When Saturday Night Live debuted in 1974, the cast had no idea that they were creating a TV institution. Over the decades, SNL has given the world some of the biggest comic stars imaginable. From box office hits to Emmy award-winners, SNL alumni have seen great success. There's always a shelf life as sooner or later, every actor leaves the show. Most do it on their own terms because of how huge they've become as stars. But now and then, they end up being let go for different reasons.
Books have noted the tense situation backstage and how that adds stress to people. There are also problems of attitudes and some actors rubbing Lorne Michaels & NBC execs the wrong way. Some reasons for the firing can be somewhat baffling and make little sense, while others are entirely logical. It's incredible how some of Hollywood's biggest stars were fired from SNL before their carers took off.
15 Chris Rock Refused Racially Stereotypical Sketches
The early 1990s saw SNL spark itself back to life thanks to its terrific young cast of stars. It was tricky to break out, but Chris Rock did so. He was known for his sharp comic turns and brought a fun edge with characters like Nat X.
In 1995, Rock was let go along with Sandler and Chris Farley. Rock has explained that he would flat-out refuse sketches that would have him as an African tribesman or other stereotypical roles. Rock has gone on to a highly successful career to show he didn't quite need the show.
14 Julia Louis-Dreyfus Was Part Of A Huge Cast Purge After Complaining Of Sexism
In the early 1980s, SNL was in a rough patch. While Eddie Murphy was a breakout star, the show suffered from poor writing and tough situations backstage. Julia Louis-Dreyfus had some good sketches but has been upfront on the sexism behind the scenes.
Louis-Dreyfus was let go as part of a vast cast purge in 1985 when Lorne Michaels returned to the show. She's had the last laugh as thanks to Seinfeld and Veep, Louis-Dreyfus is a nine-time Emmy Winner who SNL later asked to host.
13 Charlie Rocket Dropped The F-Bomb On Live TV
Back in 1981, TV censors were far more strict. Even a simple "damn" could get shows in trouble. Charles Rocket was part of the cast of the rough post-Lorne season, known for hosting "Weekend Update" and some other skits. In one, he played a take on the famous "Who shot J.R." plot from Dallas.
During the sketch, Rocket dropped "the f-bomb" on live TV. For 1981, this was a significant issue with SNL fined and Rocket fired. The man passed away in 2005, but it seemed the firing was a rough moment for him.
12 Laurie Metcalf Lasted Just Five Days Because The Show Was A Total Mess At The Time
1980 is the "forgotten season" for the show, with Lorne Michaels leaving and a huge cast overhaul. Among the new hires was Laurie Metcalf, who lasted just five days before she was let go, which shows how chaotic things were. The new writers and producers just couldn't make it work and that season was a mess.
Metcalf barely even remembers her time on the show as she ranks as the shortest-tenured performer ever. She's since gone on to have a great career, winning Emmys and Tony awards, so SNL might have missed the boat on her.
11 Jay Pharoah Complained He Was Underutilized
Hired in 2010, Jay Pharoah quickly clicked on SNL thanks to his sharp humor. He was soon known for his impressions of Barack Obama, Will Smith, and other celebrities, winning folks over. Without warning, Pharaoh was let go from the show in 2016.
Pharoah claims that with Obama leaving office, SNL didn't need his impression anymore. He's also criticized the show for using people poorly and not diversely enough, so this may have been a mutual decision.
10 Sarah Silverman Admits She Wasn't Funny Enough
The mid-90s saw a downturn for SNL in quality and a lack of star power. Among the younger actors hired was rising comic Sarah Silverman. She had a cute style, although poorly utilized in the sketches themselves.
Silverman is up front on how she just wasn't ready for the big time, and the show was messy behind the scenes. Silverman bounced back as a sharp comic and didn't carry too much bitterness over her axing.
9 Michaela Watkins Was... Too Good To Be On The Show?
Given SNL's rough history involving female comics, adding more names should have been necessary. In 2008, Michaela Watkins was an up-and-coming comic with some fun characters like blogger Angie Tempura. Many were amazed when she was let go along with co-star Casey Wilson after just one year.
Watkins claims that Lorne Michaels openly told her he felt she was "too talented" to be on the show. Watkins has scored the popular comedy Casual, but it's bizarre to claim she was fired for having too much talent.
8 Shane Gillis' Jokes Got Him Fired Before He Even Started
At least everyone else on this list had time on the show. Shane Gillis can't even say that. In the fall of 2019, SNL made Gillis' one of their new hires.
As soon as the hiring was announced, videos surfaced of Gillis' long history of making racist jokes in his past routines. SNL let him go before he did a single episode. The show really should have had a closer look at the guy before hiring him.
7 Jenny Slate Claims Lorne Michaels Just Didn't Like Her
When Jenny Slate dropped an "F-bomb" on one episode, that seemed to be the apparent reason she was let go from the show. After all, cursing like that on live TV is a good way to get yourself axed.
But Slate points out how she spent the entire season on the show with some popular skits. Her dismissal had nothing to do with the cursing and was based on Lorne Michaels allegedly feeling she didn't fit in on the show. Slate herself seems confused about why Michaels never cared for her at all.
6 Robert Downey Jr. Didn't Fit Into The Worst Season Ever
In his long career of spectacular highs and incredible lows, Robert Downey Jr has a lot of credits. But even some of his biggest fans will forget he was on SNL. He was part of the "revival" cast of 1985 when Lorne Michaels returned to the show. That season is often cited as among the worst in SNL history.
Downey himself admits sketch comedy was never his forte, and he just didn't click. He was among the cast members let go after that season. Downey has since become a massive star as the MCU was better for him than SNL.
