The long-running television show Saturday Night Live (SNL) is marking its 50th anniversary this month. Since its debut in October 1975, SNL has played a significant role in American comedy and has featured contributions from several University of California (UC) alumni, both on stage and behind the scenes.
Mikey Day, who graduated from UCLA with a theater degree in 2002, joined SNL’s writers’ room in 2013 and became a cast member in 2016. He was involved in creating the well-known “David S. Pumpkins” sketch featuring Tom Hanks. Day also appeared in “Short Film,” written by UC Irvine alumnus Chris Kelly.
Will Forte, another UCLA graduate with a history degree from 1993, initially worked at a brokerage firm before moving into comedy. Reflecting on his early career, Forte told Diablo magazine that his job made him “miserable.” He later joined SNL as a cast member, where he performed sketches such as playing a spelling bee contestant struggling with the word “business.”
Taran Killam studied theater at UCLA for one year after graduating from Los Angeles High School for the Arts. He went on to become an SNL cast member for six years, performing in various sketches including one with Tina Fey about airline gate agents.
Jon Lovitz earned his bachelor’s degree in theater from UC Irvine in 1979 and joined the Groundlings before becoming an SNL cast member in 1985. His notable characters included Tommy Flanagan and Master Thespian.
Nasim Pedrad grew up in Irvine and graduated from UCLA before joining SNL’s cast from 2009 to 2014. She credited Tina Fey for encouraging her to audition after seeing Pedrad’s one-woman show highlighting her Iranian-American heritage. Pedrad and Fey collaborated on recurring sketches during her time on the show.
Maya Rudolph received her bachelor’s degree in photography from UC Santa Cruz prior to her seven-year run as an SNL cast member. She often incorporated music into her performances, such as her portrayal of a local “Anthem Idol” contest winner.
Andy Samberg attended UC Santa Cruz for two years before transferring to NYU and later joining SNL for seven years starting in 2005. Samberg was known for musical sketches like “Lazy Sunday,” which he performed with Chris Parnell.
Harry Shearer began his comedy career while studying political science at UCLA during the 1960s and editing the campus humor magazine Satyr. He joined SNL as a writer and cast member in 1979 but left after one season. Shearer later co-created “This Is Spinal Tap” and returned to SNL for guest appearances.
SNL will begin its 51st season live from New York this Saturday night.
