Nearly anybody who has ever been on the Saturday Evening Stay solid has been part of the writing workers. But, not everybody who has written a traditional SNL sketch has been part of the solid, however a lot of them would nonetheless go on to change into comedy legends in their very own proper. Check out a number of the most well-known names to ever work from behind the scenes at Studio 8H.
John Mulaney
Throughout his SNL tenure from 2009 to 2012, John Mulaney created Stefon with Invoice Hader and often appeared on “Weekend Replace” for a section known as “I Love It.” The Chicago native went on to change into some of the acclaimed comedians of his time and returned to host sufficient occasions to hitch SNL‘s 5-Timers Membership.
Paula Pell
Paula Pell boasts one of many longest runs as an SNL author, sticking round from 1995 to 2013 and profitable an Emmy within the course of. The Girls5eva and Mapleworth Murders star would later share the display with many SNL veterans in Netflix’s Wine Nation and voiced Mother’s Anger within the Inside Out films, to call a number of notable examples of her appearing profession.
Bob Odenkirk
After writing at SNL from 1987 to 1991, throughout which he created Chris Farley’s iconic Matt Foley character (as he revealed on Sizzling Ones), Bob Odenkirk went on to create and star in his personal acclaimed sketch comedy collection with David Cross known as Mr. Present with Bob and David. The comic’s profession would take an sudden and thrilling flip when he joined the Breaking Unhealthy solid as Saul Goodman, which spawned the spin-off Higher Name Saul and led to Odenkirk changing into an motion star with No person.
Stephen Colbert
Whereas he didn’t make the minimize to hitch the solid, in 1996, Stephen Colbert landed a quick stint within the writers’ room at Studio 8H, the place he additionally starred in a number of pre-recorded SNL sketches because the voice of Ace from The Ambiguously Homosexual Duo. He additionally served as a author and performer for the short-lived The Dana Carvey Present earlier than changing into higher referred to as a Day by day Present correspondent, internet hosting his personal political satire program, The Colbert Report, and succeeding David Letterman as host of CBS’ The Late Present.
Hannibal Buress
Solely one in every of Hannibal Buress’ sketches made it to air throughout his temporary stint as an SNL author within the late 2010s. He will surely make up for the dearth of publicity at Studio 8H, nevertheless, when he grew to become a high identify in stand-up, served because the sidekick on Grownup Swim’s The Eric Andre Present, and joined the MCU as Peter Parker’s gymnasium trainer.
Larry David
As Larry David revealed to Vainness Honest, top-of-the-line Seinfeld episodes was impressed by a time he angrily give up his temporary tenure as an SNL author within the mid-Nineteen Eighties and tried to return to Studio 8H the next Monday prefer it by no means occurred. The Curb Your Enthusiasm star would later return to the present as its resident Bernie Sanders and for a number of hilarious internet hosting gigs.
Adam McKay
If Adam McKay, who served as head author for 3 of his six years at Studio 8H within the late ’90s and early 2000s, had change into a solid member, he could be among the many few SNL stars to win an Academy Award. Whereas additionally recognized for co-writing and directing a few of Will Ferrell’s finest films, his peak achievement is his Greatest Tailored Screenplay Oscar for 2015’s The Large Brief, which he adopted with the acclaimed satirical Dick Cheney biopic, Vice.
Steve Higgins
Steve Higgins began writing at SNL in 1995 and would preserve the place for many years, throughout which he would often make appearances, akin to within the monologue for Justin Timberlake’s internet hosting debut. The daddy of Please Do not Destroy’s John Higgins, even stayed on as a producer and author after signing on as Jimmy Fallon’s speak present sidekick on Late Evening and The Tonight Present.
J.B. Smoove
Audiences might acknowledge the boisterous and irresistibly animated comedian J.B. Smoove finest as Leon on Curb Your Enthusiasm or from two of the MCU’s Spider-Man films as Peter Parker’s trainer, Mr. Dell. Earlier on, he served as a author on SNL for 3 years, throughout which he would typically seem on digicam, akin to when he impersonated Jimmy “JJ” Walker in a Good Occasions parody.
Conan O’Brien
Conan O’Brien would have by no means change into one of many all-time most beloved late-night TV hosts if not for his three-year stint as an SNL author, because it was producer Lorne Michaels who advisable he take over Late Evening for David Letterman. The 2025 Mark Twain Prize recipient is often known as a author for The Simpsons and, following his retirement from late-night TV in 2021, expanded his purview by internet hosting a success podcast, Conan O’Brien Wants a Pal, and a journey docuseries, Conan O’Brien Should Go.
Harper Steele
Harper Steele wrote for SNL from 1995 to 2008 and was promoted to move author for her ultimate 4 seasons. She skilled an uptick in notoriety later in life when she got here out as transgender, which was detailed in Netflix’s award-winning documentary, Will & Harper, wherein she travels cross-country with longtime buddy Will Ferrell.
Tim Herlihy
Tim Herlihy, the daddy of Please Do not Destroy’s Martin Herlihy, very not often appeared on SNL throughout his 5 years as a author, however does have a well known character named after him: The Herlihy Boy, performed by Adam Sandler. He and Sandler would additionally collaborate on films like The Marriage ceremony Singer and The Waterboy, to call a number of, wherein he additionally seems in humorous cameos.
Greg Daniels
Greg Daniels grew to become Conan O’Brien’s writing accomplice after they met at Harvard, years earlier than being employed at SNL in 1988. He later achieved fame and acclaim as a creator and developer of varied hit comedy collection, most notably the American adaptation of The Workplace.
Jorma Taccone
Jorma Taccone has appeared in most of the finest SNL Digital Shorts, which he and his companions from The Lonely Island, Andy Samberg and Akiva Schaffer, had been in command of creating throughout his writers’ room tenure from 2005-2010. The comic, musician, and filmmaker can be the mastermind behind the recurring sketch, “MacGruber,” and directed the 2010 film primarily based on the SNL character as effectively.
Herb Sargent
Herb Sargent, who handed away in 2005, was employed as an SNL author on the very starting when the present was nonetheless known as NBC’s Saturday Evening, and is even credited because the creator of “Weekend Replace.” After all, his writing profession predates the sketch comedy collection, having additionally written for The Tonight Present within the Fifties, most notably. Sargent was additionally the Writers Guild of America, East, which named an award honoring comedic excellence after him.
Jack Handey
Regardless of by no means displaying his face on the present, Jack Handey is a well known identify in SNL‘s historical past because of his recurring one-liner bits referred to as “Deep Ideas” and “Fuzzy Reminiscences.” His decades-long tenure at Studio 8H started when frequent collaborator Steve Martin launched him to Lorne Michaels.
Michael Schur
Michael Schur is likely to be acknowledged finest as Dwight Schrute’s cousin, Mose, from The Workplace, which he wrote for and produced earlier than. He would additionally staff with Workplace developer Greg Daniels to create Parks and Recreation; he co-created Brooklyn 9-9 with Dan Goor, and he created The Good Place himself. Nonetheless, his profession started when he joined SNL‘s writing workers from 1998 to 2004.
Carol Leifer
Carol Leifer solely wrote for one season of SNL: its eleventh, which is broadly thought of its weakest 12 months. Nonetheless, she is acknowledged as a comedy legend for her stellar stand-up profession and contribution to acclaimed TV sitcoms like Seinfeld, extra sketch comedy exhibits like MADtv, and awards ceremonies just like the Oscars.
Dave Attell
Dave Atell is a comparatively well-known identify within the comedy world, having hosted a preferred present on Comedy Central known as Insomniac and appeared in hit films like Pootie Tang, Humorous Individuals, and Trainwreck. One of many slapstick comedian’s earliest gigs in present enterprise was writing for SNL in the course of the 1993-1994 season.
Akiva Schaffer
After he and his companions in The Lonely Island made a reputation for themselves by making brief movies for Channel 101, Akiva Schaffer would concentrate on making shorts for SNL with them. Along with making humorous appearances in films like Bizarre: The Al Yankovic Story, he has since change into profitable on his personal because the director of movies like 2022’s Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers and the 2025 reboot of The Bare Gun.
Max Brooks
Along with being the son of Mel Brooks (creator of many hilarious parody films), Max Brooks is known for writing some of the acclaimed works of zombie fiction, The Zombie Survival Information, and World Warfare Z. Earlier than then, he wrote for SNL from 2001 to 2003.
Chris Kelly
Chris Kelly discovered nice success from co-creating the Comedy Central authentic collection, The Different Two, with Sarah Schneider. Previous to that, each of them served as writers at SNL, and each grew to become the top of the workers throughout their final season between 2016 and 2017.
Emily Spivey
Former MADtv author Emily Spivey’s Emmy-winning tenure within the Studio 8H author’s room lasted from 2001 to 2010. She would reunite with different feminine SNL alumnae from that period within the Netflix film, Wine Nation, and likewise wrote for exhibits like The Final Man on Earth and How I Met Your Father.
Tom Gammill
Tom Gammill and his longtime writing accomplice bought their begin at SNL within the late Nineteen Seventies. They might go on to hitch the workers for Late Evening with David Letterman, Seinfeld, and The Simpsons, most notably.
Matt Graham
Gifted slapstick comedian Matt Graham was a author for the likes of Saturday Evening Stay and Late Evening with Conan O’Brien, and even for sport exhibits like Chain Response. But, his greater declare to fame could also be his title because the World Scrabble Championship runner-up when he represented the USA in a global competitors in 1997, in accordance with The New York Occasions.
Bruce McCulloch
Multi-talented Canadian comic Bruce McCulloch was a part of the SNL writing workers from 1985 to 1986. Just some years later, he grew to become part of the comedy troupe, The Youngsters within the Corridor, who began their very own common, self-titled sketch comedy collection that ran from 1989 to 1995.
J. J. Philbin
You may most likely inform from her final identify that J.J. Philbin has a well-known father named Regis. On high of that, she has a well-known husband, Michael Schur, whom she met whereas she was writing for SNL within the late Nineteen Nineties. Nonetheless, she would later make a reputation for herself by writing for exhibits like Useless Like Me and The O.C., co-creating ABC’s Single Mother and father, and govt producing Solely Murders within the Constructing.
Sam Jay
Sam Jay is the star of some nice stand-up comedy specials on Netflix (in addition to a part of the platform’s Roast of Tom Brady), a chat/selection present on HBO known as Pause with Sam Jay, and a Peacock authentic comedy collection known as Bust Down. Previous to these achievements, she grew to become the primary Black, lesbian SNL author in 2017.
Charlie Grandy
Charlie Grandy is finest recognized for his many collaborations with Mindy Kaling, together with The Workplace, The Mindy Undertaking, and Velma. Considered one of his earliest gigs, nevertheless, was writing for SNL from 2001 to 2008, throughout which he earned one in every of his two Primetime Emmy Awards.
Streeter Seidell
Comic Streeter Seidell first made a reputation for himself on the favored web site CollegeHumor.com, on which he launched his internet collection, Prank Wars, which was picked up by MTV as Pranked. In 2014, he discovered himself on the SNL workers, for which he co-created the character of David S. Pumpkins, and was promoted to move author standing eight years later.
Simon Wealthy
Simon Wealthy is likely one of the youngest SNL hires within the present’s historical past, having joined the writing workers proper out of faculty from 2007 to 2011. He would depart Studio 8H to work for Pixar and later created the surreal romantic-comedy collection, Man In search of Girl (primarily based on his brief story assortment, The Final Girlfriend on Earth), on FXX in 2015.
Andy Breckman
Andy Breckman is the author and director of, arguably, Eddie Murphy’s single best SNL sketch, “White Like Me.” He additionally wrote for Late Evening with David Letterman, however is finest referred to as the creator of the Emmy-winning, long-running detective dramedy, Monk.