SNL: The Current Cast Discussion

[Pete Martell]

6 hours ago, Peace 47 said:

I don’t necessarily think that Kenan has to abide by any unwritten rule regarding getting out after a certain period of time if he’s enjoying his work and doing it at the high level he always has.  But I just don’t know how he has kept up what I assume to be the punishing pace of the show for such a long time (with the late nights and the all-nighters and stress of live performance during show weeks).  Maybe it’s helped by the long summer breaks and weeks-long breaks during the season, though.

He's done sketch comedy since he was 16, off and on, so I guess he knows how to pace himself and it's probably a safe zone for him. I don't see how he can keep going with his sitcom though so I do wonder if he's in his last few seasons. 

3 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I don't see Kenan taking over for Lorne when Lorne eventually retires.  He might have been on the show the longest but he hasn't taken on a show runner-type role or a head writing role on shows he has worked on.  I think he's talented and it's possible he could take on those roles but I would think Lorne's successor would have the experience of polishing/choosing skits, auditioning talent and being in charge of multiple departments.

That's why I think, of the potential alum successors I've heard tossed around, people like Tina Fey or Seth Meyers make sense.

I think Kenan has an EP role on the All That revival, but I agree that I don't see him taking over SNL; I think those are mostly just jokes for the show. I have a feeling it will be someone in-house, unless NBC wants more control.

[Pete Martell]

Kate McKinnon feature in Interview, complete with photos, and also many questions from famous friends, many of whom have ties to SNL. 

https://www.interviewmagazine.com/culture/kate-mckinnon-cover-story-saturday-night-live-impersonator

[lou ann b]

nice interview. I wouldn't say she's most beloved,but I do like Kate.

[Pete Martell]

I'd heard some comments about Pete Buttigieg and Colin Jost going to Harvard together, but I thought they may have been joking. As it turns out they did.

Strange how life works. I imagine where they are now is about the last place either of them thought they'd be three years later. 

[Pete Martell]

This was on Instagram last week and was just put on their channel today.

[Pete Martell]

Jenny Slate, who has a new standup special out, is asked about Shane Gillis and pretty much shuts it down.

https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2019/10/8591694/jenny-slate-stage-fright-little-weirds-interview

“I don't even know who's on the show. The only thing that I care about in terms of SNL is Tim Robinson, who I never actually saw on SNL, but I just heard about him this year and I'm obsessed with his show [I Think You Should Leave on Netflix]. I mean, it's like if you went out with like a weirdo for three months, like 12 years ago, and someone's like, Did you hear what Trevor did in, like, another country? Do you have a comment about that? I really don't. I'm not connected to that at all. Thank God I at least got to work there because I always did want to. I always wanted to be on the show. So if I hadn't gotten there, I would still be trying to.”

[lou ann b]

Always liked Jenny,glad for her success,love how she ignored Gillis,but don't believe for one moment she doesn't know who's on the show now,she worked with Kenan,for one.As I say,love her,so not attacking.

[Pete Martell]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuwO9qqgIUw

Kenan and Chris Q&A.

Edited November 22, 2019 by Pete Martell

[Pete Martell]

Heidi interview.

https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/heidi-gardner-saturday-night-live-nbc-bailey-gismert-1203412770/

[vb68]

Pete is demanding fans who attend his liveshows sign NDAs with a $1 Million penalty.

He really is getting some reputation.  Is that really necessary? And I agree with one of the comments that it should had been clear at the time of purchase of the tickets.

So fans can't even tweet that they liked his show?

REALLY?!?!

Edited December 1, 2019 by vb68

[Robert Lynch]

2 hours ago, vb68 said:

Pete is demanding fans who attend his liveshows sign NDAs with a $1 Million penalty.

He really is getting some reputation.  Is that really necessary? And I agree with one of the comments that it should had been clear at the time of purchase of the tickets.

So fans can't even tweet that they liked his show?

REALLY?!?!

What the hell, Pete? Is fame getting to his head or something...

[possibilities]

Maybe he'll have the joy of suing this entire audience, and discovering he no longer has anyone buying tickets, so he can't pay his lawyers.

[Pete Martell]

Casey Wilson talks about how her struggles with her son's health problems made her feel like an imposter. 

https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Family/mom-suffered-motherhood-imposter-syndrome/story?id=67436564

[bamlou]

Hopefully I'm putting this in the right thread - last night's "Lights out with David Spade" was a fun reunion with Kevin Nealon, Dennis Miller, and Norm MacDonald on as his panelists (and Colin Quinn briefly via video). It was an atypical show if you've watched it before - normally David and the night's panel of comedians just snark on the latest pop culture news, but this episode broke from format and was essentially one big SNL lovefest, with them reminiscing about Update, telling stories, and joking with each other the entire time.

They also briefly discussed how the current show relies more heavily on celebrity cameos for impressions over regular cast members - David Spade and Kevin Nealon don't like it, and Dennis Miller gave a more practical POV that he thinks it's better to be a passed over cast member than not being one at all, and you just have to roll with it until you can find your lane on the show.

If you're a fan of their SNL era, it's a pretty enjoyable half-hour to watch. I don't see clips on YouTube, but here's links to the episodes on the Comedy Central / CTV Comedy websites:

US: http://www.cc.com/episodes/1j0iqt/lights-out-with-david-spade-december-2--2019---dennis-miller--norm-macdonald---kevin-nealon-season-1-ep-1060

Canada: https://www.ctvcomedy.ca/Shows/LightsOutWithDavidSpade/episodes?vid=1841479

[Pete Martell]

A long piece on Adam Sandler's life and career, including some short comments from other SNL alum. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/27/magazine/adam-sandler-movies-uncut-gems.html

[rmontro]

Okay, I just heard some chick on E! (Morgan Stewart) say she thought Pete Davidson was hot.  She also said "he also dates hot people, and I like that".  I just do not get this Pete Davidson thing, can someone explain it to me?

Admittedly, I'm not the best judge of male attractiveness, but I'm baffled.

[Pete Martell]

Aidy, Kenan, Che and Jost, along with the 8H offices, opened the Rockefeller Christmas Show.

[SomeTameGazelle]

22 hours ago, rmontro said:

Okay, I just heard some chick on E! (Morgan Stewart) say she thought Pete Davidson was hot.  She also said "he also dates hot people, and I like that".  I just do not get this Pete Davidson thing, can someone explain it to me?

Admittedly, I'm not the best judge of male attractiveness, but I'm baffled.

That seems like such a spectacularly inane thing to say that I think bafflement is the correct reaction. The thing that made Pete's Chad sketches funny (IMO) was the fact that Chad was not really anything special in terms of looks and definitely vacant as a personality. If Chad had been especially physically attractive it wouldn't have been funny to have these people desperately wanting him even if they had to ignore his personality to do so.

[rmontro]

7 minutes ago, SomeTameGazelle said:

That seems like such a spectacularly inane thing to say that I think bafflement is the correct reaction.

I would agree with you, but Pete has been dating some very attractive women.  He must have some level of hotness going on, I'm just not sure where it is.

[SomeTameGazelle]

38 minutes ago, rmontro said:

I would agree with you, but Pete has been dating some very attractive women.  He must have some level of hotness going on, I'm just not sure where it is.

Oh, well, even if 100% of the very attractive women in the world swear that they find Pete hot, that doesn't mean that anyone else has any obligation to agree. Scarlett Johanssen is very attractive and Leslie Jones' Update bits relied on the idea that she found Colin Jost irresistible, but I don't waste any time worrying about whether or not Colin Jost is objectively hot. It all comes down to taste and probably multiple axes (looks/personality/character/material wealth etc). I've seen handsome men turn ugly once you get to know them and vice versa.

[vb68]

12 hours ago, SomeTameGazelle said:

Scarlett Johanssen is very attractive and Leslie Jones' Update bits relied on the idea that she found Colin Jost irresistible, but I don't waste any time worrying about whether or not Colin Jost is objectively hot.

Well on the Leslie end of it, I think he was just a good foil for her. Leslie just likes to flirt, period. 

[Pete Martell]

[Maverick]

 Why does Beck look so douchy in the credits?

[helenamonster]

It seems like SNL men in general have very good luck with women. There's Colin and Scarlett (and he was with Rashida Jones before that), Pete and his neverending list of inexplicable girlfriends, Jason Sudeikis is married to Olivia Wilde, Fred Armisen was married to Elisabeth Moss and is now with Natasha Lyonne, and Nicole Kidman told a story on The Tonight Show about how she'd tried to get with Jimmy Fallon in the early aughts, but he'd been totally oblivious.

Of all of these, Jason and Olivia is the only one that doesn't make me scratch my head.

[vb68]

On 12/8/2019 at 6:37 PM, helenamonster said:

Fred Armisen was married to Elisabeth Moss

I have to admit I've been very curious about that union because the marriage was so brief and sounded anything but pleasant. I would totally read a detailed account of it. Moss described it as awful and traumatic after it was over. And I remember a really choice quote of something like the greatest impression he's ever done is of a normal person. OUCH! I know it's unfair, but that did color my perception of him.  In complete fairness though, the only other thing I know about Moss is that she's a Scientologist. So that could have been a wrinkle as well. No idea if Fred is one or not.

His rebound from that relationship btw was former cast member Abby Elliott.

I wanted to add that a much lower profile relationship but one of the more successful ones is Maya and her husband Paul Thomas Anderson. I always thought it was such an interesting and intriguing match. Maybe one secret to it is they seem to keep their professional careers separate from each other.

Edited December 10, 2019 by vb68

[Pete Martell]

 

[Pete Martell]

Nora Dunn talks about SNL.

https://www.fox32chicago.com/video/638211

 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Kate McKinnon's tribute to Ellen at the Golden Globes was very sweet:

 

[Pete Martell]

Beck and Kyle fan Q&A.

 

[JZL]

On 12/8/2019 at 5:37 PM, helenamonster said:

It seems like SNL men in general have very good luck with women. There's Colin and Scarlett (and he was with Rashida Jones before that), Pete and his neverending list of inexplicable girlfriends, Jason Sudeikis is married to Olivia Wilde, Fred Armisen was married to Elisabeth Moss and is now with Natasha Lyonne, and Nicole Kidman told a story on The Tonight Show about how she'd tried to get with Jimmy Fallon in the early aughts, but he'd been totally oblivious.

Of all of these, Jason and Olivia is the only one that doesn't make me scratch my head.

The look on Fallon's face was priceless as he listened to Kidman tell that story and he gradually realized she was not kidding and he'd blown his chance. 

Fred Armisen isn't funny so the Natasha Lyonne dealio is more confusing to me than his brief marriage to  Elisabeth Moss.  Maybe that's over at this time.

ETA:  Oh bloody 'ell, they've been together for years.  Go figure, good for them.

Edited January 11, 2020 by JZL

[peeayebee]

18 hours ago, JZL said:

Fred Armisen isn't funny so the Natasha Lyonne dealio is more confusing to me than his brief marriage to  Elisabeth Moss. 

I find him pretty funny. To each his own.

[Pete Martell]

 

[Pete Martell]

Bowen Yang interview/profile.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/25/style/bowen-yang-snl.html

Aidy again (spoilers for Shrill season 2).

https://www.thecut.com/2020/01/aidy-bryant-shrill-snl.html

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2020-01-24/aidy-bryant-shrill-hulu-snl?_amp=true

(there's another video of her on their channel)

[Pete Martell]

Colin Quinn on Seth Meyers.

Aidy's installment of the "stories from the show" segment.

 

[vb68]

Cecily has a deal for a musical comedy series for Apple TV.

It's not clear whether she will continue on SNL or not. She might. Aidy has done two seasons of Shrill. I know it's coming close to time for Kate, Cecily, and Aidy to call it a day. But I find it doubtful they all leave at the same time. 

[peeayebee]

I was listening to the impeachment hearings on the radio when Susan Collins was speaking, and I swear she sounded exactly like Cecily!

[vb68]

It's funny, some political reporter had a thread up on twitter today asking who has the most distinct speaking voice in the Senate.  Most people thought Sherrod Brown, but I immediately thought Susan Collins without a doubt. I think I might feel that way because of Cecily.

Cecily doesn't get enough recognition for being the best person in the cast right now with impressions and accents.

 

Edited January 31, 2020 by vb68

[possibilities]

I will really miss these women when they leave. I still miss Leslie. We've had such a good run of female cast members, and it's made the writing better because they were also writing female-oriented sketches and getting them to air.

I'm sure there are other great women who could be great for the show, but I just don't trust the hiring practices to commit to finding them and asking them to join. I still remember when they added a half dozen white guys all at once, as if to say: "the cast is almost gender-balanced! hit the panic button!"

[Pete Martell]

This is the Update piece John mentioned as being cut (I guess it aired another time).

https://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/weekend-update-liam/n13084

[Irlandesa]

Second Chance Theater is probably one of my favorite things Seth does.  The skits are rarely good but it usually brings fun guest stars and the discussions crack me up.  The passion the performers have for their awful skits makes the them worth viewing even if the jokes in them don't.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Leslie Jones tells Seth where she was and what she was doing when she found out she'd been hired on SNL:

 

[Pete Martell]

 

[heatherchandler]

On 12/4/2019 at 10:31 PM, rmontro said:

Okay, I just heard some chick on E! (Morgan Stewart) say she thought Pete Davidson was hot.  She also said "he also dates hot people, and I like that".  I just do not get this Pete Davidson thing, can someone explain it to me?

Admittedly, I'm not the best judge of male attractiveness, but I'm baffled.

I cannot believe I am saying this but I get it, I kind of find him hot.

 

On 12/10/2019 at 12:03 PM, vb68 said:

I have to admit I've been very curious about that union because the marriage was so brief and sounded anything but pleasant. I would totally read a detailed account of it. Moss described it as awful and traumatic after it was over. And I remember a really choice quote of something like the greatest impression he's ever done is of a normal person. OUCH! I know it's unfair, but that did color my perception of him.  In complete fairness though, the only other thing I know about Moss is that she's a Scientologist. So that could have been a wrinkle as well. No idea if Fred is one or not.

His rebound from that relationship btw was former cast member Abby Elliott.

 

I think he was cheating on Elizabeth Moss with Abby.  That was the word on the street!

[Pete Martell]

Will Ferrell on Colbert (I chose this clip because they talk a little about a sketch they wrote with Mark McKinney).

 

[Pete Martell]

https://chicago.suntimes.com/bulls/2020/2/13/21137253/bulls-alex-moffat-saturday-night-live-nba-benny-the-bull

https://dailynorthwestern.com/2020/02/16/campus/snl-cast-members-bowen-yang-chloe-fineman-headline-ao-winter-speaker-event/

[Pete Martell]

Tim Meadows on Kevin Nealon's hiking show. 

 

[SomeTameGazelle]

Pete has some grievances.

https://deadline.com/2020/02/pete-davidson-charlamagne-tha-god-saturday-night-live-snl-make-fun-of-me-1202867969/

I am not a Pete fan, but it makes me sad to think that he feels like the butt of jokes. I had hoped that when he was in bits that made fun of him that it was because he was actually close to the rest of the cast. In the Scarlett Johansson bit where various people were getting dusted, most of the jokes about people hating each other were between people who seem to have close working relationships. If Pete really feels like it's because they actually despise him that's not as enjoyable to me as a viewer.

 

Edited February 26, 2020 by SomeTameGazelle
Added empathy

[cpcathy]

I generally like Pete, and I can empathize with his issues, but if he feels he needs to leave the show, he should leave without making a fuss over it.

[Pete Martell]

9 hours ago, SomeTameGazelle said:

Pete has some grievances.

https://deadline.com/2020/02/pete-davidson-charlamagne-tha-god-saturday-night-live-snl-make-fun-of-me-1202867969/

I am not a Pete fan, but it makes me sad to think that he feels like the butt of jokes. I had hoped that when he was in bits that made fun of him that it was because he was actually close to the rest of the cast. In the Scarlett Johansson bit where various people were getting dusted, most of the jokes about people hating each other were between people who seem to have close working relationships. If Pete really feels like it's because they actually despise him that's not as enjoyable to me as a viewer.

If he feels he's being unfairly criticized, then I do feel bad for him, but given the number of episodes he's missed (and not just for filming reasons - he took off one episode for a friend's wedding) and his limited appearances in the episodes he actually was in, I think the very mild jokes on-air aren't much of a knockback. The show can be absolutely vicious when it doesn't like someone, even a cast member - they once "joked" about Nora Dunn's violent death in an episode she boycotted. I didn't see anything very harsh about the Pete comments. I get the feeling he isn't very close to anyone on the show and may never have been - if so, he made a mistake by coming back when he didn't want to. That he said he came back only to please Lorne made me uneasy, as that's not very healthy, and frankly, I think Lorne has exploited Pete's personal life too much (particularly his relationship with Ariana Grande). If Lorne genuinely cares about Pete, I wish he had suggested he leave, and if he wants to keep an eye on him, hire Pete for one of his other shows. 

[helenamonster]

31 minutes ago, Pete Martell said:

he took off one episode for a friend's wedding

Lmao for real? I've seen various cast members on Instagram do tribute posts to friends whose weddings they couldn't make because they fell on Saturdays they were taping. I always chalked it up as a sacrifice you have to make if you want to be on the show, but I guess not for Poor Precious Pete.

I don't think there has ever been a cast member handled more delicately in all 45 years of SNL's existence than Pete. I get that there's a history of people going off the rails, and that Lorne doesn't want to see that happen again, but come on. Every single person who works there has bent over backwards to accommodate him. Cast members make fun of each other all the time: Kenan's been there too long, Alex and Mikey are indistinguishable, Kyle's stuff never gets on the air. If Pete is incapable of not taking it personally, and is not able to deal with the "cutthroat" nature of the show (what, is everybody just supposed to step aside on the off chance you deign to show up for an episode?) then, yeah, maybe he should go.

I get he has problems, and I can sympathize with that to a point. But he appears to think his mental health status gives him unlimited free passes and carte blanche to be an insufferable douchebag. He has brought nothing to this show except his hot mess of a personal life.

Aw man, imagine if he and Colin are gone for season 46? *chef's kiss*