SNL Cast Members Who Disappeared From Hollywood

For an actor cast on "Saturday Night Live," the experience is akin to that of winning one of Willy Wonka's golden tickets, propelling virtual unknowns to worldwide stardom. Ever since the show's launch in 1975, "SNL" has become something of a comedy farm team, recruiting young up-and-comers who receive a rare opportunity to make their mark in a television show that has miraculously remained a pop-culture touchstone as it approaches its 50th year on television.

The list of stars who've gone on to bigger things after making a mark on "SNL" is a lengthy one, spanning decades, and includes the likes of Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Bill Murray, Adam Sandler, Eddie Murphy, Pete Davidson, and countless others. However, that future success is far from assured. There have also been many actors for whom joining "SNL" didn't pave the way for future showbiz glory. For some, in fact, "SNL" has proven to be the biggest credit on their IMDb page, with some members of the cast eventually making the difficult decision to part ways with showbiz entirely.

To find out more, keep on reading for a look at some "SNL" cast members who disappeared from Hollywood. 

A. Whitney Brown was hired as a writer for "Saturday Night Live" in 1985, and he eventually established an on-air presence with his recurring Weekend Update segments. In "The Big Picture," Brown shared his comedic opinions on topics ranging from television sponsors to America's electoral process. After exiting "SNL" in 1991, he published "The Big Picture," a book collecting all his Weekend Update commentaries.

In 1995, Brown signed on as writer for "Exit 57," a short-lived sketch-comedy show for Comedy Central, with a cast that included future stars Stephen Colbert and Amy Sedaris. In 1996, he joined the writing staff of another Comedy Central series, the Craig Kilborn-hosted "The Daily Show," on which he also appeared as an on-air commentator. He stuck around until 1998, leaving before Jon Stewart took over as new host. 

Brown eventually left New York and moved to Austin, Texas. In 2011, he married singer-songwriter Carolyn Wonderland, with the ceremony officiated by Michael Nesmith of The Monkees. A 2022 profile on the couple in the Austin Chronicle documented his bucolic life in Texas, involving a lot more yard work than he did during his "SNL" days. In a New York Times story about his wedding, Brown also opened up about having become addicted to heroin while working on "SNL." Now that was sober, he told the Times, he'd become "more honest and even more punctual. Also, I don't throw up as much."

Before joining "Saturday Night Live" in 1986, Victoria Jackson was a ukulele-playing standup comic who infused her act with gymnastics, and already had a few screen credits under her belt. She was a member of the cast for six seasons, exiting in 1992, and in the years after continued to appear steadily in film and television. Over time, however, those roles became fewer and farther between, and by the mid-2010s her TV appearances had less to do with comedy than with right-wing extremism. In fact, she made headlines during a 2015 appearance on Newsmax for remarks about President Barack Obama. "He's an Islamic jihadist!" she said. Jackson made further news in 2023 when she discussed an upcoming pride event during a town meeting in Franklin, Tennessee. "God hates sodomy," she declared. "He hates homosexuality." 

These days, Jackson still performs in comedy clubs, albeit not as frequently as she had before. "I'm sort of retired, but I want to keep my toes in comedy and keep my brain sharp," Jackson told the Star Tribune in 2022. 

Jackson also claimed that the Almighty had deigned not to bless her once-promising movie career because she'd once shown her bare bottom onscreen. Furthermore, she insisted that the diminishment she'd experienced in Hollywood was persecution for her religious beliefs. "I was blacklisted," Jackson said. "The only people you can make fun of is blondes — dumb blonde jokes. You can't make fun of Muslims, or you die."

Terry Sweeney made "Saturday Night Live" history as the show's first openly gay cast member, best known for impersonating then-First Lady Nancy Reagan in sketches during his single season with the show in 1985-'86. Sweeney continued to appear in film and television after that, although his screen credits are somewhat sparse. Those include a 1995 guest spot on "Seinfeld," another on "Family Matters" in 1996, and a 2003 appearance on "Sabrina the Teenage Witch." More recently, Sweeney scored acting roles in two different series produced by Ryan Murphy, "Impeachment: American Crime Story," and "The Politician." 

However, Sweeney was far busier behind the scenes. Prior to becoming an "SNL" cast member, he'd worked on the show as a writer, and from 1997 until 2000 he was on the writing staff of "SNL" rival "Mad TV." Writing sketch comedy, he told the New York Times in 1983, came naturally to him. ”Everything is a sketch,” he said. ”Some people wait for years to look back and laugh. I see it as a sketch 10 minutes later.”

In 2015, Sweeney turned author with the publication of his first book, a memoir with the memorable title, "Irritable Bowels and The People Who Give You Them." "We're all aggravated, ever single day of our lives. So this is about people that make you crazy ..." Sweeney said of his book during an appearance on "The Means Report." 

Don Novello is responsible for one of the longest-running "Saturday Night Live" characters ever: Father Guido Sarducci, gossip columnist for the Vatican newspaper. The faux priest first began making regular appearances on Weekend Update in the series' third season, and continued appearing sporadically for nearly 20 years after that. Novello also reprised the character in various TV shows over the years, including "Blossom," "Married ... with Children," and "Tales of the City," and even in the 1995 movie "Casper." Novello most recently resurrected the character in 2015 for the short film "Become an Artist, which is also his most recent screen credit. He also acted in non-Sarducci roles, in films such as "Just One Night," "Factory Girl," and "The Godfather Part III." In addition, he's dabbled in voice acting, playing a character in Disney's 2001 animated feature "Atlantis: The Lost Empire."

In the midst of all that, Novello turned his talents to the written word, reprising another of his comedy creations. That character is Lazlo Toth, the nom de plume used by Novello to write bonkers letters to various dignitaries. After the publication of "The Lazlo Letters" in 1977, he returned with a second volume in 1992.

In a 2020 interview with "The Wiseguyz Show," Novello revealed that he came up with the idea for Father Guido Sarducci after meeting a Maltese Jesuit who was a heavy smoker. "And I kind of copied that after him," he explained.

Ann Risley was cast in the infamous 1980-'81 season of "Saturday Night Live," the first after the exit of the original cast — and without Lorne Michaels as producer, with Jean Doumanian taking over and essentially driving the show off a cliff.

That "SNL" season remains its most critically reviled, and Risley was among the many cast members shown the door when it ended. After "SNL," Risley returned to theatre, appearing in the Broadway hit "Come Back to the Five & Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean" (she would reprise her role from that production in the 1982 film adaptation). She continued acting onscreen as well, and appeared as a supporting player in a string of movies, including "Honky Tonk Freeway," "Rich and Famous," and "Desert Bloom." Her final screen credit was in 1993, for the TV movie "Jericho Fever." 

According to Vulture, her screen credits may have thinned out, but Risley appeared in more than 30 theatrical performances in various parts of the U.S. Throughout the years, she's also had another focus: running her own acting school, The Studio for Actors, in Tucson, Arizona. According to Yelp, the school — which she founded in 1984 — has reportedly closed.

Prior to becoming a cast member of "Saturday Night Live" in 1984, Pamela Stephenson made a mark as a member of British sketch series "Not the Nine O'Clock News." The New Zealand-born actor only stayed with "SNL" for a single season before returning to the U.K.to resume her acting career by appearing in various TV series and movies in the late 1980s.

In 1989, she married Scottish comedian Billy Connolly, with the couple going on to welcome three daughters. During this period, she stepped away from Hollywood to focus on an entirely different passion: psychotherapy. In 1994, she established her own psychotherapy practice in Beverly Hills, emphasizing sex therapy. She also served as an adjunct professor at the California Graduate Institute. Dr. Stephenson is also an author, writing a biography of her husband, "Billy," and another focused on psychology, "Head Case." Her book on human sexuality, "Sex Life," was published in 2011.

Meanwhile, she also wrote a sex-advice column for The Guardian, and in 2010 competed on British TV talent competition "Strictly Come Dancing." In 2012, she looked back on her "Strictly Come Dancing" experience with fondness. "Everyone told me that I shouldn't do it but I didn't care," she told the Daily Record. "I didn't understand why I was invited to do it because I'd been out of the public eye for so long. But I absolutely loved it ..."

Brooks Wheelan joined the "Saturday Night Live" cast in 2013, one of six additions that season. According to Whelan, his favorite sketch was "Critter Control," in which he played an exterminator dealing with possums in a boardroom air duct. "Being pulled into a wall by possums with Ed Norton was pretty cool," he recalled in an "SNL" video detailing his most memorable moments from season 39.

The following year, he was let go, revealing the news by writing on Twitter, "FIRED FROM NEW YORK IT'S SATURDAY NIGHT!" Speaking with TheWrap about his firing, Whelan was circumspect. "As soon as I was hired, I was like, 'Well, I'm gonna get fired.' I was totally mentally prepared to get fired. So when I did get fired, I was like, 'Yeah, that adds up.'"

After "SNL," Whelan continued acting, appearing in TV series including "A.P. Bio," and "I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson," in addition to a voice-acting role in the animated series "Big Hero 6: The Series." However, his primary focus has remained standup comedy, which was what led him to be hired for "SNL" in the first place. By 2015, Whelan's short stint on "SNL" was well behind him. "I mean, I'm not ashamed of it," he said in an interview with IndyStar. "But I don't want it to define my comedy at all ... It was cool that I did it, but I'm definitely not looking back on it."

In 1991, Ellen Cleghorne was tapped for a spot on the cast of "Saturday Night Live," where she remained until exiting in 1995. She jumped right into another project with her own sitcom debuting that fall, "Cleghorne!" After the series' quick cancellation, Cleghorne spent the next few years focused on her acting career. During that time, she appeared in several films, including "Armageddon," "Coyote Ugly," and Adam Sandler's "Little Nicky."

During the 2000s, she enrolled in New York University, ultimately earning a PhD in performance studies. She put that degree to use by teaching at Graceland University in Iowa. Speaking with VH1 in 2017, Cleghorne mused about a return to acting. "I really do want to do it," she said. "I've done a little standup, I would do standup again. I want to do more of it all but it's a little bit scary."

Cleghorne did successfully venture back into acting after that, appearing in miniseries "aka Wyatt Cenac," the animated series "City Island," and in a few episodes of fellow "SNL" alum Michael Che's "That Damn Michael Che." For this new chapter, Cleghorne is relying on what she learned while completing her PhD. "Performance studies taught me to look at something and see one thing in everything," she told Slate. "That gives you an opportunity, as there's a never-ending amount of things you can write about, or write a sketch about. We're all in resistance to something, and that's what comedy is."

Matthew Laurance was a featured player in the diastrous 1980 season of "Saturday Night Live." After appearing in just nine episodes, Laurance was fired — along with most of his co-stars — when NBC exec Dick Ebersol took over as producer when Jean Doumanian was sacked. Laurance landed on his feet, though; he went on to appear in numerous TV series in subsequent years, in addition to such films as "Eddie and the Cruisers," "Streets of Fire," and "St. Elmo's Fire." In 1987, he landed the starring role in TV sitcom "Duet," which ran for two seasons. During the 1990s, he held the recurring role of dentist Mel Silver in "Beverly Hills, 90210," ultimately appearing in more than 30 episodes as the father of Brian Austin Green's character, David Silver.

Despite that apparent success, Laurance was dissatisfied. While participating in a celebrity golf tournament in 1999, he befriended legendary basketball coach Mike "Coach K" Krzyzewski of Duke University, who encouraged him to pursue a new career within the world of sports. That led to 10 years as the voice of the Duke's Blue Devils basketball team, doing radio commentary, hosting awards banquets and other Duke-related endeavors. In 2009, he left Duke for a sports radio gig in Kentucky — mainly to closer to his wife's family, who lived in Lexington. 

Laurance can be heard Sunday mornings on ESPN Sports Radio, hosting "Backspin Golf."

Al Franken spent the bulk of his career associated with "Saturday Night Live." Initially hired as a writer (with writing partner Tom Davis) for the first season in 1975, Franken remained with the show — on and off, but mostly on — until 2008. During that time, he also established an onscreen presence, most notably as self-help guru Stuart Smalley (a character he played on the big screen in the 1995 film "Stuart Saves His Family"). In 1996, he wrote the book "Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations," influenced by his increasing interest in politics. This was followed by further books, including 2003's "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them," in addition to a stint as political radio host on the now-defunct Air America.

When Franken exited "SNL" in 2008, it wasn't for another showbiz project, but to mount a bid for a Senate seat in his home state of Minnesota. After a long, close, and hotly contested race, in 2009 Franken won. He was sworn in that July. In 2017, allegations of sexual misconduct were leveled against Franken. Weeks later, he resigned, reportedly under pressure from Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. Interviewed by The New Yorker in 2019, he was asked whether he regretted his resignation. "Oh yeah," he responded. "Absolutely." In March 2023, Franken melded the worlds of showbiz and politics when he spent a week as guest host of "The Daily Show."

Patrick Weathers was a part of the 1980-'81 cast of "Saturday Night Live" — but just barely. As Vulture pointed out, he appeared in just 10 episodes — most notably in a sketch in which he played Bob Dylan. Speaking about his brief tenure with the show in a 2003 interview, via Vulture, Weathers admitted the deck was stacked against the cast. "It was a really bad season," he said. "We were trying to replace these icons — these gods! Nothing we could do was going to be good enough."

He went on to appear in Broadway — once again impersonating Bob Dylan — in "Rock and Roll: The First 5000 Years." After landing a few acting roles — including the TV series "Murphy Brown," and the film "Wall Street" — he settled in New Orleans, where he pursued a career in music, showcasing his songs on his eponymous website. Meanwhile, he's also the owner of a Big Easy art gallery, Galerie Patrick, repping artist Francoise Gilot. 

Speaking with HuffPost in 2017, Weathers waxed philosophical about his post-"SNL" life. "Look, everything works out the way it should be," he opined. "I'm still working — a lot of them aren't. I'm not dead. A lot of them are." He also shared his rather blunt impression of being best remembered for his short stint on the worst season of "SNL." "It's been an annoyance," he said.

Yvonne Hudson holds the distinction of being the first Black female cast member on "Saturday Night Live," listed as a featured player during the disastrous sixth season aired in 1980 and 1981. According to her skimpy IMDb profile, Hudson appeared in 31 episodes, beginning in the third season, and extending to the 10th. During that time, she appeared in sketches alongside the likes of Gilda Radner and Eddie Murphy. 

Her only other credit is in the 1985 TV special "Motown Returns to the Apollo" — not as an actor, but as a production assistant. After that, noted Vulture, Hudson appeared to have disappeared, with no information about her able to be found. 

In his interview with HuffPost, Patrick Weathers — who was on the show during the same time — shared his own recollection of how she came to be part of the cast. "And they had made Yvonne Hudson, she was a former receptionist, they had made her a featured player. But she was really like an extra," he recalled, adding, "they just kind of gave her a title. A link maybe to the original cast."

Luke Null was among the newbies added to the "Saturday Night Live" cast in 2017, alongside Heidi Gardner and Chris Redd. Unlike Redd (who stuck around until 2022) and Gardner (who, as of 2023, was still a member of the cast), Null didn't last long, exiting after just one season as a featured player. 

Null was discovered by "SNL" for his music-based standup comedy, and he returned to the stage after being fired from "SNL," headlining shows all over the country, from Minneapolis to Philadelphia.

Looking back at his single season, Null did not have particularly fond memories of the experience. "I was only ever there one year," he told Vulture. "I had one season, and you definitely have a lot of questions looking back: Did I do something wrong? Was I not writing good enough stuff? Honestly, looking back — knowing how the show works, the mechanisms and the politics, and its energy — it's a very tense and stressful place. No one there is 'having fun.' Air quotes."

It didn't take Dana Carvey long to emerge as a "Saturday Night Live" superstar when he joined the cast in 1986, and he was a hot showbiz commodity when he exited the show in 1992. 

However, Carvey unexpectedly withdrew from Hollywood. One reason for that was a series of heart issues he underwent in the late 1990s, forcing him to undergo four angioplasty surgeries within one year. One of those surgeries resulted in a multimilion-dollar lawsuit (settled in 2000) against a surgeon who allegedly operated on the wrong artery. Another reason is that he'd become a father, and made a conscious decision to pause his career in order to spend quality time with his family. "My wife and I made two humans, so I thought I probably should make some adjustments based on the two humans being there," he told People.

Carvey gradually re-emerged, voicing a character in the 2016 animated feature "The Secret Life of Pets," and that same year starred in his first Netflix standup comedy special, "Dana Carvey: Straight White Male, 60." Never one to chase stardom, Carvey told the Daily Beast, "I wouldn't say I was super comfortable with fame. I was grateful for success but I wasn't worried about fame dialing down a little bit." In 2022, he and David Spade launched their "SNL"-themed podcast, "Fly on the Wall."