# Choose the WORST member of the SNL cast - EVER! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 5, 2000, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-the-worst-member-of-the-snl-cast-ever/44104 "2000-12-05T06:38:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Uniball](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Uniball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uniball)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2000, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-the-worst-member-of-the-snl-cast-ever/44104/1 "2000-12-05T06:38:19Z")
I vote for Joe Piscopo, but here’s the list. 1975-76 Dan Aykroyd John Belushi Albert Brooks Chevy Chase George Coe (1975) Jane Curtin Garrett Morris Laraine Newman Michael O’ Donoghue (1975) Gilda Radner Andy Kaufman 1976-77 Dan Aykroyd Chevy Chase (1976) John Belushi Jane Curtin Garrett Morris Bill Murray (1977) Laraine Newman Gilda Radner 1977-78 Dan Aykroyd John Belushi Jane Curtin Garrett Morris Bill Murray Laraine Newman Gilda Radner Tom Davis Al Franken Andy Kaufman 1978-79 Dan Aykroyd John Belushi Jane Curtin Garrett Morris Bill Murray Laraine Newman Gilda Radner Tom Davis Al Franken Andy Kaufman Don Novello 1979-80 Jane Curtin Garrett Morris Bill Murray Laraine Newman Gilda Radner Harry Shearer Peter Aykroyd (1980) Tom Davis Jim Downey Al Franken Andy Kaufman Brian Doyle-Murray (1980) Don Novello Tom Schiller (1980) Paul Shaffer Alan Zweibel (1980) 1980-81 Denny Dillon Robin Duke (1981) Gilbert Gottfried Tim Kazurinsky (1981) Gail Matthius Eddie Murphy Joe Piscopo Ann Risley Charles Rocket Tony Rosato (1981) Yvonne Hudson (1980) Andy Kaufman Mitchell Kriegman (1980) Matthew Laurance (1980) Laurie Metcalf (1981) Emily Prager (1981) Patrick Weathers 1981-82 Robin Duke Christine Ebersole Mary Gross Tim Kazurinsky Eddie Murphy Brian Doyle-Murray Joe Piscopo Tony Rosato 1982-83 Harry Anderson Robin Duke Mary Gross Brad Hall Gary Kroeger Tim Kazurinsky Julia Louis-Dreyfus Eddie Murphy Joe Piscopo Andy Kaufman 1983-84 Harry Anderson Jim Belushi Robin Duke Mary Gross Brad Hall Gary Kroeger Tim Kazurinsky Julia Louis-Dreyfus Eddie Murphy Joe Piscopo 1984-85 Jim Belushi Billy Crystal Mary Gross Christopher Guest Rich Hall Gary Kroeger Julia Louis-Dreyfus Harry Shearer (1984) Martin Short Pamela Stephenson 1985-86 Joan Cusack Robert Downey Jr. Nora Dunn Anthony Michael Hall Jon Lovitz Dennis Miller Randy Quaid Terry Sweeney Danitra Vance A. Whitney Brown (1986) Al Franken (1986) Don Novello Dan Vitale Damon Wayans 1986-87 Dana Carvey Nora Dunn Phil Hartman Jan Hooks Victoria Jackson Jon Lovitz Dennis Miller A. Whitney Brown Kevin Meaney Kevin Nealon 1987-88 Dana Carvey Nora Dunn Phil Hartman Jan Hooks Victoria Jackson Jon Lovitz Dennis Miller Kevin Nealon A. Whitney Brown Al Franken 1987-88 Dana Carvey Nora Dunn Phil Hartman Jan Hooks Victoria Jackson Jon Lovitz Dennis Miller Kevin Nealon A. Whitney Brown Al Franken Mike Myers (1989) Ben Stiller (1989) 1988-89 Dana Carvey Nora Dunn Phil Hartman Jan Hooks Victoria Jackson Jon Lovitz Dennis Miller Mike Myers Kevin Nealon A. Whitney Brown Al Franken 1989-90 Dana Carvey Phil Hartman Jan Hooks Victoria Jackson Dennis Miller Mike Myers Kevin Nealon A. Whitney Brown Chris Farley Al Franken Tim Meadows (1991) Chris Rock Adam Sandler (1991) Rob Schneider David Spade Julia Sweeney 1990-91 Dana Carvey Phil Hartman Jan Hooks Victoria Jackson Dennis Miller Mike Myers Kevin Nealon A. Whitney Brown Chris Farley Al Franken Tim Meadows (1991) Chris Rock Adam Sandler (1991) Rob Schneider David Spade Julia Sweeney 1991-92 Dana Carvey Chris Farley Phil Hartman Victoria Jackson Mike Myers Kevin Nealon Chris Rock Julia Sweeney Beth Cahill Ellen Cleghorne Siobhan Fallon Al Franken Melanie Hutsell Tim Meadows Adam Sandler Rob Schneider Robert Smigel David Spade 1992-93 Dana Carvey Chris Farley Phil Hartman Mike Myers Kevin Nealon Chris Rock Rob Schneider Julia Sweeney Ellen Cleghorne Al Franken Melanie Hutsell Tim Meadows Adam Sandler Rob Smigel David Spade 1993-94 Ellen Cleghorne Chris Farley Phil Hartman Melanie Hutsell Michael McKean (1994) Tim Meadows Mike Myers Kevin Nealon Adam Sandler Rob Schneider David Spade Julia Sweeney Al Franken Norm Macdonald Jay Mohr Sarah Silverman 1994-95 Morwenna Banks (1995) Ellen Cleghorne Chris Elliott Chris Farley Janeane Garofalo (1994) Norm Macdonald Michael McKean Mark McKinney (1995) Tim Meadows Mike Myers Kevin Nealon Adam Sandler David Spade Al Franken Laura Kightlinger Jay Mohr Molly Shannon (1995) 1995-96 Jim Breuer Will Ferrell Darrell Hammond David Koechner Norm Macdonald Mark McKinney Tim Meadows Cheri Oteri Molly Shannon David Spade Nancy Walls Chris Kattan (1996) Colin Quinn Fred Wolf 1996-97 Jim Breuer Will Ferrell Ana Gasteyer Darrell Hammond Chris Kattan Norm Macdonald Mark McKinney Tim Meadows Tracy Morgan Cheri Oteri Molly Shannon Colin Quinn Fred Wolf (1996) 1997-98 Jim Breuer Will Ferrell Ana Gasteyer Darrell Hammond Chris Kattan Norm Macdonald Tim Meadows Tracy Morgan Cheri Oteri Colin Quinn Molly Shannon 1998-99 Will Ferrell Ana Gasteyer Darrell Hammond Chris Kattan Tim Meadows Tracy Morgan Cheri Oteri Colin Quinn Molly Shannon Jimmy Fallon Chris Parnell Horatio Sanz 1999-2000 Jimmy Fallon Will Ferrell Ana Gasteyer Darrell Hammond Chris Kattan Tim Meadows Tracy Morgan Cheri Oteri Chris Parnell Colin Quinn Horatio Sanz Molly Shannon Rachel Dratch Maya Rudolph (2000) 2000-01 Jimmy Fallon Will Ferrell Ana Gasteyer Darrell Hammond Chris Kattan Tracy Morgan Chris Parnell Horatio Sanz Molly Shannon Rachel Dratch Tina Fey Jerry Minor Maya Rudolph ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2000, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-the-worst-member-of-the-snl-cast-ever/44104/2 "2000-12-05T07:29:37Z")
Did you put that togetehr yourself? There’s alot I do not remember, although I have watched it pretty faithfully since the very first episode. Of the ones I DO remember, it’s a bit of a tossup. I’m trying to differentiate between people who really had absolutely no talent whatsoever, and people who simply grated on my nerves personally. I think I will vote for Brad Hall for least talented, and Melanie Hutsell and Ellen Cleghorne can duke it out over which is the more irritating. You should start a thread for “Most underappreciated” SNL cast member…there’s lots of those. Starting with Dan Aykroyd. stoid ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2000, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-the-worst-member-of-the-snl-cast-ever/44104/3 "2000-12-05T07:30:15Z")
Therefore, I’m not going to techically answer your question, just offer a couple thoughts. I think I must have been the only person on the planet who agreed with the NBC president who fired Norm MacDonald. IMHO, he was just not funny, not one bit. But, alas, his replacement, Colin Quinn, was even worse! Also, there’s been a very funny thread going about the “Jeopardy” skit featuring “Sean Connery” and “Alex Trebek.” While the performer who does Connery is quite good, Will Ferrel’s Trebek is just godawful. He neither captures nor effectively parodies any of Trebek’s inflections, mannerisms, etc. IMHO. Sir ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_H](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a5b964/32.png) [@Bill\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_H)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2000, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-the-worst-member-of-the-snl-cast-ever/44104/4 "2000-12-05T07:31:52Z")
Hell, I don’t need to see the list. **Dennis Miller** , hands down. How that guy gets work is beyond me. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_H](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a5b964/32.png) [@Bill\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_H)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2000, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-the-worst-member-of-the-snl-cast-ever/44104/5 "2000-12-05T07:35:20Z")
Speaking of Norm MacDonald, whom I think is one of the funniest people alive… I hear that the guy who fired him from SNL was the same guy who hired Dennis Miller to do football. True? Boy, talk about about bad choices. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2000, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-the-worst-member-of-the-snl-cast-ever/44104/6 "2000-12-05T08:30:38Z")
There are several names on the list I just don’t recognize. The least talented is Anthony Michael Hall. The most annoying is Al Franken. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2000, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-the-worst-member-of-the-snl-cast-ever/44104/7 "2000-12-05T09:58:30Z")
Least talented of all time? Gilbert Gottfried without question. Kevin Meany was on SNL? God, I couldn’t stand that talentless hack when he was doing guest appearances on WZLX morning radio in Boston. Hey everybody! I’m fat! And my parents were squares! And I’m fat! IT’S FUNNY, DAMMIT! Sorry about that, but he seriously deserves to be fed to Rip Taylor’s wig. –sublight. ---
**Author:** ![barflyer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dc4da7/32.png) [@barflyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barflyer)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2000, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-the-worst-member-of-the-snl-cast-ever/44104/8 "2000-12-05T12:51:25Z")
Andy Kaufman was such a loser. He’s the only one that would make me change the channel that first season. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2000, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-the-worst-member-of-the-snl-cast-ever/44104/9 "2000-12-05T13:16:43Z")
Norm Macdonald and Collin Quinn. Neither could act worth a damn. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2000, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-the-worst-member-of-the-snl-cast-ever/44104/10 "2000-12-05T13:38:48Z")
I always found Jan Hooks phenomenally grating, but not untalented. I can’t remember anyone so untalented they stuck out, but then the untalented ones didn’t tend to last long. Most Underappreciated: Garrett Morris. He always seemed to get overshadowed by Belushi and Aykroyd . jr8 “And now the news for the hearing-impaired: OUR TOP STORY TONIGHT…” ---
**Author:** ![broccoli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@broccoli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/broccoli)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2000, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-the-worst-member-of-the-snl-cast-ever/44104/11 "2000-12-05T13:57:16Z")
Uniball, I think the easier question would be: Who’s the best? I think MOST of the people on SNLs throughout history have sucked royal ass. but that’s just me broccoli! ---
**Author:** ![Uniball](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Uniball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uniball)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2000, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-the-worst-member-of-the-snl-cast-ever/44104/12 "2000-12-05T13:59:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by broccoli! \* > \*\*Uniball, I think the easier question would be: Who’s the best? I think MOST of the people on SNLs throughout history have sucked royal ass. > \*\* The best? Easy. Phil Hartman. ---
**Author:** ![Odieman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a87d85/32.png) [@Odieman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odieman)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2000, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-the-worst-member-of-the-snl-cast-ever/44104/13 "2000-12-05T14:23:14Z")
Charles Rocket was the worst, I’ve seen him in reruns and he still sucks big time. ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2000, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-the-worst-member-of-the-snl-cast-ever/44104/14 "2000-12-05T14:30:00Z")
IMHO, with a very, very few exceptions, you could take the whole show after 1978/79 and toss it out and there would have been no great loss. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2000, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-the-worst-member-of-the-snl-cast-ever/44104/15 "2000-12-05T14:37:52Z")
To be the Worst SNL Cast Member of all time, you shouldn’t be able to do ANYTHING well. That eliminates, say, Norm Macdonald; even if you hated his Weekend Update, the guy could do bang-up impressions of David Letterman and Burt Reynolds. “Funny guy, Scooby-doo. Drove around in a van. Solved mysteries.” Joe Piscopo did some things well. So did Dennis Miller. To my mind, it comes down to three present-day choices: **Colin Quinn** did nothing well. He was terrible at Weekend Update, and if he was ever in any good skits I didn’t see them. **Cheri Oteri** had no talent. I don’t know why people thought that cheerleading joke was funny, because it was about as funny as knee surgery. Oteri did the same screeching, irritating schtick in every sketch. **Will Ferrell** is absurdly untalented; I don’t know how he got on SNL. As Sir Rhosis has pointed out, Ferrell’s imitation of Alex Trebek is probably the worst imitation of any famous person in the history of SNL. He looks and acts about as much like Trebek as he does like Audrey Hepburn. The best? **John Belushi** was a genius. **Dan Aykroyd** is from Kingston, ON. so I have to vote for him. He’s an asshole in person, though. **Gilda Radner** had some wonderful characters. **Eddie Murphy** was the show’s heart and soul through some lean years, and he did some terrific sketches. Murphy’s “Gumby” was hilarious. **Jon Lovitz** … Acting!!! **Dana Carvey** did more terrific characters than I could name. **Phil Hartman** was a genius. **Mike Myers** gets on the list just for having “West Germany’s Most Disturbing Home Videos” on “Sprockets,” but he did other great sketches as well. And that’s it, IMO. There have been many other very talented people on the show, but not all of them really bloomed on SNL. ---
**Author:** ![LateComer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b5ac83/32.png) [@LateComer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LateComer)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2000, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-the-worst-member-of-the-snl-cast-ever/44104/16 "2000-12-05T14:48:45Z")
How could anybody look through this list and pick anybody not on the 1980/1981 list? Denny Dillon Robin Duke (1981) Gilbert Gottfried Gail Matthius **(who?)** Ann Risley **(who?)** Charles Rocket **Also bad in "Earth Girls are Easy"** Tony Rosato (1981) **(who?)** Yvonne Hudson (1980) **(who?)** Mitchell Kriegman (1980) **(who?)** Laurie Metcalf (1981) **(Roseanne’s sister was a cast member? I find that hard to believe . . .)** Emily Prager (1981) **(who?)** Patrick Weathers **(who?)** My vote for best cast? Easily the 1984/1985. I’ll limit it to the following: Jim Belushi Billy Crystal Christopher Guest Rich Hall Julia Louis-Dreyfus Harry Shearer (1984) Martin Short I still think that the Men’s synchronized swimming sketch is one of the funniest things I have ever seen. And 2/3 of Spinal Tap were cast members together (The other 1/3 was a cast member later). How interesting in retrospect. Of course, Spinal Tap made their performance debut on SNL. ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2000, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-the-worst-member-of-the-snl-cast-ever/44104/17 "2000-12-05T14:52:07Z")
I guess Denny Dillon or all the others she costarred with that year. Best: Difficult. Belushi, Hartman, Murphy. ---
**Author:** ![don\_Jaime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b4bc9f/32.png) [@don\_Jaime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_Jaime)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2000, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-the-worst-member-of-the-snl-cast-ever/44104/18 "2000-12-05T17:03:59Z")
Since a grand total of 23 people saw the show from 1980 to 85, and 3/5 of those were high at the time, we’ll never know. That was some bad TV. Norm McDonald and the whole entire current cast deserves mention, as does my vote for worst, Victoria Jackson. She can’t even play a believable airhead, and she is one! ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2000, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-the-worst-member-of-the-snl-cast-ever/44104/19 "2000-12-05T17:30:33Z")
My computer is acting really oddly. I could have sworn that someone just posted that the 1984/85 cast of SNL was the best. Man, these computers sometimes spit out the weirdest stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2000, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-the-worst-member-of-the-snl-cast-ever/44104/20 "2000-12-05T17:47:15Z")
I hate Colin Quinn, I loathe Norm McDonald. I don’t know which verb is worse…I suppose the second one. But I’m going to save my vote for an actress truly unappreciated for her sub par acting abilities. She was the first one who made me think “This is a popular, nationally televised show. Tens of thousands of actors and actresses around the country would claw their grandmother’s eyes out and attach them permanently to their foreheads just to get a minute of air time and yet they let this woman perform.” The sad thing is that I don’t remember her name. I think that’s a good thing. Why waste any more brain power on her than absolutely necessary? This woman played on SNL maybe 6 years ago for a season or two. She tried to do impersonations of Tori Spelling and was thankfully only on for about one skit a night. She had one emotional “range:” monotone. She had one facial expression: homo erectus. She couldn’t even impersonate herself if you spotted her a cleft palate that vibration device for tracheotomy patients. I weep even now just thinking of her. Perhaps one of you could fill in the name. If you don’t want to, I understand. I think it might actually be better believing she was a figment of my demented imagination. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/choose-the-worst-member-of-the-snl-cast-ever/44104.md?page=2)