What Theses 90's SNL Stars Are Doing Today
"Saturday Night Live" was so loaded with talent in the '90s that even some cast members who only lasted a short stint on the sketch comedy program went on to be famous outside the series. Janeane Garofalo, who had previously been a stand up comedian, had a huge year in 1994, with her breakout film role in the Ben Stiller directed "Reality Bites" and her debut on "SNL." Yet, she left Lorne Michael's late night show mid-season and never looked back. Chris Rock was also briefly an "SNL" cast member, joining in 1990. Rock was fired from "SNL" before joining "In Living Color" for its final season. Sarah Silverman started as a writer for "SNL" before appearing in some sketches starting in 1993. Then, she received a fax after a year and half with the series explaining that she'd been axed. "I was that last year of the old guard and they started anew," Silverman told HuffPost Live. Two of these early '90s stars she was referring to included big names that sadly died far too young. Phil Hartman was with the series for eight seasons until leaving in 1994. Then, tragically, Hartman's wife murdered him in his sleep in 1998. Just one year earlier, Chris Farley died from a drug overdose.
Even with these tragedies of the former cast members, new faces joined to keep the sketch comedy program just as funny as ever throughout the decade. Here's what your favorite 90's "SNL" stars are up to today.
Chris Kattan is still making people laugh
Chris Kattan honed his comedic skills at Los Angeles' improvisational and sketch comedy group The Groundlings in the early '90s. Comedy was in Kattan's blood as his father was a founding member of the group. There, Kattan connected with another future "Saturday Night Live" star, Will Ferrell. In what must've felt like a full-circle career moment, Mr. Peepers, a character they came up with during their Groundlings days, eventually made its way to "SNL." Kattan and Ferrell's beloved Butabi brothers were also created at The Groundlings. In his memoir, "Baby, Don't Hurt Me," Kattan wrote that he and Ferrell had a falling-out after "A Night at the Roxbury" hit theaters in 1998. He left "Saturday Night Live" in 2003.
After spending time in Los Angeles and New York, Kattan settled in Springfield, Illinois, after linking up with Maria Libri. The two became writing partners for comedy sketches on his YouTube channel "Hey Kattan!" The two met while Kattan, who is still doing standup comedy around the country, made a stop in Springfield. In 2023, Kattan announced that he and Libri were engaged. Though Chris has no kids of his own, he appears to get along well with his fiancée's children. "I have three who have become completely crazy over Chris, and they have a lot of fun together," Libri told The State Journal-Register. In May 2022, Kattan posted on Instagram a sweet photo of himself with the three kids and Libri all at Disney World together.
Cheri Oteri kept her voice
Cheri Oteri joined "Saturday Night Live" in 1995 and was a featured player until she left the series in 2000. While viewers saw a hilarious personality on screen, in reality, Oteri said she had difficulties as a cast member starting off. "I was a mess my first three years. There was no escape, so I was like crying all the time," Oteri revealed to The Hollywood Reporter. During her time at Studio 8H, she portrayed a variety of characters but one of her most famous was an amazing impression of the legendary journalist Barbara Walters. Oteri even had a chance to meet the late Walters when the comedian stopped by as a guest on "The View." On CNN's New Year's Eve 2022 broadcast, which came just day after Walters died, Oteri celebrated the news icon's legacy.
After leaving "Saturday Night Live," Oteri continued to work as an actor, including voice work in the Nickelodeon animated series "Bunsen Is a Beast" and the Disney series "Puppy Dog Pals." Oteri also joined her fellow actors during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. She posted a video on Instagram of her holding a picket sign while dancing on the sidewalk. During the strike, Oteri explained that she was still active online with Cameo to give personalized videos to fans. She explained in an Instagram video, alongside her dog, that she loves the site and her ability to give people birthday wishes, congratulations, and even pep talks.
Norm Macdonald made people smile until the end
Known for his distinctive voice and deadpan comedy style, Norm Macdonald joined "Saturday Night Live" based on his writing skills in the '90s. His big success with the series was when he became the host of the "Weekend Update" segment starting in 1994. In 1998, mid-season, Macdonald was kicked out of the "Weekend Update" spot, supposedly by NBC exec Don Ohlmeyer. Macdonald would often make jokes about the murder trial of O.J. Simpson, who also happened to be a friend of Ohlmeyer.
After being fired from "SNL", Macdonald started his own sitcom on ABC called "The Norm Show," which lasted for three seasons. Unsurprisingly, Macdonald's sound was perfect for voice over work. For example, he played the green blob Yaphit in Seth MacFarlane's science fiction TV series "The Orville." Macdonald also voiced the Pigeon character in every episode of the animated series "Mike Tyson Mysteries."
Starting in 2013, the funny man started a weekly podcast called "Norm Macdonald Live," which he hosted alongside Adam Eget. Macdonald was also a judge on the "Last Comic Standing" TV series. "I love stand-ups, and I feel it's the one thing I know about that I could actually judge, besides people's morals," he joked to The Hollywood Reporter. Macdonald sadly died at age 61 in 2021. The cause was leukemia, which the comedian had for nine years but kept a secret from the public and many of his friends and family.
Molly Shannon is forever a superstar
Shortly after Molly Shannon started her career with "Saturday Night Live" in 1995, she introduced audiences to a number of iconic characters, including Catholic school girl Mary Katherine Gallagher. She then reprised the role in the 1999 film "Superstar." After leaving the sketch comedy series in 2001, Shannon wrote a children's picture book called "Tilly the Trickster" in 2011 about a mischievous young girl. The book was then adapted for the stage a few years later. Meanwhile, Shannon continued to act in popular TV shows like "The White Lotus" and in films like the 2020 film "Promising Young Woman." A few years earlier, Shannon earned the Best Supporting Actress award at the Film Independent Spirit Awards for her heart-rending performance in the movie "Other People."
In 2022, the comedian released her book "Hello, Molly! A Memoir." In it, Shannon reflects on tragic details from her childhood, including a car accident that killed her mother, younger sister, and cousin. Yet, after surviving the accident and through all the heartbreak in the aftermath, Shannon went on to begin her incredible career.
Showing her timeless ability to entertain, Shannon returned to New York to host an episode of "SNL" the following year, her second time as host since leaving the series. In her opening monologue, she noted that her daughter started college and her younger son was set to graduate high school before launching into a rendition of "Everything's Coming Up Roses." She of course ended the song with her famous pose and catchphrase, "superstar."
Darrell Hammond returned to SNL
A "Saturday Night Live" stalwart, Darrell Hammond started his career with the series in 1995 and stayed until 2009. Hammond had the record for longest tenure on "SNL" until Kenan Thompson broke his record in 2017. While Hammond is no longer a regular cast member, he did return to Studio 8H in 2014 to become the show's new announcer. He replaced the legendary Don Pardo, who died that year.
Before he was made the full-time official announcer, Hammond occasionally acted as a substitute announcer for Pardo. In 1999, he even imitated Pardo's voice during James Van Der Beek's opening monologue. As Pardo recalled in an interview with the Television Academy, the impression was so good that he duped Pardo's own sister-in-law. This was just one of many impersonations that Hammond had throughout his career, including Sean Connery, Bill Clinton, and even Donald Trump back in the early aughts.
In addition to announcing, Hammond wrote a memoir called "God if You're Not up There, I'm F***ed." He also was a co-host of "The 3rd Person Podcast." In 2023, he joined fellow "SNL" alumni Chris Kattan, Jay Mohr, and Jay Pharoah for an improv show in Los Angeles. A few weeks later, he and Mohr once again performed at Hollywood Improv.
Ellen Cleghorne continued in entertainment
During her time with "Saturday Night Live," Ellen Cleghorne had a chance to meet some big time celebrities. For example, she was in a 1991 sketch with basketball legend Michael Jordan during the peak of his fame, where she joked that she would sue him. It was Cleghorne's first year with the long-running comedy series and she was only the third Black woman to ever be on the show. When she came back the following season, Cleghorne was the first Black woman ever to be on multiple seasons on "SNL." After leaving in 1995, she starred in the sitcom "Cleghorne!" The show sadly only lasted one season. "I don't think I was ready. In terms of being strong and saying, 'I can write, this is what I do,' and feel confident in that. And to be able to say, 'No, this does not work, this works better,'" she later said to Slate.
Cleghorne continued to act in movies and in film. She played "SNL" member Michael Che's mother on the TV series "That Damn Michael Che." She also lent her voice for several episodes of the PBS kids series "City Island." In 2023, Cleghorne joined the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, as seen in an image that she posted of herself on the picket line in Jersey City. And a few years before that, she earned a PhD in Performance Studies at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University.
Rob Schneider dominated the early aughts in film
Joining in 1998 as a writer and then starting as a featured player with "Saturday Night Live" in 1990, Rob Schneider helped start a new era for the series in the '90s alongside his future castmates David Spade and Adam Sandler. Adding in Chris Rock and Chris Farley, these sketch comedians all became known as the "Bad Boys of SNL." Schneider, who started with the comedy series the same time as Spade, stayed until 1994. After live comedy, Schneider became a huge movie star. He starred in the 1999 film "Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo," then "The Animal," followed by "The Hot Chick" in 2002 and also the sequel "Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo." In addition to his leading man status, Schneider also is a regular in films with Adam Sandler and Kevin James like "Grown Ups" and "I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry."
Schneider continued acting into the following decades, including voice work. He also turned back to being a stand-up comedian, which he started in high school. In 2023, Schneider embarked on a tour called "Narcissist Confessions." The multi-talented comedian also showed off his directorial skills with the movie "Daddy Daughter Trip," which featured his daughters and Adam's wife, Jackie Sandler. He also starred in and directed the Paramount+ movie "Amor es Amor," a Spanish language comedy. After shooting the movie in Mexico City, Schneider revealed in an Instagram post, "In Hollywood I feel empty, in Mexico I feel passionate again about film."
Ana Gasteyer showed off her range
Similar to "Saturday Night Live" alumni Chris Kattan and other celebrities like the late Paul Reubens, Ana Gasteyer gained essential comedic experience as a member of The Groundlings comedy group. After minor TV roles, including a non-speaking role as a customer in the classic "Seinfeld" episode "The Soup Nazi," Gasteyer joined "SNL" in 1996 and could leave audiences in stitches with her original characters and her impressions of stars like Martha Stewart. In fact, Gasteyer is forever enshrined in "SNL" holiday sketch history for her performance in "Martha Stewart's Topless Christmas." As Gasteyer remembers, "When I wrote that sketch and when it played, I remember being like, 'Oh I might not get fired,'" she told Entertainment Weekly. The comedian struck holiday gold again in the "NPR's Delicious Dish" sketch with Molly Shannon where the two talked about "Schweddy Balls." After leaving "SNL" in 2002, Gasteyer appeared in movies like "Mean Girls" in addition to several TV shows like the ABC sitcom "Suburgatory." Rolling into the following decade, Gasteyer was one of the stars of "American Auto," which was canceled in 2023 after two seasons.
Sticking to the "SNL" connection, Gasteyer is a frequent guest on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon." In the "Slay It Don't Spray It" sketch, Gasteyer showed off her impressive musical skills. She is a Broadway veteran, having played Elphaba in "Wicked" in addition to other shows like "Threepenny Opera." In 2014, Gasteyer even recorded a musical album called "I'm Hip."
Colin Quinn became a history buff
As both a writer and cast member for "Saturday Night Live" starting from his debut season in 1995, Colin Quinn excelled as an anchor for the "Weekend Update" portion of the weekly sketch series. Given his gift in turning real events into comedy, it's not surprising that Quinn excelled in many performances after leaving "SNL" in 2000. His specialty was talking about his upbringing in New York City and often involving historical anecdotes. He performed several one-man shows on and off Broadway, like "Colin Quinn: An Irish Wake" and "Colin Quinn: Long Story Short." A few of his stage shows were even directed by Jerry Seinfeld.
In addition to standing on stage, he has a YouTube channel with a video series called "Block by Block with Colin Quinn" where the comedian explores different neighborhoods of New York City. He also explored Philadelphia in the web series.
In 2020, Quinn released the non-fiction book "Overstated: A Coast-to-Coast Roast of the 50 States" to further show off his impressive historical knowledge of America. Showing no signs of slowing down, the comedian embarked on a cross-country tour for his next special "Colin Quinn: Small Talk" in 2023. "I get bored and just start writing other stuff, too," he revealed to CleveRock about the creation of his special. "I'm just doing material about our culture or personalities and how they formed and how they changed, and how small talk is a big part of our culture," Quinn added.
Julia Sweeney has reevaluated her divisive characters
One "Saturday Night Live" performance that wasn't so well-received by everyone was Julia Sweeney's impersonation of a teenage Chelsea Clinton. In fact, Hillary Clinton wrote a letter to Lorne Michaels to express that she didn't approve of the sketch comedy show making fun of her daughter. Looking back, Sweeney said she was now on the side of the former Secretary of State. "I understood what Hillary was saying, especially now that I'm a parent. It's like, 'yeah f*** off.' Don't play kids. That was wrong. She was right, that was wrong," Sweeney said in 2023 on David Spade and Dana Carvey's podcast "Fly on the Wall."
Another one of Sweeney's most famous characters, Pat, received criticisms for the portrayal of a person of indeterminate gender. Even Sweeney's own daughter seemed to object to Pat. "It really feels like that character is just about making fun of someone where you can't tell if it's a man or a woman," Sweeney told The New York Times about what her daughter said. The character is a deep part of Sweeney's history, as she first developed Pat as a member of The Groundlings and even used the character in her "SNL" audition to land the part. Looking back at the legacy of Pat, Sweeney said, "Don't dismiss everything, because norms and expectations that we once accepted are going to keep changing." After "SNL," the comedian continued acting, appearing in TV series like "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" and "Not Dead Yet."
Tim Meadows is a cameo king
After spending almost all of the '90s on "Saturday Night Live," Tim Meadows continued to link up with "SNL" stars. He played a memorable role as Mr. Duvall in the 2004 film "Mean Girls," written by Tina Fey. He also had a big role in "Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping" as the manager to Andy Samberg's fictional musician character Conner. In the third season of "I Think You Should Leave," a series that stars and was co-created by "SNL" alum Tim Robinson, Meadows had a memorable role as a dad posing for a group photo at his daughter's wedding.
The list goes on. Meadows has even admitted it's hard sometimes to remember all of his guest spots. "There'll be times when I'll be watching something — for instance, I had 'Reba' on the TV while I was doing stuff around the house. As I was listening, I was going, 'Man, everything they're saying sounds so familiar.' And then I was like, 'Oh, I'm on this episode,'" he told The Pitch.
In 2023, Meadows performed stand-up at Jimmy Kimmel's Comedy Club in Las Vegas. This was during the actor's strike, so the content of his set steered clear of his acting work. "I focus on pro-strike material," he joked on FOX5 Las Vegas, before noting that his set actually highlights his childhood in Michigan. "I grew up in a rough part of Detroit, you may have heard of it — it's called Detroit," he quipped.
Mike Myers went green
Canadian funny man Mike Myers began his "Saturday Night Live" stint in 1989 and showed people how to laugh moving into the following decade. More than just making viewers cackle on the small screen, he showed his ability to be a leading man after leaving the series in 1995. Two years later, Myers released "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery." He reprised the role in the 1999 sequel and going into the new millennium, Myers began voicing one of the most recognizable and profitable animated characters ever: Shrek. The film series was the highest grossing animated franchise until "Despicable Me" surpassed it in 2023. Yet, that same year, talks began of rebooting the series with "Shrek 5," featuring Myers once again as the voice of the titular character. In addition to voicing a green ogre, Myers also made cameos in several high profile films like "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "Amsterdam."
While the third movie in the "Austin Powers" series came out in 2002, hardcore fans wondered whether a fourth installment could ever make it to theaters. "I can neither confirm nor deny the existence or non-existence of such a project, should it exist or not exist," he coyly said on "The Jess Cagle Show" in 2022. Even if he doesn't reprise the groovy character, Myers still can look back at his long list of movies and shows, which built up an impressive net worth. As of 2023, he was worth an estimated $200 million.
David Spade has stuck with the comedy game
David Spade made his way onto "Saturday Night Live" in 1990 as both a writer for the series and as a main cast member. Upon leaving "SNL" in 1996, Spade quickly showed that he could excel in scripted sitcom comedies as well as his days in sketch comedy. He starred as Dennis Finch in every episode of "Just Shoot Me!" The series ran for seven seasons starting in 1997. He also appeared in several films with other "SNL" cast members like Chris Farley in "Tommy Boy" and "Blacksheep." Then, with Adam Sandler in "Grown Ups" and "Grown Ups 2." Showing his ability to be a leading man, Spade played the titular character in the 2001 comedy "Joe Dirt."
Spade then connected with his former "SNL" co-star Dana Carvey to both host the podcast "Fly on the Wall," which goes into behind-the-scenes stories of "SNL" through the years. Outside of podcasting, Spade also made audiences laugh as a stand-up comedian. In 2022, Netflix released his stand up special called "David Spade: Nothing Personal." The following year, Spade once again hit the road for the comedy tour "Catch Me Inside." He also became the producer and host of the Fox game show "Snake Oil." "When FOX asked me to host their new show, I was flattered," Spade said in a press release. "But then they told me it was about a shady snake oil salesman, and I was a little less flattered to be the guy that immediately comes to mind."
Will Ferrell's career won't slow down
As of 2023, over 160 people have been part of the "Saturday Night Live" cast. Among the greats like Eddie Murphy and Bill Hader, Will Ferrell is among the best of the best to ever work for the series. Starting in 1995 and lasting seven seasons, Will Ferrell constantly had audiences in tears of laughter. After moving on from the show, Ferrell succeeded in films like "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" and the modern Christmas classic "Elf."
He consistently shows his range of skills, whether it's brief but impactful roles like his appearance in the "Barbie" movie, or still as a leading man in the 2022 Apple TV+ Christmas movie "Spirited." Ferrell was also behind the scenes as executive producer on the HBO series "Succession." He joined the TV series in partnership with his longtime friend and creative partner Adam McKay. For example, the two men, along with Judd Apatow and Chris Henchy, created Funny or Die. Sadly, McKay and Ferrell had a falling-out, formally announcing they'd parted ways in 2019. In a 2022 interview with Vanity Fair, McKay shared that his friendship with Ferrell ended, too.
Looking like he was reprising his role as a way-too-old fraternity member in the movie "Old School," an October 2023 TikTok video showed Ferrell spinning records as a DJ at the University of Southern California. He was on campus for parents' weekend to support his son who goes to the school and is a member of one of the fraternities.
Adam Sandler stayed silly
Given his popularity and memorable characters on "Saturday Night Live," it's a bit surprising to learn that Adam Sandler was fired from the sketch comedy series. As a featured member on the show starting in 1990 at the age of 23, he was canned in 1995. There have long been rumblings that some NBC execs weren't fans of his; the show's ratings around that time weren't too hot. Even so, Sandler said on a 2019 episode of "The Howard Stern Show" that he was blindsided when he got the ax. When he returned to host "SNL" in 2019, his opening monologue joked about the experience and he even sang a song called "I Was Fired." In the '90s, Sandler immediately had a string of hit movies including "Billy Madison," "Happy Gilmore," "The Waterboy," and "The Wedding Singer."
While most of his movies went in the silly comedy direction, Sandler showed his dramatic acting skills in the 2019 film "Uncut Gems" by Josh and Benny Safdie. In another surprising turn for Sandler as the goofy guy, he became an unlikely style icon. Publications like GQ have taken note of his aesthetic, which often involves bright colors, T-shirts, and basketball shorts.
Sandler appeared on screen with his wife Jackie and daughters Sunny and Sadie in the 2023 Netflix film "You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah." With a net worth of $440 million in 2023, Sandler is also the richest person ever involved with "SNL" besides the creator himself Lorne Michaels.