Some of the best comedians of all time have passed through the doors of Saturday Night Live over at New York's Rockefeller Plaza, and many of them have gone on to achieve superstardom.
Some of the comic legends of the 1970s include Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Gilda Radner, and Chevy Chase, while the 80s saw Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Eddie Murphy.
Cast members making star turns today include Kate McKinnon, Pete Davidson, and recently exited actress, Cecily Strong.
With so many greats that have made millions laugh over the years, people have their wide-ranging favorites.
Curious to hear from fans online, Redditor Nickster1619 asked:
"Who is the best SNL cast member of all time?"
Repertory cast members from earlier seasons get a shout-out.
Known For Eugene–The Anal Retentive Chef
"Quite possible! It's Phil Hartman."
– Jaoxpax
The Larry King And Burt Reynolds Impersonator
"Idk about the best, but Norm McDonald was always my favorite."
– Burgerpocolypse
Memorable Sketch
"Norm did a skit where he played a police sketch artist who wasn't any good at eyes or hair so everybody had a giant hat and sunglasses. It was a rip on the Unabomber sketch with the hood, bandana and glasses. It was so dry and hilarious."
– tuenthe463
Best Weekend Update Host
"Norm was by far the best weekend update. No question. Seth Meyers and Tina Fey were second. I'm a big fan of Michael Che because I've been following him since he was doing stand-up. Who else? Dennis Miller, meh. Collin Quinn, I like the guy but he wasn't my favorite weekend update by a long shot. Norm was the perfect person for that gig."
– arcaneresistance
The "Beverly Hills Cop" Star
"Eddie Murphy. He carried the show when he was on it, and it probably would have been cancelled if he wasn’t there to do so."
– ovid10
Iconic Characters
"Seconding! Murphy was at a career peak during his time with the show, and his characters - Gumby, Mr. Robinson, Buckwheat - were iconic."
– Brilliant_Tourist400
The Church Lady
"Dana Carvey was incredible in his time."
– Iwannascream2
The 2000s boasted these greats.
Now Starring In "Barry"
"Bill Hader"
"I dont really watch a lot of SNL so my knowledge is limited. He just always appeared to be having a really good time on the show and he's one of the ones who could make me laugh sometimes."
– adios-b*tchachos
The Giggles
"I loved it when he’d get the giggles at something he was going to say and he couldn’t deliver it because of his laughter. That was as good as the joke."
– opossumonmyporch
Love To The Ladies
"Gotta send love to my ladies, it’s Tina Fey for me. Amy Poehler is also a goddess but I don’t remember her as much until Parks and Rec. Also Kenan Thompson? He had such a long run!"
– __nothankyou__
Kiss Me, Kate
"Kate McKinnon. She is the most versatile cast member of modern times."
– Guest8782
Longtime Cast Member
"Gotta give some love to Kenan. He is often the center and driver of the sketches. So consistent and has been there so long now."
– Naes422
No one made me crack up harder than the great comedy legend, Gilda Radner.
In 1975, the SNL alum was one of the original "Not Ready for Prime Time Players"–the freshman cast of the show's first season.
A character of hers I'll never forget was the know-it-all Weekend Update advice expert, Roseanne Roseannadanna. YouTube clips of her hilarious turn as the wacky consumer affairs reporter show her comedic timing and delivery brilliance.
Unfortunately, Radner left us too soon in 1989 having died from ovarian cancer. She was 42.
The endurance of The Simpsons is incredible.
Who knew a cartoon family that never ages could live forever?
This show has been a cultural cornerstone.
And it doesn't seem like it's slowing down anytime soon.
Redditor butter00pecan wanted hear about everyone's favorite Simpson moments. So they asked the audience to share:
"What is the best episode ever of The Simpsons?"
I love anything involving Mr. Burns.
He's my favorite.
So Many...
Homer Simpson Call Mr Plow Thats My Name That Name Again Is Mr Plow GIFGiphy"Mr. Plow is up there. I also love the Beer baron episode. Guatemalan Insanity Peppers and King-sized Homer were he gains weight to get on disability are great also. Too many to choose. Homer goes to clown college, medicinal marijuana. I could keep going."
Bear_Hoonden
We Do!
"'Who controls the British pound?'"
"'Who keeps the metrics system down?'"
"'We do! We do!'"
NastyLittleBagginses
"I was a Freemason at the time this came out. Watching this together with my lodge, including a bunch of seniors who had never seen an episode before, was wonderfully surreal."
Easy_School2457
"Who keeps Atlantis off the maps? Who keeps the Martians under wraps? We do! We do!"
Whatsherface112
Homerun...
"Homer at the Bat will never be surpassed. 'I thought I told you to trim those sideburns!'"
TimmiT401K
"It's a perfect episode. I'm not an American. I've never watched baseball. Therefore I don't know any of the athletes in this episode. But the writing, the flow, the jokes etc. are just phenomenal."
MurturinMikli
"This episode is special. It truly feels like there's one hour of joke content and yet it's the same length as any other episode. It's non-stop pure comedy."
lorty
The GOAT
"Hank Scorpio."
Novel_Board_6813
"'You Only Move Twice.' The absolute GOAT. 'Homer, if you could kill a few people on your way out, it would really help me.'"
deucemagnet
"Bart and Lisa's new school in that episode had the website www.studynet.edu. The entire premise of the joke was that the school was fancy enough to have its own website."
cornwallis105
March
The Simpsons GIF by FOX TVGiphy"My personal favorite episode is the one where the plant goes on strike lol Lisa needs braces, dental plan!!"
Epicthrasher890
"So we'll march day and night by the big cooling tower, they have the plant but we have the power!"
GumdropsandIceCream
Oh Lisa, she's always a hoot.
"The Valentine’s day episode where Ralph gets his heart broken, Bart does a Nixon impression. with his butt, I Choo Choo choose this one."
SensitiveOrangeWhip
Burns Origin
"The X-Files one where Homer sees an alien that turns out to be Mr. Burns."
Inevitable_Warthog49
"This one is my vote, because if not for that episode, I would never have been allowed to watch the Simpsons! My mom was staunchly against it, but she loved X-Files and Star Trek."
"An episode that not only had Mulder and Scully but also Leonard Nemoy was too much for her to resist! And once she finally sat down and watched an episode, she realized it really wasn't that bad, and the ban was forever lifted."
Rhombico
All Thumbs
"I love the episode when the meteor is coming towards Springfield. The bit when the family are sat on the roof and Homer says, 'While the unprepared are still sitting around twiddling their thumbs going do do do do do do' is one of my favourite Simpsons scenes. And also, 'You should all be ashamed of yourselves, especially his CHILDREN!'"
Substantial-Push6378
Non-stop gold...
The one where Bart sells his soul to Millhouse. Every time I try to use an automatic faucet or door that doesn't work, I think of that episode."
TrowMe46240
"This is my vote. The jokes are just non stop. The dino sponges, the street sweeper, the ET fumigation parody, Alf pogs, everything about Uncle Moe's Family Feedbag (hm, sounds good), the fact that comic store guy actually bought and sold said soul... list goes on. It's just non stop gold."
aeliott
Classic
Plotting The Simpsons GIFGiphy"Who Shot Mr. Burns Pt. 1 because we spent the whole summer guessing."
"The Twisted World of Marge Simpson where Marge gets the pretzel franchise is an episode that I love. Jack Lemmon is great and some classic Homer and Fat Tony. 'You mean the mob only did me a favor to get something in return? Shame on you Fat Tony.'"
CobraCornelius
The Simpson's will never not be classic.
What are some of your favorite episodes that we missed? We know there's plenty. Sound off in the comment section.
For years people have watched prank shows on TV.
Some shows called them bloopers or practical jokes.
But as time has gone on and people's imagination has gone insane thanks to oneupmanship on TikTok, jokes and pranks have gotten out of control.
Does no one consider the danger in these situations?
You never know how someone will react.
Redditor Ghost_of_Society wanted to hear about all of the worst ideas for comedy people have witnessed. So they asked everyone:
"What's the cruelest 'prank' you've ever seen?"
The only pranks I've pulled have been prank calls.
You don't know how people will react.
"friends"
Look Around Ok GIF by BounceGiphy"20 years ago, a friend of mine was prank kidnapped on halloween. Driven to a cornfield and left tied up and blindfolded for an hour. Was not funny. The 'friends' that did this actually got some time in prison."
PeeGeePeaKee420
Naked
"One of the guys on my high school track team was pantsed directly in front of the girls from the team. He wasn’t wearing underwear. The person who pantsed him was one of his close friends."
tornadobravo
"Yeah that happened to me when I was a kid. I had enough friends and self esteem that I wasn't devastated, and the girls were all really sweet like 'we didn't really see what happened' but I still never talked to that 'friend' ever again, and was a little traumatized for a while."
Live2ride86
Cruel
"Not so much a prank, but in high school, there was a girl who was apart of the spectrum and she was showing off a dance, and these cheerleaders were clearly laughing at her. The thing is, is that the girl didn’t realize they were making fun of her. They told her to do it again just so they could laugh more."
not7withu
Just like 90%
"I was 14 and going out to eat with my first girlfriend and my mom at Jimboys. Just like 90% of 14 year old males, I suffered from acne pretty bad. We were eating and having a good time and out of nowhere my mom looks to my girlfriend and asks."
"'Do you like popping bumps?'"
"My eyes widened, she knew I horrified by her question. My girlfriend just got quiet and her face went red. She then proceeds to say..."
"'What?!?!? It's not like she can't see them, and you need someone to do something about them.'"
"Then laughed, then got mad no one else thought it was funny and ruined the rest of the evening. I could never understand doing something like that to my child..."
The-DapAttack
Phoney
I Love You Valentine GIFGiphy"A girl wrote an elaborate letter pretending to be another girl in class and handed it to me. I was shocked to receive my first love letter and felt like garbage when I found out it was fake."
chdeal713
How would one think that's funny?
The Switch
oh no wtf GIF by BounceGiphy"I remember seeing a video where they switched the pregnancy test to a fake positive one on their 'friend' struggling with infertility. Messed up."
lydiethesquidie
Just Abuse
"There was that youtube 'family' that was like, 'daddy of five' or something, where one of the kids was literally -abused- constantly. They would do HORRIBLE crap to this boy and then say 'it was a prank for the channel' and he would be absolutely -destroyed- and scream he hated youtube..."
"Anything done as a prank for Youtube? Thats almost as bad as Child Abuse Pranking for Youtube."
rdewalt
The Reveal
"The TV show WB Superstar from the early 2000's. It was a show like American Idol, but they were actually looking for the worst singers. But they told the contestants they were looking for the best singers until the very end of the competition, when they revealed the truth to the winner after their final performance in front of a live audience. Very cruel show."
NerdSandwich
Hang Up
"I have no idea what radio station this was on as I was only a kid, but they used to do prank phone calls. I have little to no recollection of many of them except this one, as even as a kid I could tell it was just wrong."
"The radio host rang up a woman and advised that he was the manager of her husband's company and he was very sorry to tell her that he had been involved in an accident with some heavy machinery and it had resulted in his death."
"As you would expect the woman was beside herself with being told her husband had just died, she was wailing on the phone and the radio host couldn't really get another word in to explain it was a joke, and then they just cut off the phone call and played a song."
"Even as a kid I knew it was a really stupid and cruel idea, and I'm pretty sure that was the last time they did a 'prank' phone call."
kacey_88
Tragedy
Shaking Head Reaction GIF by GIPHY NewsGiphy"A group of 5 boys decided to throw rocks from an overpass at the cars below, one of the rocks ended up going through a car’s windshield and killed the driver. The boys got charged with 2nd degree murder."
noncenuggets450
Can we all agree to pranks are just dangerous?
Enough. And it goes without saying, but please do not try these at home, folks.
What people find funny can be a conundrum.
It's especially head-scratching when it comes to television.
How many of us have sat with people who were so excited to show us their favorite comedy series?
They just knew our sides would split and we'd possibly pee a little.
Then you're ten minutes in and you want to destroy all of the happiness in their life for making you suffer through such insipid nonsense.
Redditor Mundane-Turnover-913 asked folks what they really thought of television's greatest comedies:
"What is the most overrated sitcom of all time?"
I'm open to all discussion. Except "The Golden Girls."
Don't test my patience. Brilliant is brilliant.
Bad Chuck
winning charlie sheen GIFGiphy"Whatever Chuck Lorre syndicated sitcom is on at the moment. The laugh tracks even sound like a toilet flushing."
Winnipesaukee
"Fun fact, Chuck Lorre wrote the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated theme song. No matter what, he has that going for him as it has proven to be timeless thus far."
Potentially_a_goose
Out your League guy...
"The one with the not-so-smart working class guy who is married to the hot wife who is way out of his league and lives down the street from his parents. Oh wait, that's most of them."
Funny-Berry-807
"One of my favorite jokes from the great Jenna Maroney:"
"'Instead of losing a push-up contest to Julie Bowen to see who gets to play Kevin James's mean wife who he's sick of having sex with, I'm gonna skip ahead to being an amazing sl*t who wins Oscars.'"
pambeeslysucks
"Don't forget he's lazy and always wrong and apologizing while she is hard working, always right and perfect in every way. Sitcoms for the most part really give men a poor image these days. There are a few with good role model characters though, just a rarity."
THANATOS4488
Too Many Jokes
"2 Broke Girls."
Visual_Radio_1901
"That show is wild. I watched a bit of it and I don't think I've ever seen a show fired off so many jokes so rapidly. Which sounds like a compliment but it isn't because most of them just completely fail to land but every now and then there's one that gets a laugh."
"It's like the writers just plastered jokes all over the script because they figured if they told enough they'd eventually stumble into something funny by accident."
mightyneonfraa
Not so LOL...
"Disney Channel shows was the first time I ever found a laugh track to be obnoxious. Normal prime time sitcoms with laugh tracks never bothered me, but holy hell did they milk that track for all it was worth in the Disney Channel I forget what show it was, but it was that stupid Mummy show where I noticed it."
ZombieJesus1987
"I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed Disney's abuse of that track! I HATE Disney Channel sitcoms. Not every line needs to be a joke. Even Friends has real conversations."
DoomGuyBFG
Have Mercy
Over It Sigh GIFGiphy"Sorry but Full House and also the sequel."
Stellathewizard
"It was great when I was a child but I tried watching the sequel. I forced my way through a couple episodes before quitting. I can never rewatch the first Full House as an adult because I know it'll be ruined."
Swearwolves_
Yeah Full House has issues. Always did...
Toxic
Take It Easy Ok GIF by TV LandGiphy"'Everybody Loves Raymond.'"
"I hate every character on that show, and their toxic family dynamic. The dim-witted lazy husband."
"The put-upon resentful wife. The sad-sack brother. The controlling, manipulative mother with no boundaries. The cranky, cynical, verbally abusive father. The utterly boring kids."
apple-masher
Thank the Editor
"Two and a half men is an unfunny mess."
altofaltsthrowaway
"I know for a while in Morocco it was big, but it was so heavily edited when it aired that the run time per episode was something like 12 min. I had only seen the American version and was talking to someone and was surprised to hear it lauded as a lovable family antic show. The womanizing side of the main character had been way downplayed."
keziahiris
OBSESSED
"Friends. What I mean by that; people got obsessed with Friends."
"People would get the same haircut as Rachel, people got tattoos of the show, it was insane how obsessed people got. The actors got paid insane amounts per episode, roughly $1 million per episode."
"Almost 30 years later and it's still playing on multiple channels, people still talk about it. It was an okay show for what it was, the characters were awful, narcissistic people and people idolized them which sucked. I'm not saying it was a terrible show, but it's definitely extremely overrated."
Xeludon
Lazy
"Big Bang theory. Jesus Ch*ist I can’t stand it. The best description I found was the comparison of a truly funny show like arrested development to BBT."
“'Arrested development is a show about dumb people making smart jokes. Big Bang theory is a show about smart people making dumb jokes. Primarily about sex which is a lazy way to write comedy.'"
"I totally get why it was popular, but I can’t help but roll my eyes hard whenever I hear the theme song."
taylorink8
Are you OK now?"
paley center laugh GIF by The Paley Center for MediaGiphy"Gee I disagree with many of the comments here, but I’ll put up my own candidate. It’s an oldie: Murphy Brown. It ran for a few years in the late 80s and early 90s. Decent ratings. Vapid writing, characters, plots… and to anyone who ever thought Candace Bergen could act? Are you OK now?"
DWright_5
I agree and disagree with this list. It's all subjective.
What would you add? Let us know in the comments.
Often times you learn just how creative a kid is when they're being deceitful.
Homework and assignments are going to be late sometimes.
It's a part of the school cycle.
Instead of getting miffed, take solace in the off-the-wall, nonsensical excuses students come up with.
Back in my day, that first 10 minutes of class was practically a comedy hour.
I mean talk about Oscar worthy performances...
Sometimes you just have to laugh.
Redditor blobbytheblobfish2 wanted to talk about all the reasons behind students turning work in off schedule.
So they asked:
"Teachers of reddit, what's the funniest excuse for being late, not doing homework, etc... you've ever heard from a student?
My go to was always killing off family members.
My life was a massacre for awhile in high school.
Mr. G
Baby Boomers Ok GIF by OriginalsGiphy“'Not gonna lie Mr. G, I got in an argument with ****** in the hall. He wants to fight me at lunch. I don’t wanna wuss out but I’d lose that, can you come stop him before he starts s**t?'”
“'Uhhhh…. Sure!?'”
"9th graders are wild."
NerdyRedneck45
In a What?!
"I was late once cuz someone threw my bike in a tree. There was no room in the rack so I just threaded the lock through the frame and both wheels. Someone must have tried to steal it and then got frustrated when it wouldn't ride and threw it up into a f**king tree. It took me a while to get it down and untangle the bike lock but luckily I had a photo of it in the tree to show my professor."
wildling-woman
Broken
"Not a teacher, but I remember in 7th grade a kid walked in a few minutes late and the teacher asked why. Kid said he was looking for a screwdriver because his belt broke. Teacher said he wasn't buying it and told the kid to sit down. Kid said fine, took 2 steps, then his pants fell to his ankles in front of everyone. It was freaking hilarious and perfectly timed comedically."
Dustyoldfart
Oink
"My mother was a high school teacher over a decade ago, and once had a student come in half way through the first class and say he was late because he was 'escaping from the pigs.' She didn’t really think much of it, and ignored him. However he was arrested before school ended. It’s one of her favorite stories to tell. 'Sometimes it’s scarier when they don’t lie to you.'"
JustAFieryLizard
What about your Safari?
Work Marketing GIF by lamarcamcGiphy"I had the same kid, tell me twice, that his dog ate his chromebook. He said he used his chromebook as a plate to eat a steak and the dog ate it."
happylilstego
Know the details of your lies kids.
Burgers next time
Season 7 Nbc GIF by The OfficeGiphy"My first year teaching, it was 4th grade, and one student informed me that she hadn’t done her reading the night before 'because we had pizza for dinner.' It’s been 20 years and I’m still confused."
onjohns
unsanitary...
"The kid’s homework sheet was ripped in half. He said his sheep ate it. I asked why he had his homework outside with the sheep, and he said he didn’t. The sheep was in his kitchen. I asked why and he said they usually let it in the house. He said this in a tone that was like, 'duh.'"
"So later, I asked another kid, who lived next door to this kid, if his neighbor really had sheep in his kitchen. He’s like, 'yeah. That’s why my mom doesn’t let me eat dinner over there anymore. She thinks it’s unsanitary.'"
TemperatureDizzy3257
Miss. Potnineo
"My friend and I used to walk to school together and one day we arrived a bit late and my friend was able to truthfully say 'Sorry we're late Miss. Potnineo got hit by a car.' We had been crossing the road at a pedestrian crossing with traffic lights and the light changed right after I stepped off the curb, and I guess the driver was so focused on the green light that he didn't even notice I was still passing in front of his car."
"He started to pull forward, hit me (very slowly obvs), I wasn't hurt but was very startled so I screamed and slammed my hands on his car bonnet to steady myself and not fall under the car. The driver proceeded to yell at me for hitting his car and then drive off. We were already running late anyway and the car incident was over within a few seconds, but it made a great excuse."
potnineo
Mooooove Along
"Cows got out last night and I had to chase them home all night. I knew the kid and the family so it wasn't a lie. Good kid who was obviously tired. I told him not to worry about missed homework."
Robby777777
"I used to be the manager of a fast food place in a rural town. There was once a cow in the drive through. It did not respond to me yelling at it. I didn’t get paid enough for that sh*t."
usernamesareatupid28
You're Excused
Two Thumbs Up GIF by TV LandGiphy"'Please excuse Janet from class today. She is in the hospital having her baby' (brought to me by a sibling)."
"Also..."
"'Please excuse Robbie for yesterday. He was home with the Shitt*ns.'"
pennyxroyalty
Poor Fish
"Once one of my classmates was late because their pufferfish had escaped."
Jakzter
"Escaped where? It’s a fish!"
morbidpigeon
Cat Problems
"Our cat set my son's 3rd-grade homework on fire by knocking over a lamp. I had worked on it with him earlier, it was finished, he was in bed, and the cat wanted to join him. Knocked over the lamp where the bulb was laying on the papers."
"The smoke alarms went off, my son ran screaming from the room, my wife grabbed the baby and ran outside with the son."
"The fire was JUST getting started, and I was like, may as well try... so I spit in my hands and patted out all the burning paper."
"I packaged up the burnt paper with a full note to the teachers."
Columbus43219
Overtired
"It isn't funny but it is the one I remember clearest. He said he was too tired."
"Kiddo was at school till 2, then would go to german lesseons from 3 to 4:30. Then had English with me from 5 to 6:30. Then he would have to go to French from 7 to 8:30. He was 8."
"He was too tired in my class to even sit up. I got to know a lot of bad parenting styles as a teacher."
Bakecrazy
Tree
"We had a student that got chased by a pack of wild dogs as he was getting out of his car and making his way to the building. He ended up hiding in a tree for like 2 hours and missing multiple classes. The teachers did not believe him until the school administration looked at the security footage and saw that he did indeed get chased by a pack of wild dogs. I should also add that it was in a suburban area"
It even happens to teachers.
"It wasn’t a student, it was me, the teacher. I was marking a students exam and I had a brand new puppy. The ONE time I leave work on the sofa to get a biscuit, Persie (poochie) chewed the whole thing. That was embarrassing to explain the next day. A few years later my then one year old drew all over an entire class worth of books. My husband was watching her btw 🤦♀️. Again, it was mortifying trying to explain that to a class of laughing children!"
Puzzledandhungry
Kids are funny. Until they're crazy.
Do you have any hilarious excuses that you or your classmates have used? Let us know in the comments below.