"SNL" and stand up go hand in hand. For this list, we’ll be looking at the best “SNL” cast members past and present that are also impressive stand-up comedians.
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00:00 - Hello, New York City!
00:01 - Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:03 And today we're counting down our picks
00:05 for the top 10 SNL cast members who are great at standup.
00:09 - You're a disgrace!
00:11 - For this list, we'll be looking at the best
00:14 SNL cast members, past and present,
00:16 that are also impressive standup comedians.
00:19 Did we forget another worthy standup from SNL?
00:22 Let us know in the comments.
00:24 Number 10, Pete Davidson.
00:28 Starting standup as a teenager,
00:30 Pete Davidson put the work in early
00:32 to become a notable talent.
00:34 His natural skills got him a job
00:36 as one of the younger cast members on SNL.
00:38 - That's because you're not getting enough air time?
00:40 - Oh, no, no, no.
00:41 I was born depressed, but it might make me feel better
00:45 if I was on TV more.
00:46 - While he might not have been
00:47 the most versatile sketch performer,
00:49 Davidson excelled on "Weekend Update"
00:52 with extended routines about his personal life
00:54 and pop culture.
00:56 - Being mentally ill is not an excuse
00:58 to act like a jackass, okay?
01:00 (audience cheering)
01:03 I'm quoting my therapist, my mom, and my mailman.
01:06 - These segments feel like they're perfectly synthesized
01:09 from his own act.
01:10 Returning to the stage after "Saturday Night Live,"
01:13 the comedian remains an open book during his sets.
01:16 - I've had a really weird year.
01:20 I had an AIDS scare this year.
01:25 - One of the reasons people love him
01:27 is his vulnerability, honesty, and wit.
01:30 He might be a social media fixation for his relationships,
01:33 but the comic clearly resonates with audiences
01:36 for his time behind the microphone.
01:38 - Yeah, everybody just gets mad at me
01:40 'cause my life's dope.
01:40 It's so confusing.
01:42 I don't even do anything bad.
01:43 They're just like, "What a (beep)!"
01:45 - Number nine, Jenny Slate.
01:47 This comedian might not have had a huge impact on SNL,
01:50 but she was destined for greatness elsewhere.
01:53 - We got horns for everybody.
01:55 Come on!
01:56 - What about me?
01:58 I'm a scientist.
01:59 - Here you go!
02:00 Bunsen burner, bubbles.
02:02 It's alive!
02:03 - What?
02:04 - Jenny Slate started in the New York comedy scene
02:06 doing standup and improv.
02:08 Together with Gabe Leidman, she crafted a comedic duo
02:11 that prepared her for live television.
02:14 - What if I was like, "In my imagination"?
02:17 - That's your catchphrase?
02:18 "In my imagination"?
02:19 That's fun.
02:20 - Yeah.
02:20 - I don't love it.
02:21 - No? Okay.
02:22 - After only one season on "Saturday Night Live,"
02:25 Slate left the show to pursue other TV work
02:28 and the idea for "Marcel the Shell with Shoes On."
02:31 Her standup career blossomed even further
02:33 with the release of "Stage Fright."
02:35 - Isn't it interesting that there are so many skeletons
02:39 in here tonight inside?
02:40 - Along with acclaimed films like "Obvious Child,"
02:43 the comedian has been able to excel
02:45 with an eclectic style all her own.
02:47 - I have made love to the moon.
02:50 (audience laughing)
02:52 And I've opened a portal to Shoe Lab!
02:53 - Number eight, Tracy Morgan.
02:56 Beloved for his unfiltered personality,
02:59 Tracy Morgan has made a name for himself
03:01 across several mediums.
03:02 - 'Cause usually I'm pitching my ideas
03:04 to some white dude like Kelsey Grammer or Dylan McDermott.
03:07 - Yeah.
03:08 - Or that crazy dude with the white hair.
03:10 (audience laughing)
03:11 - Lauren Michaels?
03:13 That's your boss, Tracy.
03:14 - Boss.
03:15 - His work as a standup led him to "SNL" in the 1990s.
03:19 With a few recurring characters,
03:21 Morgan proved himself as a dynamic presence on the show.
03:25 - This is Zvon,
03:26 and he's a two-year-old miniature pot-bellied pig.
03:28 - Now I don't care what he is.
03:30 He better not talk dirty like that cactus rat.
03:33 - His exit gave him an opportunity to pursue standup more,
03:36 as well as a popular role on "30 Rock."
03:39 - I'm like Mozart.
03:40 You're like that guy that was always jealous of Mozart.
03:43 - Salieri?
03:44 - No thank you, already eight.
03:46 - He always manages to have an unshakable demeanor
03:48 that's completely authentic.
03:50 Even after a terrible car accident threatened his health,
03:53 the comedian fought back his way to the stage.
03:56 His material is able to span hardships and career fortune
04:00 while still maintaining a grounded approach to his life.
04:03 - I'm like, "Grandma, I made it.
04:07 "I survived."
04:09 She said, "Good, now you go back and get your GED."
04:11 - Number seven, Kevin Nealon.
04:13 With a towering stature,
04:15 Kevin Nealon became a memorable figure
04:17 in late 1980s and 1990s SNL.
04:21 - Now, let's get our priorities in the right place, hot sex.
04:24 So.
04:25 - He turned his deadpan humor from standup
04:27 into a welcome asset for the weekend update desk.
04:30 - Exxon will have to pay Alaska over a billion dollars
04:32 to settle the latest lawsuit since the Valdez oil spill.
04:35 The company has come up with a new defense
04:37 with every lawsuit issued,
04:38 this time explaining that they were only trying
04:40 to grease up the coastline
04:41 so boats could get in and out of the harbor more easily.
04:44 - Outside of the show,
04:45 his witty sensibility keeps audiences entertained
04:48 through various supporting parts
04:49 and cameos in hit comedies.
04:52 Nealon's strongest asset is his joke writing,
04:55 often too smart for audiences to get on first listen.
04:58 - This country would not be in this position
05:00 if Wesley Snipes had paid his taxes.
05:02 - He also uses this dry persona
05:04 on hilarious appearances for programs like "Conan."
05:07 Developing his own hiking series,
05:09 the comedian now connects to a larger audience
05:12 through his off-the-cuff humor online.
05:14 Through it all, the performer can turn a subtle bit
05:16 into something truly funny.
05:19 - We're not supposed to say this,
05:20 but Joe Pesci lives in the room upstairs.
05:23 (audience laughing)
05:25 - Number six, Leslie Jones.
05:28 Developing her own niche on the show,
05:30 Leslie Jones was a force to be reckoned with
05:32 during her stint on "SNL."
05:34 - You crazy, crazy!
05:35 (audience laughing)
05:37 I don't even like school!
05:38 - She has an engaging personality
05:40 that works well in contrast to co-stars like Colin Jost.
05:44 - You better believe this, gangster,
05:45 your tall glass of almond milk.
05:47 - This makes her stints on "Weekend Update"
05:49 particularly memorable,
05:50 as well as some impressions like Whoopi Goldberg.
05:54 - Later, we'll be talking toes.
05:55 Why so nasty?
05:56 - Her ability to shock audiences and share brutal honesty
06:00 makes for an unforgettable delivery.
06:02 With the skills to entertain in any situation,
06:05 her compelling stage work translates to films
06:08 and even game shows.
06:09 Jones clearly has an energy that's contagious
06:12 in any setting, but especially noteworthy
06:15 during her standup.
06:16 - 'Cause ain't nothing like some glitter!
06:19 - After some cocaine!
06:21 - Number five, Dana Carvey.
06:23 During his time on "SNL,"
06:25 Dana Carvey established himself
06:26 as one of the great impressionists.
06:28 - We do go to war, I can assure you,
06:31 it will not be another Vietnam,
06:34 because we have learned, well,
06:35 the simple lesson of Vietnam,
06:38 stay out of Vietnam.
06:40 - His ability to adapt to any scene with a key voice
06:43 made him an amazing talent.
06:45 This translates especially well to his standup,
06:48 where he can show off his character work
06:49 without constraints.
06:51 - You people don't quit now, do you?
06:53 - He can go blue with impressions of old actors
06:55 or take a longer look at his many political caricatures.
06:59 Carvey can easily disappear into any number of people.
07:03 One of his other great strengths
07:04 is to continue to be relevant,
07:06 working on impressions of newer targets,
07:08 such as Joe Biden and Donald Trump.
07:11 - So like my fro-yo, like I like my voters,
07:13 white and sloppy, okay?
07:15 - Number four, Martin Short.
07:17 Martin Short is the star of not one,
07:20 but two incredibly successful sketch comedy shows.
07:23 After his time on the Canadian sketch series, "SCTV,"
07:27 he spent one season at "SNL"
07:29 with the likes of Billy Crystal and Christopher Guest.
07:32 - And aren't you glad to be out of the water, Lawrence?
07:35 Aren't you glad?
07:35 - Yes.
07:36 His achievement, along with a prosperous film career,
07:39 has made the comic a legend.
07:41 The consummate professional also makes the most
07:43 of his presence on the stage.
07:45 - Paul looks like what Vin Diesel sees in a mirror
07:48 when he's clinically depressed.
07:50 - In more recent years,
07:51 he's been known to tour with fellow icon Steve Martin.
07:54 When Short's not helping to resurrect
07:56 the art of insult comedy,
07:58 the performer has also become
07:59 one of the finer talk show guests
08:01 of the last several decades.
08:03 - If I've done something wrong, I'm gonna be upset.
08:06 - Number three, Norm MacDonald.
08:09 Starting as a stand-up,
08:10 Norm MacDonald created his own alternative brand of comedy.
08:14 His tenure on "SNL" was highlighted
08:17 by his controversial time hosting "Weekend Update."
08:20 - Although OJ may have heard his case
08:21 when he suddenly blurted out,
08:23 "Hey, hey, easy with that.
08:24 That's my lucky stabbing hat."
08:26 - Offering up jokes that pushed boundaries,
08:28 MacDonald ruffled enough feathers
08:30 to get him fired from the program.
08:32 He continued to do stand-up and cultivate a cult persona
08:35 for his trademark delivery.
08:37 - In the early part of the previous century,
08:40 Germany decided to go to war.
08:42 And who did they go to war with?
08:45 The world.
08:46 - Along with appearances in film and his own talk show,
08:50 the comedian was unafraid to tackle taboo subjects
08:52 in his own material.
08:54 - You've been thinking about your mortality a lot lately?
08:57 - I mean, you turn 70 and you can't run from it.
09:01 - Ah, (beep) I was hoping you could.
09:03 - His offbeat attitude lured audiences
09:05 into a false sense of security
09:07 before pulling the rug out from under them.
09:09 More than almost anyone else,
09:11 he could turn an ordinary phrase
09:13 into something hilarious because of his timing.
09:16 - That's a nice dog, a wiener dog.
09:18 They can't rip your throat out
09:20 unless you're lying down, you know?
09:23 - Number two, Chris Rock.
09:25 Chris Rock started on SNL in the early 1990s.
09:29 His time on the show might've been short-lived,
09:31 but it was a proving ground for him as a performer.
09:34 - First of all, Columbus discovered the West Indies.
09:37 Second of all, the land he discovered had occupants on it.
09:39 You know, that's kind of like
09:40 discovering somebody's backyard.
09:41 - He then took the comedy scene by storm
09:44 with huge specials during the decade.
09:46 The comedian became a rock star with the microphone,
09:49 pushing the medium farther with his pointed observations
09:52 and smart writing.
09:53 - If OJ drove a bus, he wouldn't even be OJ,
09:57 he'd be Orenthal, the bus-driving murderer.
09:59 - His work on "Bring the Pain"
10:01 is just one slice of his genius,
10:03 putting him at the top of the ladder
10:05 with relatable material.
10:06 He's maintained a reputation
10:07 for being one of the better comedic minds of his day.
10:10 - I'ma try to do a show tonight
10:15 without offending nobody, okay?
10:17 - Even after a notable run-in with Will Smith,
10:19 the artist came back stronger and as popular as ever.
10:23 - Will Smith played Muhammad Ali in a movie!
10:27 You think I auditioned for that part?
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10:44 Number one, Eddie Murphy.
10:48 Eddie Murphy is arguably the gold standard of his era.
10:51 He gained prominence on "SNL,"
10:53 practically saving the show from being canceled
10:56 in its rocky 1980s run.
10:58 - See, nut, writ, eon.
11:01 (audience laughing)
11:03 Ooh, someone screwed up, boys and girls.
11:05 This word's supposed to say nutrition.
11:07 - Murphy left the program for a blockbuster movie career
11:10 and two of the most famous specials of the decade.
11:13 - The ice cream man of Dallas!
11:16 - "Delirious" and "Raw" are both celebrated
11:19 for having some of the comedian's trademark jokes.
11:22 - If you get half your money, your house, your car,
11:25 alimony, child support, and your children,
11:28 you'll be on the cover of "The Enquirer" like this.
11:31 - The performer largely stopped touring in the 1990s,
11:34 but his impact on stage was so pivotal
11:36 that he inspired a whole new generation of comics.
11:39 He's often counted among the greatest in his field
11:42 for his incredible timing, bold style, and prolific output.
11:46 - If you had told me 30 years ago
11:48 that I would be this boring, stay-at-home, you know,
11:52 house dad, and Bill Cosby would be in jail,
11:55 even I would've took that bet.
11:59 - Do you agree with our picks?
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