not Ready for Prime Time player the following year. Notable bits in the past half decade include appearing as the iceberg that sunk the Titanic, as notorious Congressman George Santos and playing the Straight Man to a fawning Sydney Sweeney. It probably won’t be long before Yang gets his feature film or TV series centered around his considerable talents. Hopefully we’ll have him on SNL for a while longer. #33 will be up soon!

Bowen Yang

Years on the Show: 2019-Present

The Top 50 SNL Cast Members of All Time: Number 35 – Dennis Miller

Dennis Miller and Jon Lovitz were the only SNL cast members to survive a disastrous 1985-86 season. It was the year Lorne Michaels came back after being away from the program for five years. He had plenty of wrong instincts that year, but putting Dennis Miller at the desk of Weekend Update wasn’t one of them. Fun fact: the gig was originally slated to go to Lovitz.

Miller’s irreverent and smart alecky style fit perfectly for six years while a murderer’s row of cast mates (Dana Carvey, Jan Hooks, Kevin Nealon, Lovitz included) joined in for segments. He also started the trend of Update anchors getting their own talk shows (Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, and even OG anchor Chevy Chase). #34 will be up shortly!

Dennis Miller

Years on the Show: 1985-91

The Top 50 SNL Cast Members of All Time: Number 36 – Bobby Moynihan

Bobby Moynihan is one of those SNL performers that I feel never gets proper due for his contributions to the show. He comes in at #36 on my top 50 cast members list. Moynihan spent nine seasons creating unique characters and side splitting impressions.

The most well-known is Drunk Uncle on the Weekend Update segments where his rants were a consistent highlight. Some other faves of mine include Vinny Vedecci Jr., son of Bill Hader’s Italian talk show host who asked clueless questions to celebrities and inevitably burst into tears. There’s also Riblet, who did Update bits as Michael Che’s old high school buddy and second-hand news reporter Anthony Crispino. His impressions of Snooki from Jersey Shore and Mindy Cohn from The Facts of Life also warrant mentions. #35 will be up soon!

Bobby Moynihan

Years on the Show: 2008-17

The Top 50 SNL Cast Members of All Time: Number 37 – Heidi Gardner

A current cast mate clocks in at #37 on my Top 50 SNLers of all time and that’s Heidi Gardner. Since 2017, the Kansas City native has been low-key killing it on the half century old sketch show. Last season, she probably got more ink than ever before by understandably not keeping it together during Ryan Gosling and Mikey Day’s Beavis & Butthead bit.

Well before that, however, she was creating uproarious characters (many on Update) like busy body coworker Crystal, every boxer’s girlfriend Angel, and awkward teen critic Bailey to name a few. Early in this 50th season, Gardner has already provided belly laughs by devouring a gigantic burger while being supportive of her friends with family struggles. #36 will be up soon!

Heidi Gardner

Years on the Show: 2017-Present