Earlier this week, the 2022 Emmy Awards were handed out, and Saturday Night Live took home yet another Emmy for Best Variety Sketch Show. Before 2015, the category was combined with Variety Talk Show, but since the split, SNL has taken the Emmy every year since 2017. It is a crowning achievement for a show that has been around since 1975, and Lorne Michaels probably has more awards than he could even count.
What is more fascinating than the awards, however, are the people who came from the show. On Emmy night, the room was filled with SNL alums, and we’re not even including all the stars that have hosted in the past. What is it about the Lorne Michaels machine that cranks out all these fantastically talented people? Many stick to comedy, but others have gone on to drama, directing, writing, producing, or all of the above. It is quite impressive to see just how many people at Tuesday’s ceremony have evolved from the sketch show.
All the Winners
This crop of SNL alums took home an Emmy on Tuesday, starting with Jason Sudeikis, who claimed his second consecutive award for playing the adored, yet troubled, titular character on the hit show Ted Lasso. Sudeikis was on SNL for 10 years from 2003 to 2013. Since SNL, he has appeared in the hit film We’re the Millers, and had recurring roles on Eastbound and Down and The Last Man on Earth. He is also one of the co-creators, co-writers, and co-producers for Ted Lasso. Also taking home Emmy gold was Tim Robinson for his show I Think You Should Leave, who was on SNL from 2012 to 2016 as a featured player and writer. His new sketch show is a quirky hit that is very meme-worthy.
The big winner of the night was the show Succession, which is produced by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, the latter of whom was a writer for 16 seasons on SNL before writing and directing such Oscar-nominated films as The Big Short, Vice, and Don't Look Up. Ferrell has done all right for himself as well as become a verified movie star, with such blockbusters as Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Step Brothers, and Megamind, just to name a few.
All the Nominees
The third season of Barry didn’t garner a lot of awards, but it sure deserved them. Bill Hader, who was on SNL from 2005 to 2013, has won the award for Best Actor in a Comedy twice in the past. He was also nominated for directing, writing, and for the show itself as well as Guest Actor in a Comedy in Curb Your Enthusiasm. That show was created by Larry David, who was with SNL from 1984 to 1985.
Steve Martin and Martin Short were both nominated for the hit Hulu show Only Murders in the Building. Martin was an SNL regular for only one season, in 1984/1985, but his recurring characters were iconic. Although Martin was never an actual cast member, he did host the show 15 times (and counting) so that has to count for something, right? It's entirely possible that one or both of these actors will have another hosting gig back at 30 Rock this upcoming season.
Mike Schur, another successful alumnus from SNL, has gone on to create some of the best shows of the modern era, such as Parks and Recreation, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Good Place, and Rutherford Falls. He’s also a producer for the show Hacks, which was nominated for Best Comedy Series. Ben Stiller’s time on SNL was short, but significant. If anything, it inspired him to go on to create The Ben Stiller Show which is oft underappreciated. His new show, Severance, was nominated for many Emmys this year and unfortunately took home few. Hopefully, this show will see some love in upcoming seasons. The same could be said for Better Call Saul, which only has one more shot at Emmy glory. As the prequel to Breaking Bad, former SNL writer/performer Bob Odenkirk stars as the sleazy lawyer in his rise to the bottom. It is inexplicable how this show hasn’t won any awards, but we're going to hold positive thoughts that their final bow will break the spell.
In a reunion of Weekend Update with Seth and Amy, Seth Myers and Amy Poehler presented an award together. Really! Amy was also nominated for her show Makin’ It, which she hosts with Nick Offerman. Meanwhile, Myers was nominated for his show Late Night with Seth Myers, as well as the digital series the show produces entitled Corrections.
The current SNL roster itself produced two acting nominees this year: Bowen Yang, who has become one of the biggest stars in the current cast, and Kate McKinnon who left the show in May after 10 years, but not before winning Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy in 2016 and 2017. The show also garnered a nomination for host Jerrod Carmichael, who took home an award for writing his comedy special Rothaniel. The saddest appearance of an SNL alum came in the form of a posthumous nomination for the late Norm MacDonald and his comedy special, Nothing Special, which he recorded at home during the pandemic.
Last But Not Least, the Presenters
The most tenured cast member on SNL, Kenan Thompson, had the task of hosting the Emmys this year. Not the easiest of gigs, but Thompson is so likable it seemed effortless for him. He himself won an Emmy back in 2018 for songwriting on SNL. Thompson took plenty of shots at people, shows, and networks/streaming services, but also poked fun at his own show, Kenan, being canceled earlier this year.
The stars of Showtime comedy I Love That For You, Vanessa Bayer (who was on SNL from 2010 to 2017) and Molly Shannon (who was on SNL from 1995 to 2001) also presented an award together. The two star in an awkward comedy about a girl (Bayer) who is obsessed with a QVC-esque station and lies about her own health to get a job there. It was grossly overlooked by the Emmys, but the two sure looked happy to be there. Thompson's SNL colleague Pete Davidson also presented an award while directly praising Thompson's hosting duties toward the conclusion of the night. Lastly, while Hannah Einbinder made a memorable appearance with her Hacks co-star Jean Smart to profess her love for Euphoria winner Zendaya, it turns out she has a connection to SNL, just so happening to be the daughter of one of the show's original alums, Laraine Newman. Here’s hoping she’ll be a host soon!