The longest-running 'Saturday Night Live' cast members of all time

Beck Bennett started with the improv quartet Good Neighbor, landing him various TV and film gigs. Eventually, he became a featured player role on Saturday Night Live beginning in 2013. He became a regular two years later and made a name for himself across eight seasons with impressions of Mike Pence, Vladimir Putin, Jeb Bush, Bill Belichick, and numerous hosts, anchors, and dad characters. We’ll also always remember Bennett for being part of the confused couple in Tom Hanks’ famous “David S. Pumpkins” Halloween sketch.

It’s hard to believe that Pete Davidson spent eight years on Saturday Night Live, as he still seems like such a young guy. That’s probably because after cutting his sketch comedy teeth on MTV shows like Guy Code and Wild ‘N Out, Davidson started on SNL in 2014 when he was just 20 years old — making him one of the youngest cast members in the show’s history. Davidson’s tenure included frequent commentaries on “Weekend Update” as himself or as characters like Chad, an ultra-chill dude who is not phased at all when dealing with serial killers, haunted houses, space expeditions, or any other frightening situations. 

After doing improv with the Groundlings comedy troupe and writing for shows like The Late Show with David Letterman , 3rd Rock From the Sun, and That ‘70s Show, Will Forte joined SNL in 2002. The most recognizable role from his eight-season run was “MacGruber,” a parody of Richard Dean Anderson’s MacGyver TV character. The sketch was so popular that it led to a feature film in 2010, the year Forte left the show.

Bill Hader was one of the best impressionists in SNL  history, impersonating famous figures like Vincent Price, Al Pacino, James Carville, Clint Eastwood, and Alan Alda. He also popularized original characters like “Weekend Update” commentator Stefon (which he co-wrote with comedian John Mulaney), Devin from “The Californians,” Italian man Vinny Vedecci, elderly reporter Herb Welch, and an amusement park’s animatronic barbershop singer from “The Merryville Brothers.” Hader was only on the show for eight seasons, from 2005-13, but appeared in a seemingly endless list of memorable sketches.

An extremely talented impressionist, actor, and voice actor, Phil Hartman graced the SNL stage for eight glorious years from 1986 to 1994. His distinct, booming voice earned him numerous announcer roles, but he was best known for characters like Frankenstein’s Monster, Anal Retentive Chef, and Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer, as well as his portrayals of Bill Clinton, Frank Sinatra, Phil Donahue, and Ed McMahon. 

Whether you remember him for the characters Mango, the exotic dancer, Mr. Peepers, the monkey man, or Doug Butabi, the head-bopping clubgoer opposite Will Ferrell (on both SNL and the movie A Night at the Roxbury ), Chris Kattan made quite a mark during his eight seasons from 1996-2003. And let’s not forget about his impressions of famous figures like Antonio Banderas or his recurring responsibility of holding the keyboard during holiday performances of “I Wish It Was Christmas Today.” 

Chris Parnell was on SNL for eight seasons from 1998 to 2006, a notable tenure because it included two layoffs. Parnell didn’t have a lot of memorable recurring characters, but he was nevertheless incredibly versatile, always present, and renowned for his ability to avoid laughing. Keep in mind, although Parnell starred in popular pre-recorded digital shorts like “Lazy Sunday” (with Andy Samberg) and “Natalie’s Rap” (with Natalie Portman), he also had to keep a straight face for hilarious live sketches like the classic “More Cowbell” skit (in which he was the only cast member not to break).

As a founding member of New York’s Upright Citizen’s Brigade, Amy Poehler’s larger-than-life energy seemed destined for SNL , and she finally arrived in 2001. Poehler made the most of her eight-year tenure with a long list of impressions that most notably included Hillary Clinton, original characters like “Bronx Beat” talk show host Betty Caruso, as a "Weekend Update" co-anchor with Seth Meyers and Tina Fey, and behind the scenes as a prolific writer. She left the show in December 2008 to pursue her most iconic career role: playing Leslie Knope on Parks and Recreation, which debuted in April 2009.

Horatio Sanz always looked like he was having fun in his sketches, probably because he was frequently cracking up during them. He was giggling through the aforementioned “More Cowbell” sketch while clad in head-to-toe cowhide in “The Leather Man” and as a dim-witted aquarium repairman in “Gary’s Fish Tanks.” It’s no coincidence that these sketches all included Jimmy Fallon, who was constantly breaking alongside his buddy during the former’s eight seasons on SNL from 1998 to 2006. (The duo also notably wrote and performed “I Wish It Was Christmas Today” alongside Chris Kattan and Tracy Morgan.)

As a rising stand-up comedian, Michael Che joined the SNL writing staff in 2013 and — following a stint as a correspondent on The Daily Show — became a "Weekend Update" co-anchor in 2014. (Che was notably the first Black co-anchor in the segment’s history.) Although he was named an SNL main cast member in 2016, Che’s primary responsibility was still his co-hosting duties and a co-head writer promotion he earned in 2017. Che left the latter position in 2022 but remains a hilariously witty force in the "Weekend Update" chair opposite Colin Jost.

Kyle Mooney got his start in an improv troupe with future Saturday Night Live longtimer Beck Bennett, and the duo actually joined SNL together in 2013. Over the next nine seasons, Kyle proved to be both a capable impressionist and a strong character actor while playing everyone from The Mandalorian star Grogu/Baby Yoda to terrible comedian Bruce Chandling. However, Mooney might be best remembered for playing himself, which he did in countless digital shorts and pseudo “behind the scenes” skits.

Bobby Moynihan has the benefit of simply looking like someone who is funny. Give him a character or dress him up like a famous figure, and he can split sides like few other actors can do. In his nine-season stay from 2008 to 2017, Moynihan made his mark with impressions like Snooki from The Jersey Shore and as a writer and actor for the famous “David S. Pumpkins” sketch, but our favorite role will always be his “Drunk Uncle” character. Somehow, Drunk Uncle perfectly walked the line between being poignant, inappropriate, and nonsensically inebriated in a way that was simultaneously awkward and endearing. 

Kevin Nealon still makes us laugh no matter what we see him in, probably because we were such big fans of his time on SNL. During a nine-season run that began in 1987, Nealon rose to prominence with his original characters, including Mr. Subliminal, the Politically Incorrect Private Investigator, and Franz of the strongman duo Hans & Franz (with longtime collaborator Dana Carvey playing Hans). Nealon was also a "Weekend Update" anchor for the latter half of his tenure, which ended in 1995.

Before launching a wildly successful film, TV, and advertising career that includes both acting and voice acting, Maya Rudolph somehow fit in nine years at Saturday Night Live . From 1999 through 2007, she brought to life characters like Jodi Dietz of “Bronx Beat” and Megan from “Wake Up, Wakefield.” As an incredibly talented impressionist, she portrayed Oprah, Whitney Houston, Beyoncé, and Donatella Versace. Even after leaving SNL, Rudolph occasionally returned to play Vice President Kamala Harris perfectly.

Joe Biden, Mitt Romney, George W. Bush, and the Devil don’t have a lot in common (despite what some folks might say), yet they were all played by Jason Sudeikis at some point during his nine-season SNL tenure from 2005-13. (Although, it’s worth noting that Sudeikis first joined the show in 2003 as a writer.) He also popularized characters like Officer Sikorsky in the “Scared Straight” sketches and the overly excited tracksuit-wearing background dancer from the “What’s Up With That?” skits with Kenan Thompson.

Aidy Bryant’s versatility was on full display during her decade at SNL from 2012-22. She could play young, old, female, male, restrained, or completely out of control. However, there are two things we’ll always remember Aidy for. The first is anytime she played Sen. Ted Cruz — a role that sounds odd on paper but was absolutely nailed by Bryant every time. The second was the “Inside the Beltway” sketch from 2019, in which a member of the SNL wardrobe crew prematurely walked into the scene to change Bryant’s blazer before the cameras cut away, causing the actress to lose her composure and crack up throughout the entire last minute of the sketch.

You’ll rarely see Colin Jost appearing in sketches, but he has been diligently co-anchoring the "Weekend Update" desk alongside Michael Che since 2014. One of his best "Weekend Update" bits is a recurring segment where Jost and Che write jokes for each other to deliver, which always results in Jost having to read racist or otherwise offensive jokes and Che responding in mock surprise. Although Jost has been appearing on SNL for a decade, he first joined the SNL staff in 2005 and has served as a writer, writing supervisor, and co-head writer since then. 

Tim Meadows was a critical member of the SNL cast for a decade beginning in 1991. During this time, he deftly executed impressions of anyone from Michael Jackson and Sammy Davis Jr. to O.J. Simpson and Oprah…and once played two different characters in a single sketch! Meadows was perhaps best known for playing radio host Leon Phelps in “The Ladies Man” sketches, which he parlayed into a feature film of the same name in 2000. 

To this day, we remain under the impression that Fred Armisen could literally play anyone — real, fictional, or somewhere in between. Over 11 wonderful seasons beginning in 2002, he portrayed the likes of Barack Obama, Prince, Lawrence Welk, Michael Bloomberg, and Gov. David Paterson, as well as original characters like punk rocker Ian Rubbish, Venezuelan comedian Fericito, and Stuart from “The Californians.” But our favorite Fred Armisen bit saw him paired with Kristen Wiig as the singing duo “Garth & Kat.” Although Garth & Kat were supposed to perform pre-rehearsed songs for their segment, Armisen would instead improvise a song on the spot, and Wiig would attempt to sing along, even though she had no idea what Armisen would say next.

It’s difficult to quantify Al Franken’s time as a cast member on Saturday Night Live. He joined as a writer for the very first season in 1975 but didn’t appear as a cast member until a few years later. He and series creator Lorne Michaels left in 1980 over a disagreement with the head of NBC, but both returned in 1985. Franken left again a year later but returned the following year, finally departing for good in 1995. He was more renowned for his writing — earning five Emmys and an additional 10 nominations — but also had some memorable characters. One was Stuart Smalley, an unlicensed therapist who spun off into the 1995 movie Stuart Saves His Family.

Unlike some other folks on this list, Kate McKinnon’s tenure — a whopping 11 years from 2012-22 — is entirely believable due to the exceptionally high number of famous figures and other characters she played. She appeared as Hillary Clinton, Kellyanne Conway, Ellen DeGeneres, Jodie Foster, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Elizabeth Warren, and the likes of Justin Bieber, Rudy Giuliani, and Lindsey Graham. And that doesn’t even include her original characters! (Our favorite is the woman who spoke about her alien abduction in a sketch alongside Ryan Gosling, with everyone involved repeatedly cracking up at her dialogue and delivery.) McKinnon earned a total of 10 Emmy nominations for her work on SNL, winning two.

Cecily Strong set the record for longest-tenured female cast member on December 17, 2022, also her very last show. Over 11 years, Strong impersonated people like Jeanine Pirro, Kari Lake, both Ivanka and Melania Trump, numerous Kardashians, and countless others, but was also known for her original characters and regular appearances on "Weekend Update," most memorably (in our opinion) the slightly tipsy, overly confident, and very misinformed “Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started a Conversation with at a Party.” 

Seth Meyers was a force on SNL for 13 seasons onscreen and offscreen. He signed on as a writer in 2001, was promoted to head writer in 2006, and was the mastermind behind many brilliant sketches, including the ones in which Tina Fey played Sarah Palin during the 2008 Presidential Election. Although most of his on-camera appearances were as a co-host of "Weekend Update" beginning in 2006, he also impersonated people like Anderson Cooper, John Kerry, Peyton Manning, and the Harry Potter character Ron Weasley. Meyers departed in 2014 to host his own talk show, Late Night with Seth Meyers.

Saturday Night Live was lucky enough to have someone who can only be referred to as a master impressionist for 14 years. Oddly enough, Darrell Hammond actually had two unsuccessful auditions for SNL before a producer saw him doing his impeccable Bill Clinton impersonation and hired him in 1995. Over the next 14 seasons, Hammond would play Dıck Cheney, Al Gore, Jay Leno, Ted Koppel, Donald Rumsfeld, and, of course, Sean Connery on Celebrity Jeopardy, among many, many others. Hammond left SNL in 2009 but returned as the show’s announcer in 2014 following the passing of Don Pardo.

We’ve been watching Kenan Thompson do sketch comedy nearly our entire lives. He was a cast member on the kids' show All That from 1994-99, he joined Saturday Night Live in 2003, and as of 2023, he is still going strong there. In addition to breaking the record for most seasons on SNL , he also owns the all-time record for most impressions, including Charles Barkley, Steve Harvey, Al Sharpton, and David Ortiz. He’s also known for the characters Diondre Cole (host of “What Up with That?”), Darnell Hayes (host of “Black Jeopardy”), and Lorenzo Macintosh (a “Scared Straight” motivational speaker). We can’t wait to see what he’ll do next!