Things You Probably Didn't Know

[IceWizard]

About Saturday Night Live





On October 11, 1975, Chevy Chase belted out the very first
"Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!"
and kicked off one of the most iconic TV shows in American history. 
Here are some things you didn't know about Saturday Night Live...



Jim Carrey Had Two Failed Attempts At Becoming A Cast Member

Despite being one of today's most famous comedians, Jim Carrey auditioned for "SNL" twice
and was denied both times. "I wasn't at the Jim Carrey audition," Lorne Michaels explained,
"but somebody who was there said, 'I don't think Lorne would like it,' and they were probably
wrong, but it doesn't matter. Or maybe they were right — who knows? No one gets it all right."
The actor has, however, had a few guest-hosting gigs since then.



Kenan Thompson Is The Show's Longest-Running Cast Member

Kenan Thompson was born May 10, 1978, making him the first "SNL" cast member who was
born after the show premiered. The comedic actor has been performing on the show since 2003,
and in 2018, after 15 seasons, he officially became the longest-running cast member.





Richard Belzer Warmed Up The SNL Audience During Season One

Richard Belzer began his career as a stand-up comedian before becoming the series-jumping
Sergeant John Munch of the Law & Order franchise. In the inaugural season of Saturday Night Live,
Belzer served as the show's warm-up comic, which led to a few performances on the show,
including a stint at the "Weekend Update" desk after Chevy Chase sustained a groin injury.
Belzer has long claimed that Lorne Michaels promised him a role in the show but then failed to
deliver. In 1993, Belzer told People Magazine, "Lorne betrayed me and lied to me—which he
denies—but I give you my word, he said, 'I'll work you into the show.'"







Fox News Once Used a Photo of Tina Fey on a Story About Sarah Palin

Not a joke—in June 2011, The Atlantic pointed out that Fox News used a photo of Tina Fey
dressed as Sarah Palin during an SNL sketch on a story about Palin. Management at Fox was
understandably unhappy, especially because this wasn't the first time people there had made
that mistake. The network adopted a zero-tolerance policy for on-air mistakes.




Darrell Hammond Has Said The Show's Opening Line The Most

Darrell Hammond holds the record at SNL by saying the “Live from New York” catchphrase
70 times. He also held the record for the longest consecutive tenure of any SNL cast member
in the show's history (14 seasons), until he was surpassed by Kenan Thompson in 2017.
Hammond was a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1995 to 2009, and was popular
for his many impressions. His impression of President Bill Clinton is currently the most
frequent SNL impression of all time, appearing in 87 sketches over 14 years in the cast
and numerous cameos.