Saturday Night Live turns 50 this year. Ana Gasteyer, cast member, — I mean, generally speaking, [guest hosts] are on such good behavior because they really are being ruled by fear. I mean, I have such respect for people who host, because they show up in this crazy house. I have enormous respect for basically anyone who hosts, because they have to really have faith in what turns out to be a very effective but pretty makeshift system.
It was like a fever dream, but it was actually happening, and that's how I felt about the whole year. Bowen Yang, writer, —19; cast member, —present: Is it a cop out if I talk about Ariana [Grande, his Wicked co-star]? I just will always cherish her. And having these, like, intimate, romantic moments in sketches. Like, us kissing in that sketch when she hosted this season—that was like such a mutual thing of [us saying] like, Should we do it?
And then she was laughing while we were kissing. Cheri Oteri, cast member, — Jim Carrey, because he really wanted to do the Cheerleaders. He probably had the best ever show from beginning to end that I was a part of. Every sketch that he did, he killed it. I always loved when Buck hosted the show. I just adored the man. It was absolutely terrifying. And I bonded with him. It was sort of like Stockholm Syndrome. I bonded with Buck and I bonded with the two detectives who carried us away from the platform.
Laraine Newman, cast member, — This is more memorable for Jane Curtin, I think, but it still makes me laugh. The Rolling Stones were on the show and I, of course, loved the musicians. Just the two of them. I remember thinking That should have been me, damn it! It would open on the backstage gate, [John] Belushi playing a bouncer at the door with a clipboard. You're not on the list. No, sir. You can't get in. He's got a huge tank of nitrous oxide. Oh, you come right in. He gets right past.
We can't seem to get in, but somehow we do. And then we're backstage in the trailer with Keith Richards, drinking Wild Turkey, which they were all drinking all week. Well, maybe mainly Keith, who said, I get it for free. Anyway, I'm super excited about this. He came back, he saw me back there, and he kind of focused in on me. It had gone well at dress, I was about to do it on air. And it's just me standing in front of a green screen. And I walked out and I waved at the audience and everyone was nice and clapped and said hi.
