"SNL" at 50: Local cast members, performers and parodies on "Saturday Night Live"
Zoom in: "SNL" is celebrating 50 years this weekend and we took a deep dive into the archives to find some of Arizona's greatest hits on the iconic late-night comedy show.
1977, 1979, 1980, 1987 and 1989: Singer Linda Ronstadt
Tucson native Linda Ronstadt appeared on "SNL" five times, first as a member of the Rhondettes, then with the cast of "The Pirates of Penzance" and later to perform duets with Phoebe Snow, Aaron Neville and The Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán.
Best performance:" Shoop Shoop Song" with Phoebe Snow
1983 and 2024: Singer Stevie Nicks
Phoenix native Stevie Nicks first performed on "Saturday Night Live" in 1983 and returned as a musical guest last year.
Songs performed:"Stand Back," "Nightbird," "The Lighthouse" and "Edge of Seventeen"
1987 and 1988: Former Gov. Bruce Babbitt
The former governor made a cameo while running for president in 1987, where cast member Al Franken accused him of using the express grocery lane with 14 items. The following year, comedian Phil Hartman parodied Babbitt in a sketch about the Democratic presidential debate.
Best line:"It is time that I step up and admit that in the past, I have been guilty of the injudicious use of grocery store express lanes."
1990-1994: Cast member Rob Schneider
In his post-"SNL" life, Rob Schneider has made a home in the Valley and recently even floated a possible gubernatorial run.
Iconic sketch:" The Richmeister" (aka the "Makin' Copies Guy")
1990-1996: Cast member David Spade
Arizona comedian David Spade became one of the show's most famous cast members and was considered one of the "Bad Boys" of "SNL" alongside Chris Farley, Chris Rock, Adam Sandler and Schneider.
Iconic sketches:" Hollywood Minute" and " Matt Foley: Van Down By The River"
1996: Musical group Gin Blossoms
Tempe's favorite band, Gin Blossoms, made it big as "SNL" musical guests in 1996.
Songs performed:" Follow You Down" and "Memphis Time"
1993, 2010, 2012 and 2018: Suns star Charles Barkley
Retired power forward Charles Barkley hosted the show four times and has been impersonated by comedian Kenan Thompson more than a dozen.
Best sketch:" Daily Affirmation with Stuart Smalley," where a self-help guru (played by Franken) helps Barkley come to terms with never winning a championship.
2002: Musical group Jimmy Eat World
The local favorite group was the musical guest in 2002.
Songs performed:"The Middle" and "Sweetness"
2002, 2015 and 2020: Nils Lofgren
E Street Band member Nils Lofgren, who has lived in Scottsdale since 1996, performed on the show three times with Bruce Springsteen.
Best performance:" I'll See You in My Dreams"
2002 and 2008: Former U.S. Sen. John McCain
McCain became the first sitting senator to host "SNL" in 2002 and returned for a cameo three days before the 2008 presidential election, where he appeared alongside Tina Fey, who famously impersonated his running mate Sarah Palin.
He was parodied many times throughout his presidential campaigns by Chris Parnell and Darrell Hammond.
Best sketches:" John McCain and Sarah Palin do QVC," " To Love, Honor and Stalk" and " Meet the Press: John McCain"
2006: Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor
Kristen Wiig parodied Arizona's Sandra Day O'Connor in a sketch with Jimmy Carter, impersonated by Darrell Hammond.
Best moment: The two discussed U.S.-Iraq relations with Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees (played by Jimmy Fallon) before the singer hilariously threatened to "murder (O'Connor) on national television" and "shove a bottle inside (Carter) and kick it until it breaks."
2008: Michael Phelps
Olympian-turned-Arizonan Michael Phelps hosted the show after winning eight gold medals at the 2008 Olympics.
Best line:"I just don't think I'm cut out for this whole swimming thing. I just pictured myself on the starting block and I got so scared I thought I fudged my Speedo."
2010, 2011, 2016, 2019 and 2023: Actress Emma Stone
Phoenix native Emma Stone is the youngest member of the Five-Timers Club (people who have hosted at least five times). She met her husband, longtime "SNL" writer and director Dave McCary, while hosting in 2016.
Best sketch: " Wells for Boys"
2012-2022: Cast member Aidy Bryant
Phoenix native Aidy Bryant spent a decade as an "SNL" cast member.
Best sketches: Her impersonations of then-White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders
2018: Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell
Bryant impersonated fellow Arizonan (and current Maricopa County Attorney) Rachel Mitchell after she got national attention for interviewing Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford during Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing for the U.S. Supreme Court.
Best line:"Although everyone will constantly be referring to me as female prosecutor, you can really just call me straight up prosecutor."
2021: Former U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema
Cecily Strong played a chaotic former U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema who wanted to make things as difficult as possible for then-President Biden in a sketch about the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill.
Best line:"I didn't come to Congress to make friends, and so far, mission accomplished."
2022: Former GOP gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake
During her failed gubernatorial run in 2022, "SNL" poked fun at former Phoenix TV anchor Kari Lake and her constant use of soft-focus camera filters.
Best line:"My campaign isn't dead yet, even though my camera filter makes it look like I'm in heaven."
2022-present: Cast member Michael Longfellow
Current cast member Michael Longfellow is a Phoenix native and ASU alum.
Best sketch:" Weekend Update: Resident Boyfriend"
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Though she admits to some pre-debut jitters, by the time she'd left Byer's stagesomething had clicked. 'In certain ways, this was dopamine-driven. I'm an adrenaline seeker. I just have always liked the feeling of flying.' After that, it was all stand-up, touring the country as an opener for high-profile comics like Chelsea Handler and Dana Gould. Then, in early 2020, she became the youngest comic ever to appear on 'The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.' It's not lost on Einbinder that her tight, idiosyncratic set became her industry calling card. 'The experience was so transformative for me, and I'm grateful for that,' she says. 'When I auditioned for 'Hacks,' it was the only thing they could see online. I didn't have any previous acting jobs.' So what's her take on CBS' decision to end the late-night series amid a highly politicized corporate merger? 'I'm going to choose my words wisely here,' she says, pursing her lips. 'The type of comedy that late-night hosts do reflects a pretty moderate centrist Democrat position, so it scares me that, like, the middle-of-the-road Dem white guys are being silenced and what that means for people who are really actually speaking truth to power.' Despite this bout of caution, Einbinder can also be an open book. In high school she was diagnosed with ADHD and prescribed a heavy dose of Adderall, and as a result, she says, she doesn't have much access to those years. 'My best friend Phoebe will be, like, 'Remember when you did that crazy thing?' And I'm like, 'Absolutely not. I sound awesome in that story. I'll take your word for it.'' When asked about the first live comedy show she ever attended, she says, 'Bill Maher, which I am kind of humiliated to admit. Sorry, Bill.' A pause. 'Not really.' Then she leans over my digital recorder and gives a quick, wet Bronx cheer. Her 2024 stand-up comedy special for HBO Max, 'Everything Must Go,' is wall-to-wall personal anecdotes, some of them embarrassing. But something else in that hour convinced transfeminine writer-director and indie force Jane Schoenbrun ('I Saw the TV Glow') to cast Einbinder in their upcoming film, 'Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma.' 'It was almost like she was dancing with the camera,' says Schoenbrun. 'I love 'Hacks' and think Hannah displays incredible acting chops, but it's a sitcom, and I'm making something more of an art film. And I found her deranged physicality exciting.' In 'Miasma,' Einbinder, who is bisexual, plays a queer director who, after being hired to direct the latest installment of a slasher franchise, travels to a remote cabin to meet with an original cast member (Gillian Anderson) and falls into what Schoenbrun has described as 'a frenzy of psychosexual mania.' Considering that Einbinder chose 'Miasma' as the first big step she's taken outside of 'Hacks,' it seems like an indicator of the sort of career she is hoping to build. 'Comedy feels really good,' she says. 'But I also want to make sure that the projects I join are emotionally fulfilling. Jane is someone I feel so aligned with, and the work that Jane makes is so deeply personal and queer. It's just exactly the type of thing I wanted to do.' 'I'm on another movie right now — it's a really cool comedy,' Einbinder says of an ensemble film that's yet to be announced. Then, next month, she's expected back at 'Hacks.' Even when its three creators were pitching the series, the plan was to end after five seasons. So mapping out her future path isn't just whimsy. (The series has been renewed for a fifth season, and while there's no official word on an end yet, many viewers have speculated that Season 5 will indeed be its last.) When she's asked to imagine her life after 'Hacks,' Einbinder's face suddenly turns pink, a folded tissue appears, and she's dabbing away tears. 'I grew up with these people,' she says in a strangled voice. 'We are in each other's lives in a real way. So, yeah, it's emotional.' Einbinder says she feels connected to the characters and their stories 'the way fans do.' So what does she hope happens to Ava before 'Hacks' concludes? The tissue drops and Einbinder's sense of humor returns. 'I think she should cure her acne and grow her hair out,' she says. 'That would be meaningful for her.'
