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From unforgettable characters to iconic sketches, some moments on SNL immortalized cast members as comedy legends. Watch as we revisit the exact performances that turned familiar faces into household names. From Chris Farley’s wild Matt Foley antics to Kate McKinnon’s hilarious alien-abduction story, these unforgettable clips showcase the humor and heart that defined Saturday Night Live’s greatest stars.
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00:00You know, Hillary and I don't agree on everything.
00:04Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the exact moments your favorite Saturday Night Live
00:10cast members cemented their places in comedy history.
00:14And if Bruce Dickinson wants more cowbell, we should probably give him more cowbell.
00:18Okay, babe.
00:20Number 10. Kate McKinnon breaks Ryan Gosling with her alien abduction story.
00:25Wow. What floor were you guys on?
00:30I woke up in a dirty metal dome, and 40 little gray aliens watched me pee in a steel bowl.
00:36And they took the bowl, walked out.
00:40Interesting.
00:41What begins as a restrained government debrief quickly becomes Kate McKinnon's personal playground.
00:46In the first Close Encounter sketch, Cecily Strong and host Ryan Gosling describe their alien abductions as beautiful, almost spiritual
00:54experiences.
00:55Then McKinnon's Colleen Rafferty explains that her own encounter involved considerably less dignity.
01:02These fancy cats are seeing God.
01:04Meanwhile, I'm starting phase two, which is me sitting on a stool while 40 gray aliens take turns gently batting
01:13my knockers.
01:15McKinnon never wavers as she recounts being mishandled by confused extraterrestrials,
01:21gradually adding physical demonstrations that make the story impossible to survive with a straight face.
01:27Gosling finally folds, covering his mouth and openly laughing while McKinnon presses ahead,
01:32as though nothing unusual is happening.
01:34The December 2015 sketch launched a recurring series, but its reputation was secured during that first performance.
01:42I dropped down seven feet onto the roof of a Long John Silver's.
01:47They threw out my pants separately.
01:49They missed the roof.
01:50My slacks landed in a frickin' pine tree 30 feet away.
01:55So I had to just chill up there with my damn cuckoo and prune shoe hanging out until the place
02:02opened up.
02:02Number nine, Norm Macdonald declares murder legal in California.
02:07Thanks, I'm Norm Macdonald, and now the fake news.
02:10Well, it is finally official.
02:12Murder is legal in the state of California.
02:16Four days after OJ Simpson was acquitted in the deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman,
02:21Norm Macdonald opened Weekend Update with no attempt at subtlety.
02:25The line crystallized everything that made Macdonald's version of Update distinctive.
02:30Macdonald and writer Jim Downey had spent months producing relentless jokes about Simpson,
02:36even as the material reportedly caused friction within NBC.
02:39OJ Simpson's new fitness video was released this week,
02:42and hitting the shelves next week, Simpson's newest video,
02:45Dorf on Stocking.
02:57This was the defining one, brutally direct, perfectly phrased, and delivered without a trace of hesitation.
03:04And it may have even resulted in the Canadian comedy legends firing from the iconic sketch show.
03:10From that moment forward, Macdonald's fearlessness became inseparable from his SNL legacy.
03:15According to retailers, the most popular Halloween mask this year is OJ Simpson.
03:20And the most popular Halloween greeting is,
03:23I'll kill you and that guy who's bringing over your glasses, or a treat.
03:28Number 8. Adam Sandler performs the Hanukkah song.
03:31Put on your yarmulke, here comes Hanukkah,
03:36so much fun-a-ka to celebrate Hanukkah.
03:40Adam Sandler had already brought his guitar to Weekend Update for the Thanksgiving song,
03:45but his December 1994 return produced something far bigger.
03:49Sandler introduced the Hanukkah song as a musical alternative for Jewish children surrounded by Christmas standards,
03:56then began rattling off famous Jewish entertainers, athletes, and historical figures.
04:01Paul Newman's half-Jewish, and Goldie Hawn's half-too.
04:06Put them together, what a fine-looking Jew.
04:10The names were funny, but Sandler's gleefully homemade delivery made the performance work.
04:15It sounded like something composed five minutes earlier for a school assembly,
04:19yet its central idea was immediately irresistible.
04:22The song became a seasonal radio staple,
04:25appeared on Sandler's comedy album What the Hell Happened to Me,
04:28and inspired several updated versions.
04:31Tell your friend Veronica,
04:33it's time to celebrate Hanukkah,
04:35I hope I get a harmonica,
04:37on this lovely, lovely Hanukkah,
04:40so drink your gin and Hanukkah,
04:42but don't smoke marijuana-ka,
04:44if you really, really wanna-ka,
04:46have a happy, happy, happy, happy Hanukkah.
04:51Number 7, Andy Samberg has a Lazy Sunday.
04:55Lazy Sunday, wake up in the late afternoon,
04:57call Parnell just to see how he's doin'.
05:00Hello, what up, pawns?
05:01No, Sandberg, what's crackin'?
05:03You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?
05:04Party up, man, it's hapkin'.
05:05Andy Samberg and Chris Parnell begin Lazy Sunday
05:08with the urgency of hardened rappers embarking on a major mission.
05:12Their actual objective?
05:14Eat cupcakes and catch a Sunday afternoon screening of The Chronicles of Narnia.
05:18Samberg had only joined the cast that season,
05:21but the video immediately established his comic identity
05:24and introduced mainstream audiences to The Lonely Island.
05:28Don't stop at that deli, the theater's overpriced.
05:30You got that backpack, gonna pack it up nice.
05:33Don't watch the curating to get suspicious.
05:35Mr. Pittman, red vines equals crazy delicious.
05:38Clips spread rapidly through the still-young world of online video,
05:42bringing SNL attention from viewers who hadn't watched the broadcast.
05:46The show had found a new format,
05:48and Samberg had found his breakthrough.
05:50Lazy Sunday didn't merely spawn a popular sketch.
05:53It helped upload SNL into the digital age,
05:56securing its future relevance.
05:58Mark and I speak through the trip against the illest.
06:00We're friends' alums, Don and Phil can cruise to the list.
06:03We acted so fast, it was scary.
06:06Everyone's standing on when we scream at you parents.
06:08And in the theater room, it's gonna get tragic.
06:11We're about to get taken to a dream world of magic.
06:13Number six, Mike Myers and Dana Carvey bow before Aerosmith.
06:17Let me tell you that we have a very special Wayne's World this week, okay?
06:20Garth's cousin Barry is a roadie for Aerosmith, right?
06:23And guess what?
06:24They're gonna be on the show.
06:25Oh, I can't believe they're actually here.
06:29Oh, oh!
06:31Come on, Garth, don't go squirrely on me.
06:34All right.
06:34All right, I'm counting on you, man.
06:35By February 1990,
06:37Wayne's World had become a popular recurring sketch.
06:40Then Aerosmith entered Wayne Campbell's basement.
06:43Thanks to Garth's cousin Barry, played by host Tom Hanks,
06:47Wayne and Garth suddenly find themselves interviewing rock royalty
06:50on their public access show.
06:52The sketch combines everything that made the duo work,
06:55and Mike Myers and Dana Carvey respond exactly as their characters should.
07:09Wayne tries to maintain control as host.
07:11Garth can barely process what is happening,
07:14and both behave like overexcited teenagers
07:16who somehow gained access to a world-famous band.
07:19Aerosmith even joins them for the Wayne's World theme.
07:22Of course, this would set the proverbial stage
07:25for the sketch's smash hit feature-length adaptation in 1992.
07:29Welcome to Wayne's World, almighty ones.
07:33Hi, Wayne.
07:34Hi, Garth.
07:34Thanks for having us on the show.
07:35Oh, Wayne.
07:36I'm so excited.
07:38I think I'm gonna hurl.
07:40Hey.
07:42Garth, get it together, man.
07:44Don't hurl,
07:44because if you hurl and I catch a whiff of it, man,
07:46I'm gonna spew.
07:47Number 5.
07:48John Belushi performs with the real Joe Cocker.
07:51Oh, you sure could be it.
07:54Boy, I'm gonna be right now.
07:56Even now, I see it.
07:58Yeah, I want to ride.
08:01When I think of you, I start myself a cry.
08:05John Belushi's Joe Cocker impression
08:07was already a standout piece of early SNL physical comedy.
08:11The ultimate test came on October 2nd, 1976,
08:15when Cocker himself appeared as the musical guest.
08:18During Feelin' Alright,
08:20Belushi emerged beside the real Cocker
08:22wearing a nearly identical outfit,
08:24launching into the same gravelly vocals
08:27and wildly expressive movements.
08:44The result was something more than a standard celebrity impression.
08:48With the real singer participating,
08:50viewers could compare them in real time,
08:52and Belushi attacked the performance
08:54with enough force to hold his own
08:55beside the man he was parodying.
08:57Cocker was fully willing to share the joke,
09:00turning the song into an affectionate collision
09:02between imitation and reality.
09:14Number 4.
09:15Tina Fey can really see Russia from her house.
09:18Good evening, my fellow Americans.
09:23I was so excited when I was told
09:26Senator Clinton and I would be addressing you tonight.
09:30And I was told I would be addressing you alone.
09:34Tina Fey had already left the SNL cast in 2006,
09:38but the 2008 presidential campaign
09:40gave her a role too perfect to ignore.
09:43Returning for the season premiere,
09:45Fey appeared as Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin
09:49opposite Amy Poehler's Hillary Clinton.
09:51The resemblance earned an immediate reaction,
09:54but one line transforms the impression into political folklore.
09:58I believe that diplomacy should be the cornerstone of any foreign policy.
10:04And I can see Russia from my house.
10:06Palin never actually said those words,
10:08yet the joke became so famous
10:10that many people later remembered it as a genuine quotation.
10:14Fey returned repeatedly throughout the campaign
10:16and eventually won an Emmy for the performance.
10:19While our politics may differ,
10:21my friend and I are both very tough ladies.
10:24You know, it reminds me of a joke we tell in Alaska.
10:29Oh boy.
10:30What's the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull?
10:35Lipstick.
10:37Lipstick.
10:37There you go.
10:38Number 3.
10:39Will Ferrell gives the cowbell everything he's got.
10:42That was going to be a great track.
10:44Guys, what's the deal?
10:45Are you sure that was sounding okay?
10:47I'll be honest, fellas, it was sounding great,
10:49but I could have used a little more cowbell.
10:52The fictional members of Blue Oyster Cult
10:54are attempting to record Don't Fear the Reaper
10:57when Will Ferrell's Gene Frankel
10:59begins hammering away on an aggressively loud cowbell.
11:02His bandmates are irritated,
11:04but producer Bruce Dickinson,
11:06played with total authority by Christopher Walken,
11:09wants more.
11:09Ferrell responds by giving him everything possible.
11:12His shirt rides up, his body contorts,
11:15and he charges around the cramped studio
11:17while smashing the instrument inches from the other musicians.
11:21Jimmy Fallon begins losing composure,
11:23but Ferrell only becomes more committed.
11:26Gene Frankel may not have been a real person,
11:28but after this sketch aired,
11:30he was a bonafide rock god.
11:32I gotta have more cowbell, baby.
11:36I'd be doing myself a disservice
11:38and every member of this band
11:40if I didn't perform the hell out of this.
11:43Guess what?
11:45I got a fever,
11:47and the only prescription is more cowbell.
11:50Number two,
11:51Eddie Murphy takes over the entire show.
11:54How you doing?
11:56There's something I have to tell you
11:57about tonight's host, Nick Nolte.
12:00This summer, Nick and I had the opportunity
12:02to work together
12:03in a motion picture called 48 Hours.
12:06Nick and I grew together,
12:09and Nick taught me a lot about myself
12:11and a lot about acting,
12:12and he's a real great guy.
12:13The December 11, 1982 episode
12:15was supposed to be hosted by Nick Nolte,
12:18Eddie Murphy's co-star in 48 Hours.
12:21When Nolte became unavailable,
12:23Murphy stepped in
12:23despite still being a regular cast member.
12:26The cold open makes the unusual situation explicit.
12:30Murphy explains that Nolte cannot appear,
12:32but assures viewers that another star of 48 Hours
12:35will handle the job.
12:36When Nick got here and got off the plane,
12:39he vomited on my shirt.
12:42We realized Nick was too sick to do the show,
12:45and that's too bad,
12:46because Nick was going to be in
12:47some real great stuff tonight.
12:49He then looks into the camera
12:50and declares,
12:51Live from New York,
12:52it's the Eddie Murphy Show!
12:54Live from New York,
12:56it's the Eddie Murphy Show!
12:57It was funny,
12:58because it was barely an exaggeration.
13:00At only 21,
13:02Murphy had become SNL's dominant attraction,
13:05carrying sketches throughout characters
13:07such as Gumby,
13:08Buckwheat,
13:08and Mr. Robinson,
13:09while launching a movie career
13:11at the same time.
13:12It's good to be back in New York,
13:16and it was fun working with these kids this week.
13:18I had a great time.
13:20I really can't believe
13:21how hard they work here on this show,
13:23and it was like watching the process,
13:25seeing them pull together,
13:25it was a lot of fun for me,
13:26a nice experience.
13:27Number 1.
13:28Matt Foley destroys the coffee table.
13:31Alright, how's everybody?
13:34Good, good, good.
13:36Parents, played by Phil Hartman
13:38and Julia Sweeney,
13:39bring in motivational speaker Matt Foley
13:41to frighten their teenagers,
13:43played by David Spade
13:44and host Christina Applegate.
13:46Chris Farley enters,
13:48tugging at his pants,
13:49hunching forward,
13:50and invading everyone's personal space.
13:52Spade and Applegate
13:53are already struggling
13:54to contain themselves,
13:56but Farley keeps escalating.
13:58Now let's get started
13:59by letting me give you
14:01a little bit of a scenario
14:02of what my life is all about.
14:05First off,
14:07I am 35 years old,
14:09I am divorced,
14:11and I live in a van
14:13down by the river.
14:15He mocks their ambitions,
14:17lifts Spade from the couch,
14:19and finally lunges backward
14:20onto the coffee table,
14:22smashing straight through it.
14:24Applegate hides her face,
14:25Spade openly laughs,
14:26and even the famously composed
14:28Hartman appears tested.
14:30Farley had delivered
14:31memorable physical performances before,
14:33but Matt Foley
14:34captured his full power.
14:36Matt, thanks for all you've done.
14:38I don't give a rat's behind
14:40because I'm moving in.
14:41I'm sick and tired of living
14:43in a van down by the river.
14:46Which exact SNL moment
14:47made you realize
14:48you were watching
14:49a future legend?
14:50Be sure to drop your pick
14:51in the comments,
14:52along with the sketch
14:53that still destroys you
14:54every time.
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