Saturday Night Live has established itself over the years as the go-to TV show for entertainers to appear on during promotional tours. It’s also been a popular choice for anyone with a background in stand-up or sketch comedy. But there have been some pretty big names in the comedy world who have somehow managed to resist the allure of SNL in the five decades that the show’s been on the air. Here are a few that have surprisingly never shown up in any capacity.
8. JORDAN PEELE
Get Out director Jordan Peele was actually offered a job on SNL in 2008, but he was still under contract with the competing show MADtv. Though he’s still upset about missing out on the gig, he’s yet to fulfill his dream of appearing on SNL since leaving his former show.
7. DICK VAN DYKE
When Dick Van Dyke was asked about hosting SNL in 2011, he told The A.V. Club, “10 years ago, I would’ve. But, to me, the show has declined. For some reason, humor isn’t what it was. It just, to me, it’s not as funny as it was, not as sharply satirical.”
6. MICHAEL RICHARDS
Out of the four primary Seinfeld cast members, Michael Richards is the only one who hasn’t appeared on SNL. He was a regular on the 1980s knockoff show Fridays, along with Larry David, however.
5. WILL SMITH
He may have been parodied on the show several times, but Will Smith has never actually done SNL. His daughter, Willow, appeared twice in 2022, though.
4. KEVIN JAMES
Grown Ups star Kevin James auditioned for SNL in the 1990s, but didn’t get hired. He hasn’t tried to get on the show again since.
3. WOODY ALLEN
A New York staple in his own right, Woody Allen seemed like an obvious choice to host in the early years of SNL. He was asked once, but turned down the opportunity.
2. CAROL BURNETT
Despite Amy Poehler telling sketch comedy legend Carol Burnett that SNL owed everything to her, Lorne Michaels never asked Burnett to be on the show. “I don’t know what I did to upset that man, but I’m so sorry,” Burnett told The New Yorker in a 2025 profile.
1. “WEIRD AL” YANKOVIC
“Weird Al” Yankovic has been parodying things for nearly as long as SNL has, yet he’s never been invited on the show. He told People in 2024 that if he ever does get an invite, he’d rather host than be a musical guest because “if you host, you have more permission to mess up.”
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