There are lots of methods to turn out to be a profitable comedic actor, however there are treasured few routes for a younger up-and-comer to get extra publicity than a stint on “Saturday Night time Dwell.” Family names like Invoice Murray, Amy Poehler, Eddie Murphy, Phil Hartman, Will Ferrell, Adam Sandler, Kristen Wiig, and plenty of others paid their dues on the present earlier than happening to jot down their names within the annals of leisure historical past.
That being mentioned, “Saturday Night time Dwell,” which aired its fiftieth season in 2025, is not essentially a quick observe to A-lister standing, and an entertainer’s profession is hardly doomed in the event that they fail to make the lower. The truth is, there are a number of legendarily humorous individuals who did not fairly make it to the present’s solid for one purpose or one other. As a substitute of sinking from the load of rejection, some took the setback on the chin and went on to turn out to be stars despite it. Others have reminisced about their failure and absolutely admit they did not actually have what it took to open the doorways of Studio 8H on the time. Let’s check out a few of their tales.
John Goodman
John Goodman won’t be the obvious selection for a “Saturday Night time Dwell” solid member, and in hindsight, the actor himself admits it. Nonetheless, a scarcity of stay comedy chops did not cease the “Roseanne” and “The Conners” star from auditioning for the present again in 1980 … and, by his personal admission, failing terribly.
“That was 1980 when the unique solid left, Lorne [Michaels] left, and I did not put a whole lot of thought into it, sadly,” Goodman advised The Hollywood Reporter. “I did not have any improv or stand-up background, and I had a horrible audition, however for some purpose, I nonetheless thought I would get solid.”
In fact, Goodman’s lack of success on the “Saturday Night time Dwell” entrance did not cease him from changing into a beloved actor. Between “Roseanne,” “The Large Lebowski,” “The Righteous Gem stones,” and a slew of different roles, he has established himself as a comedy nice many instances over. Funnily sufficient, “SNL” additionally ended up changing into a significant fixture in his profession. Though Goodman by no means bought his solid slot, he has hosted “SNL” a whopping 13 instances – a mighty achievement solely Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin surpass. What’s extra, Goodman’s solely Emmy win is for a guest-starring function on “Studio 60 on the Sundown Strip,” the NBC comedy-drama a few very “SNL”-esque sketch present.
Jim Carrey
Someplace, there’s an alternate timeline the place Jim Carrey did not introduce himself to the world on the sketch present “In Dwelling Coloration.” Nonetheless, we stay on this one, and it additionally occurs to be one the place Carrey ended up lacking out on a “SNL” solid spot at least thrice. The primary time was for Season 6 (1980-81) when he was simply 18, and the 2 others have been for Season 11 (1985-86) and Season 12 (1986-87).
Lorne Michaels wasn’t current to see Carrey’s assorted auditions, however clearly, one thing within the younger comic did not mesh with what the present was on the lookout for on the time. Thankfully for Carrey and his followers, he went on to turn out to be an enormous comedy and drama celebrity — and to point out that he had little sick will towards the present that had rejected him thrice, he has visitor hosted “SNL” a number of instances, and even joined the present because the “Saturday Night time Dwell” model of Joe Biden in Season 46.
As for Carrey himself, he had at the very least some thought {that a} profitable “SNL” profession wasn’t within the playing cards, based mostly on a very darkish story he advised on the New Yorker Pageant in 2018 (through Vulture) concerning the day of one in every of his auditions. “I bought out of the automobile within the car parking zone, and there was an individual making an attempt to work up the center to commit suicide on the constructing on NBC in Burbank, and I walked into the constructing not understanding whether or not he did it,” he mentioned. “All the brand new crews have been gathering across the constructing. I went, ‘That is not most likely a great signal.'”
Aubrey Plaza
On paper, “Parks and Recreation” star Aubrey Plaza’s signature deadpan and offbeat vitality would possibly make her an awesome “Saturday Night time Dwell” solid member. This may increasingly or might not have one thing to do with Plaza’s adolescence as a performer, which have been really influenced by the present.
Plaza grew to become enamored with “Saturday Night time Dwell” at a younger age, which ended up affecting her profession plans in a profound method. “I grew to become actually obsessive about comedy and improv,” Plaza advised The Guardian in 2012. “I needed to be on [‘SNL’] for so long as I may bear in mind. Simply by [cast members’] biographies on-line, I noticed that a whole lot of them did sketch comedy. And I made a decision that is what I used to be going to do.” The improv circuit was good for Plaza, who ended up rubbing shoulders with a number of comedy notables and even interned on the present in 2005. Nonetheless, when she really auditioned for a spot within the solid in 2008, she didn’t land it.
The explanation Plaza by no means gave her lifelong “SNL” dream one other shot was easy: different desires bought in the way in which. After she relocated from New York to Los Angeles to movie Adam Sandler’s 2009 comedy “Humorous Individuals,” the West Coast was so type to her that she by no means actually bought round to resuming her Large Apple path — which, after all, made it tough to focus on a job on the famously New York Metropolis-based present. “I used to be solid on ‘Parks and Rec’ and ‘Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World,’ and it was all occurring again to again,” Plaza mentioned. “So I used to be considering, ‘After this, I am going to return.’ After which ‘Parks’ simply stored going. Which is an effective factor, nevertheless it was type of abrupt.”
Paul Reubens
Whereas some actors are jovial and amused about their distinct lack of “Saturday Night time Dwell” audition success, Paul Reubens had a considerably completely different response. Reubens’ shot at “SNL” glory got here in 1980, however when the mud settled, he ended up dropping out to comic Gilbert Gottfried.
Whether or not a viewer would possibly choose Gottfried’s or Reuben’s explicit model of offbeat humor is supplier’s selection, however the reality stays that one bought the “SNL” gig and the opposite did not. Whereas this technically implies that Reubens’ audition was a failure, he personally felt that Gottrfied pulled strings to get the function. So, he took the rejection very laborious and hasn’t shied away from saying as a lot. “I used to be so bitter and indignant,” he shared with The San Francisco Chronicle. Nonetheless, Reubens quickly turned his fury into highly effective gas to propel him towards success, and he successfully created “Pee-wee’s Playhouse” out of the grit and spite that lingered from his failed “SNL” audition. “I believed, ‘You higher take into consideration doing one thing to take this to the following degree,” Reubens mentioned. “So I borrowed some cash and produced [‘Pee-wee’s Playhouse’]. I went from this ‘Saturday Night time Dwell’ reject to having 60 folks working for me.”
Lisa Kudrow
Los Angeles comedy and improv troupe The Groundlings has yielded many comedy superstars through the years, together with a number of who graduated to “Saturday Night time Dwell.” The brilliant lights of Studio 8H naturally beckoned to many Groundlings, and “SNL” stored tabs on the group for brand new expertise. Members of the troupe knew this all too nicely, and one 1990 efficiency with Lorne Michaels in attendance set an ideal instance of how tense issues could possibly be … and the way this pressure would trigger a comedic expertise like Lisa Kudrow to bomb her efficiency.
Michaels was there for one new solid member, however needed to slim it down from Kudrow, Kathy Griffin, and Julia Sweeney, letting the evening’s efficiency function their audition. But it surely was Sweeney who went on to ace the present and have become a solid member on “SNL” from Season 16 to Season 19.
Not touchdown “Saturday Night time Dwell” was notably laborious on Kudrow, who admitted to Los Angeles Journal that her work that evening wasn’t adequate and that she took a while to rise above the frustration. “I knew that ‘SNL’ was there,” she mentioned. “The present that evening bought to me, I used to be unnerved and clearly not prepared. I used to be upset that I didn’t get it. There’s one other signal, I believed, that I am not lower out for it. That feeling lasted for just a little bit” (through Psychological Floss). Thankfully, Kudrow would get her flowers simply few years later when she was solid to play Phoebe Buffay on just a little present referred to as “Pals.”
