SNL-era Andy Samberg never fails to make me feel so damn nostalgic!
1.Let’s start off with the mastermind behind SNL itself, creator and producer Lorne Michaels. Lorne is still an integral part of Saturday Night Live all these years later. Despite rumors suggesting he’ll be passing the reigns to a new leader, those who work on the show alongside him have suggested the iconic writer and producer is not going anywhere anytime soon. Here’s what he looks like now:
And here’s what he looked like back in 1975 when the show first aired:
Here’s a side-by-side of him then vs. now:
2.Dan Aykroyd was an original cast member and writer for SNL‘s very first season. Here’s what he looks like in 2024:
And he is in 1976, during the latter half of the very first season:
Here’s a side-by-side of him then vs. now:
3.Chevy Chase was also an original cast member. He was originally hired as a writer, but made his way onto the screen and stayed on the show for two seasons. Here’s what he looks like today:
And here’s what he looked like back in 1975 when the show aired. Fun fact: he was the first “Weekend Update” host and the first person to say the now iconic phrase, “Live from New York, it’s Saturday night!”:
Here’s a side-by-side of him then vs. now:
4.Like Dan and Chevy, Garrett Morris was also an original cast member. He was the oldest of the bunch and was 38 years old when the show kicked off. Here’s what he looks like today:
And here he is back in 1975 in a sketch:
Here’s a side-by-side of him then vs. now:
5.Laraine Newman was also a member of the OG SNL cast. She remained on the show until season 5. Here’s what she looks like now:
And here she is during the first season of the show in 1976:
Here’s a side-by-side of her then vs. now:
6.Jane Curtin was also a member of the original SNL cast and stayed through season 5. Here she is today:
And here she is on “Weekend Update” when the show first aired in 1975:
Here’s a side-by-side of her then vs. now:
7.Bill Murray joined the cast mid-way through season 2, replacing Chevy Chase. Here’s what he looks like today:
And here he is back in 1977 when he joined the show:
Here’s a side-by-side of him then vs. now:
8.Eddie Murphy joined the cast of SNL way back in season 6. He was only 19-years-old at the time. Here he is today:
And here’s what he looked like when he debuted in 1980:
Here’s a side-by-side of him then vs. now:
9.Gilbert Gottfried joined the cast in season 6 and was on the show for one season. Gilbert unfortunately passed away in 2022, and the following photo is from an event he hosted earlier that year:
Here’s what he looked like when he joined cast back in 1980:
Here’s a side-by-side of him then vs. in 2022:
10.Emmy winner Laurie Metcalf was — believe it or not — technically an SNL cast member. She has one of the shortest tenures of any cast member, which is one single episode. Here she is in 2024:
And here’s her sole appearance in the April 11, 1981 episode. She did not appear in a live sketch, but was a “Weekend Update” correspondent in this pre-taped segment:
Here’s a side-by-side of her then vs. now:
11.Billy Crystal hosted SNL twice during its 9th season and officially joined the cast for its 10th. Billy was actually supposed to be in the show’s first-ever episode in 1975, but his sketch was cut. Here’s what he looks like today:
And here’s what he looked like in 1984:
Here’s a side-by-side of him then vs. now:
12.Julia Louis-Dreyfus joined SNL during season 8 and stayed through season 10. Her husband — Brad Hall — was also on the show alongside her. Here’s what she looks like today:
And here’s what she looked like during her debut season in 1982:
Here’s a side-by-side of her then vs. now:
13.Martin Short joined SNL for its 10th season and departed after it ended. Here’s what the Only Murders in the Building star looks like today:
And here’s what he looked like in 1984 in a “Saturday Night News” sketch:
Here’s a side-by-side of him then vs. now:
14.Robert Downey Jr. joined the cast for season 11 and also stayed for only one year. In an interview with Jimmy Fallon on the Tonight Show, he called it “arguably the worst season in [SNL] history.” Here’s what the Marvel star looks like today:
And here he is playing Bruce Winston in a sketch in 1985:
Here’s a side-by-side of him then vs. now:
15.Anthony Michael Hall was also only on SNL for one season — season 11 — and was the show’s youngest ever cast member at 17 years old. Here’s what the Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club star looks like in 2024:
And here’s what he (right) looked like in 1985:
Here’s a side-by-side of him then vs. now:
16.Damon Wayans joined SNL for its 11th year as well, but did not remain on the show for the full duration of the season. In March of that year, he was fired for improvising on live TV. Damon was reportedly irritated that he’d been given small roles and that his ideas never made it to air, so he took matters into his own hands. During a “Mr. Monopoly” sketch, he decided to play his role — which was meant to be a stoic cop — as stereotypically gay. Here’s what the In Living Color star looks like today:
Here’s what he looked like back in 1985:
Here’s a side-by-side of him then vs. now:
17.Unlike his fellow season 11 newbies, Jon Lovitz remained on SNL for more than one season. In fact, he stayed through season 15th and was nominated for two “Outstanding Individual Performance In A Variety Or Music Program” Emmys during his tenure. Here’s what he looks like today:
And here’s what he (right) looked like back in 1985, starring in a sketch alongside the episode’s host, Pee-Wee Herman (left):
Here’s a side-by-side of him then vs. now:
18.Dana Carvey — who recently returned to SNL to play President Joe Biden — originally joined the show in its 12th season. Here’s what he looks like today:
And here’s what he looked like during his first season in 1986:
Here’s a side-by-side of him then vs. now:
19.Ben Stiller joined SNL for season 14, but only lasted about a month. Intending to make shorts, he quit after five episodes when he realized live sketches weren’t for him, because he would get nervous. Here’s what Ben looks like today:
Here’s what he looked like back in 1989:
Here’s a side-by-side of him then vs. now:
20.Mike Myers also joined SNL in its 14th season, but stayed for much longer than Ben did. He stayed for seven total seasons, to be exact. Here’s what he looks like today, in 2024:
And here’s what he (right) looked like on “Weekend Update” back in 1989 during his debut season:
Here’s a side-by-side of him then vs. now:
21.Chris Rock joined SNL during season 16 and stayed for three years. Here’s what he looks like today:
And here’s what he looked like back in 1990 when he first joined the show:
Here’s a side-by-side of him then vs. now:
22.Adam Sandler joined SNL in the middle of its 16th season and stayed for five years. Here’s what he looks like today:
And here’s what he looked like during his first season in 1991:
Here’s a side-by-side of him then vs. now:
23.Tim Meadows joined SNL during its 17th season and stayed for nine more. Here’s what he looks like today:
And here’s what he looked like when he joined the show back in 1991:
Here’s a side-by-side of him then vs. now:
24.Sarah Silverman joined SNL during its 19th season as a writer and featured player. She was only on the show for one season and was fired from the show via fax. Here’s what she looks like in 2024:
And here she is on “Weekend Update” in 1993:
Here’s a side-by-side of her then vs. now:
25.Molly Shannon was added to the cast during the latter half of the show’s 20th season and stayed through season 26. Here’s what she looks like today:
And here’s what she looked like back in 1995, saying “goodnight” to the audience with the whole cast at the end of the episode:
Here’s a side-by-side of her then vs. now:
26.Will Ferrell joined SNL back in the 21st season of the show, staying for eight years. Here’s what he looks like now:
And here’s what he looked like back in 1995 when he joined the cast. This still — which is from a sketch titled “Basketball Game” — is one of the earliest appearances of his iconic “Spartan cheerleader” character:
Here’s a side-by-side of him then vs. now:
27.Cheri Oteri joined the show alongside her Groundlings alum, Will, in season 21. Here’s what she looks like in 2024:
And here’s what she looked like back in her first season on the show in 1995:
Here’s a side-by-side of her then vs. now:
28.Darrell Hammond also joined the cast during season 21 and stayed through season 34, making him the second-longest tenured cast member. He’s also been SNL‘s announcer since 2014. Here he is now:
And here’s what he (right) looked like back in 1995, playing Jay Leno in a sketch:
Here’s a side-by-side of him then vs. now:
29.Ana Gasteyer was added to the cast during season 22 as a full-fledged repertory player and not just a featured player. She stayed through season 27. Here’s what the American Auto actor looks like in 2024:
And here’s what she looked like back in 1996, mid-sketch:
Here’s a side-by-side of her then vs. now:
30.Like Ana, Tracy Morgan was also added to the cast in season 22 and bypassed being a featured player. Here’s what the 30 Rock star looks like today:
And here’s what he looked like back in 1996 during his debut season:
Here’s a side-by-side of him then vs. now:
31.Tina Fey first joined SNL as a writer in 1997 and by 1999, she was the show’s first female head writer. She became an on-screen cast member and “Weekend Update” co-host starting in season 26 and stayed through season 31. Here’s what she looks like now:
And here’s what she looked like in 2000 as a “Weekend Update” anchor:
Here’s a side-by-side of her then vs. now:
32.Jimmy Fallon, who now hosts The Tonight Show, joined the cast in season 24. Here he is today:
And here he is playing a character on “Weekend Update” during his first season in 1998:
Here’s a side-by-side of him then vs. now:
33.Maya Rudolph joined SNL at the tail end of season 25 and left the show in season 33. Still, she’s returned several times to host and make cameos. Most recently, she’s returned for the show’s 50th season to play Vice President Kamala Harris. Here’s what Maya looks like today, in 2024:
And here’s what she looked like back in 2000 when she joined the cast:
Here’s a side-by-side of her then vs. now:
34.Rachel Dratch joined the cast alongside Maya in season 25 and stayed through season 31. Here’s what she looks like in 2024:
And here she is in 2000, starring in a sketch alongside Jimmy Fallon:
Here’s a side-by-side of her then vs. now:
35.Amy Poehler joined the show in its 27th season and stayed through its 34th. In the middle of her first season, she was promoted to a repertory player. Here’s what the Upright Citizens Brigade co-founder looks like today:
And here’s what she looked like in 2001 during her debut season alongside Gwyneth Paltrow (right):
Here’s a side-by-side of her then vs. now:
36.Seth Meyers — who now hosts Late Night — was a cast member and head writer at SNL, joining the show during its 27th season. He stayed through season 39. Here he is now, in 2024:
And here’s a shot of him on his way to a post-episode party in 2002:
Here’s a side-by-side of him then vs. now:
37.Fred Armisen joined the show for its 28th season and stayed for 11 years. Here he is in 2024:
And here he is on “Weekend Update” in 2002:
Here’s a side-by-side of him then vs. now:
38.SNL‘s longest-tenured cast member — Kenan Thompson — has been on the show for 21 total seasons, having joined back in season 29. He was about 25 years old at the time. Kenan returned for season 50 of the show this year, extending his record. Here’s what he looks like today:
And here he is way back when he was a featured player in 2003:
Here’s a side-by-side of him then vs. now:
39.Jason Sudeikis joined SNL in 2003 as a writer, making occasional cameos on-screen. He became a featured player on the show in season 31. Here’s what he looks like today:
And here’s what he looked like back in 2005, making an appearance on “Weekend Update”:
Here’s a side-by-side of him then vs. now:
40.Bill Hader joined SNL as a featured player at the start of the show’s 31st season and stayed on the cast for eight years. Here’s what he looks like today:
And here’s what he looked like during his first season back in 2005, making an appearance on “Weekend Update”:
Here’s a side-by-side of him then vs. now:
41.Like Bill, Andy Samberg also joined SNL in season 31. Here he is today:
And here’s what he looked like back in 2005 when he started out. Andy was joined by his “The Lonely Island” collaborators, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone, who were hired as writers. The trio became known for their SNL Digital Shorts:
Here’s a side-by-side of him then vs. now:
42.Kristen Wiig also joined the cast in season 31 and stayed for seven seasons. Here she is now in 2024:
And here’s what she looked like back in 2005:
Here’s a side-by-side of her then vs. now:
43.Bobby Moynihan was the only new addition to the cast before the start of season 34. He remained on the show through season 42. Here’s what he looks like today:
And here he is in a sketch during his debut season in 2008:
Here’s a side-by-side of him then vs. now:
44.Abby Elliott joined the show midway through season 34, when Amy Poehler went on maternity leave. Abby stayed through season 37. She’s SNL‘s first second-generation cast member, as her father, Chris Elliott was on the show’s 20th season. Here’s what The Bear star looks like today:
And here’s what she looked like in 2009 during her debut season, appearing alongside The Rock in his monologue:
Here’s a side-by-side of her then vs. now:
45.Jenny Slate joined SNL in season 35, but only stayed on the show for one season. While it’s largely rumored that she was fired from the show for accidentally swearing during a sketch, Jenny says that’s not true. Rather, she felt like she just didn’t belong on the show. Here’s what the It End With Us star looks like today:
And here’s what she looked like back in 2009:
Here’s a side-by-side of her then vs. now:
46.Vanessa Bayer joined SNL in its 36th season and stayed for seven years. Here’s what she looks like now:
And here she is 2010 during her debut season:
Here’s a side-by-side of her then vs. now:
47.Kate McKinnon joinedthe show during its 37th season and stayed through its 47th. She won two “Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series” Emmys for her work on SNL. Here’s the Barbie star in 2024:
And here’s her cast photo from her debut season in 2012:
Here’s a side-by-side of her then vs. now:
48.Aidy Bryant joined SNL during its 38th season and, like Kate, stayed through its 47th. Here she is in 2024:
And here she is in 2012 alongside Kristen Wiig:
Here’s a side-by-side of her then vs. now:
49.Like Aidy, Cecily Strong joined SNL in season 38. She stayed midway through season 48 and is the show’s longest-running female cast member. Here she is in 2024:
And here’s what she looked like in her 2012 cast photo:
Here’s a side-by-side of her then vs. now:
50.Last but certainly not least, Pete Davidson joined the cast during season 40 and stayed for eight seasons. Here he is, hosting the show last year in 2023:
And here he is in 2014 during his debut season. He was 20 years old at the time: