Saturday Night Live (SNL) has been a fixture in my life for as long as I can remember. As a kid, I’d tip-toe past my parents’ bedrooms, go downstairs and crack up at Chris Farley’s “Motivational Speaker” and the late Norm Macdonald’s hilariously dry “Weekend Update.”
Will Ferrell may have been the GOAT of that era, but SNL really came alive for me the moment “The Ladies Man” hit the stage. I was obsessed. I’d tape episodes, pretend to be “too sick to go to church” (sorry, Mom) and memorize sketches (please don’t call them skits) so I could entertain my friends at lunchtime with re-imagined Tim Meadows and Tracy Morgan impressions that were probably way too inappropriate for middle school. In my senior year of high school, I was the head writer of our senior play, and we did an SNL-esque satire of our school, which some of our teachers did not care for.
Every year, hundreds of comedy writers and performers whose lifelong dream is to work at 30 Rockefeller on SNL are invited to submit writing packets and audition tapes to be a part of the iconic show. Yes, I was one of them, and no, Lorne Michaels hasn’t shown up at my door (yet!) to make all my wishes come true—but hey, I’m still living the dream, and I have 50 years of SNL to thank for that.
To celebrate five decades of SNL, EBONY round up our favorite sketches—ones that would’ve been nowhere near as legendary without the Black stars who brought the funny and made us say, ‘Did they REALLY just do that?!’
Black Jeopardy with Chadwick Boseman
Shanice (cast member Leslie Jones), Rashad (cast member Chris Redd) and all the way from Wakanda T’Challa, played by guest host: the late, great Chadwick Boseman, compete on Black Jeopardy.
Lisa from Temecula
Lisa from Temecula, played by cast member Ego Nwodim, disrupts her sister’s (played by cast member Punkie Johnson) birthday dinner.
Jerrod Carmichael
Six days after Oscar’s 2021 “slap around the world,” guest host Jerrod Carmichael masterfully figured out how to “not” talk about it.
Mr. Robinson’s Neighborhood
Cast member Eddie Murphy’s iconic character, Mr. Robinson, comes home with a dog he stole from a woman and teaches us the word of the day: “RANSOM.”
Weekend Update: Colin Jost and Michael Che Swap Jokes
Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che have made it a tradition to tackle the week’s biggest news and make each other tell jokes they’ve never seen to close out the season.
Black Jeopardy with Tom Hanks
Contestants Keeley (cast member Sasheer Zamata), Shanice (Leslie Jones) and Doug, played by guest host Tom Hanks, compete on Black Jeopardy, hosted by Darnell Hayes, portrayed by the longest-running cast member in SNL history, Kenan Thompson.
Quinta Brunson
Quinta Brunson let us know that she’s not as nice as her character from Abbott Elementary while guest hosting. Next time you’re at Harry Potter World, order the “Qunita.” Yes, trademark that!
James Brown’s Celebrity Hot Tub Party
James Brown, played by Eddie Murphy, sings as he demonstrates his hot tub.
Bushwick, Brooklyn 2015
In Bushwick, Brooklyn, three friends (Thompson, cast member Jay Pharoah, and guest host Kevin Hart) hang out on a corner and discuss what they’ve been up to.
Mid-Day News
Guest host Phoebe Waller-Bridge and her fellow news anchors report the local news while trying not to react to the race of each subject.
Bernie Mac
The guest host stand-up monologue can be hit or miss on SNL, but the force known as the late great Bernie Mac captured the audience from the start and never let go.
Rich Auntie, No Kids
Another stand-out character portrayed by Nwodim, Rich Auntie with No Kids, stops by “Weekend Update” to discuss why she finds the holiday season relaxing. Yes, this Rich Auntie is Rich Auntie Getaway-approved!
Daniel Kaluuya
First-time guest host Daniel Kaluuya talks about being Black and British and playing Fred Hampton in Judas and the Black Messiah.
