Saturday Night Live (SNL), which premiered on October 11, 1975, has become a significant part of American comedy. Over its five decades, the show has featured many performers and writers who are alumni of the University of California (UC) system. These individuals have contributed to SNL’s history with their unique comedic talents and memorable performances.
Mikey Day is one such alumnus, having graduated from UCLA with a degree in theater in 2002. He began his work at SNL as a writer in 2013 and became a cast member in 2016. That year, he was involved in creating the “David S. Pumpkins” sketch featuring Tom Hanks. Day also appeared in “Short Film,” written by UC Irvine alum Chris Kelly.
Will Forte grew up in the Bay Area and earned a history degree from UCLA in 1993. After an unsatisfying stint at a brokerage firm, he moved into comedy and later joined SNL, where he portrayed characters such as a spelling bee contestant struggling with the word “business.”
Taran Killam studied theater at UCLA for one year after graduating from Los Angeles High School for the Arts. He joined SNL’s cast for six years and was known for sketches like one where he played a gate agent alongside Tina Fey.
Jon Lovitz received his bachelor’s degree in theater from UC Irvine in 1979 before joining the Groundlings comedy troupe. He became an SNL cast member in 1985, playing recurring roles such as Tommy Flanagan and Master Thespian.
Nasim Pedrad graduated from UCLA before joining SNL’s cast from 2009-2014. She was encouraged to audition by Tina Fey after performing her one-woman show highlighting her Iranian-American heritage. Pedrad worked with Fey on recurring sketches including “Bedelia.”
Maya Rudolph earned her bachelor’s degree in photography from UC Santa Cruz before spending seven years on SNL’s cast. Many of her sketches incorporated music, drawing on her background as the daughter of musicians Minnie Riperton and Richard Rudolph.
Andy Samberg attended UC Santa Cruz for two years while studying film before graduating from NYU. He joined SNL’s cast for seven years starting in 2005, often collaborating on musical sketches like “Lazy Sunday” with Chris Parnell.
Harry Shearer began his comedy career at UCLA while editing the campus humor magazine Satyr during the 1960s. In 1979, he joined SNL as both writer and performer but left after one season. Later, Shearer co-created “This Is Spinal Tap” and returned to SNL with his co-stars for a special sketch.
The University of California alumni mentioned above have each left distinct marks on Saturday Night Live through their writing, performances, or character creations over various periods since the show began.
