Just about anyone who has ever been on the Saturday Night Live cast has been a part of the writing staff. Yet, not everyone who has written a classic SNL sketch has been a part of the cast, but many of them would still go on to become comedy legends in their own right. Take a look at some of the most well-known names to ever work from behind the scenes at Studio 8H.
John Mulaney
During his SNL tenure from 2009 to 2012, John Mulaney created Stefon with Bill Hader and infrequently appeared on “Weekend Update” for a segment called “I Love It.” The Chicago native went on to become one of the most acclaimed comedians of his time and returned to host enough times to join SNL‘s Five-Timers Club.
Paula Pell
Paula Pell boasts one of the longest runs as an SNL writer, sticking around from 1995 to 2013 and winning an Emmy in the process. The Girls5eva and Mapleworth Murders star would later share the screen with many SNL veterans in Netflix’s Wine Country and voiced Mom’s Anger in the Inside Out movies, to name a few notable examples of her acting career.
Bob Odenkirk
After writing at SNL from 1987 to 1991, during which he created Chris Farley‘s iconic Matt Foley character (as he revealed on Hot Ones), Bob Odenkirk went on to create and star in his own acclaimed sketch comedy series with David Cross called Mr. Show with Bob and David. The comedian’s career would take an unexpected and exciting turn when he joined the Breaking Bad cast as Saul Goodman, which spawned the spin-off Better Call Saul and led to Odenkirk becoming an action star with Nobody.
Stephen Colbert
While he did not make the cut to join the cast, in 1996, Stephen Colbert landed a brief stint in the writers’ room at Studio 8H, where he also starred in several pre-recorded SNL sketches as the voice of Ace from The Ambiguously Gay Duo. He also served as a writer and performer for the short-lived The Dana Carvey Show before becoming better known as a Daily Show correspondent, hosting his own political satire program, The Colbert Report, and succeeding David Letterman as host of CBS’ The Late Show.
Hannibal Buress
Only one of Hannibal Buress’ sketches made it to air during his brief stint as an SNL writer in the late 2010s. He would certainly make up for the lack of exposure at Studio 8H, however, when he became a top name in stand-up, served as the sidekick on Adult Swim’s The Eric Andre Show, and joined the MCU as Peter Parker’s gym teacher.
Larry David
As Larry David revealed to Vanity Fair, one of the best Seinfeld episodes was inspired by a time he angrily quit his brief tenure as an SNL writer in the mid-1980s and attempted to return to Studio 8H the following Monday like it never happened. The Curb Your Enthusiasm star would later return to the show as its resident Bernie Sanders and for multiple hilarious hosting gigs.
Adam McKay
If Adam McKay, who served as head writer for three of his six years at Studio 8H in the late ’90s and early 2000s, had become a cast member, he would be among the few SNL stars to win an Academy Award. While also known for co-writing and directing some of Will Ferrell’s best movies, his peak achievement is his Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for 2015’s The Big Short, which he followed with the acclaimed satirical Dick Cheney biopic, Vice.
Steve Higgins
Steve Higgins started writing at SNL in 1995 and would maintain the position for decades, during which he would occasionally make appearances, such as in the monologue for Justin Timberlake‘s hosting debut. The father of Please Don’t Destroy’s John Higgins, even stayed on as a producer and writer after signing on as Jimmy Fallon‘s talk show sidekick on Late Night and The Tonight Show.
J.B. Smoove
Audiences may recognize the boisterous and irresistibly animated comic J.B. Smoove best as Leon on Curb Your Enthusiasm or from two of the MCU’s Spider-Man movies as Peter Parker’s teacher, Mr. Dell. Earlier on, he served as a writer on SNL for three years, during which he would sometimes appear on camera, such as when he impersonated Jimmy “JJ” Walker in a Good Times parody.
Conan O’Brien
Conan O’Brien would have never become one of the all-time most beloved late-night TV hosts if not for his three-year stint as an SNL writer, as it was producer Lorne Michaels who recommended he take over Late Night for David Letterman. The 2025 Mark Twain Prize recipient is also known as a writer for The Simpsons and, following his retirement from late-night TV in 2021, expanded his purview by hosting a hit podcast, Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, and a travel docuseries, Conan O’Brien Must Go.
Harper Steele
Harper Steele wrote for SNL from 1995 to 2008 and was promoted to head writer for her final four seasons. She experienced an uptick in notoriety later in life when she came out as transgender, which was detailed in Netflix’s award-winning documentary, Will & Harper, in which she travels cross-country with longtime friend Will Ferrell.
Tim Herlihy
Tim Herlihy, the father of Please Don’t Destroy’s Martin Herlihy, very rarely appeared on SNL during his five years as a writer, but does have a well-known character named after him: The Herlihy Boy, played by Adam Sandler. He and Sandler would also collaborate on movies like The Wedding Singer and The Waterboy, to name a few, in which he also appears in funny cameos.
Greg Daniels
Greg Daniels became Conan O’Brien’s writing partner when they met at Harvard, years before being hired at SNL in 1988. He later achieved fame and acclaim as a creator and developer of various hit comedy series, most notably the American adaptation of The Office.
Jorma Taccone
Jorma Taccone has appeared in many of the best SNL Digital Shorts, which he and his partners from The Lonely Island, Andy Samberg and Akiva Schaffer, were in charge of creating during his writers’ room tenure from 2005-2010. The comedian, musician, and filmmaker is also the mastermind behind the recurring sketch, “MacGruber,” and directed the 2010 movie based on the SNL character as well.
Herb Sargent
Herb Sargent, who passed away in 2005, was hired as an SNL writer at the very beginning when the show was still called NBC’s Saturday Night, and is even credited as the creator of “Weekend Update.” Of course, his writing career predates the sketch comedy series, having also written for The Tonight Show in the 1950s, most notably. Sargent was also the Writers Guild of America, East, which named an award honoring comedic excellence after him.
Jack Handey
Despite never showing his face on the show, Jack Handey is a well-known name in SNL‘s history thanks to his recurring one-liner bits known as “Deep Thoughts” and “Fuzzy Memories.” His decades-long tenure at Studio 8H began when frequent collaborator Steve Martin introduced him to Lorne Michaels.
Michael Schur
Michael Schur might be recognized best as Dwight Schrute’s cousin, Mose, from The Office, which he wrote for and produced before. He would also team with Office developer Greg Daniels to create Parks and Recreation; he co-created Brooklyn Nine-Nine with Dan Goor, and he created The Good Place himself. However, his career began when he joined SNL‘s writing staff from 1998 to 2004.
Carol Leifer
Carol Leifer only wrote for one season of SNL: its eleventh, which is widely considered its weakest year. Nonetheless, she is recognized as a comedy legend for her stellar stand-up career and contribution to acclaimed TV sitcoms like Seinfeld, additional sketch comedy shows like MADtv, and awards ceremonies like the Oscars.
Dave Attell
Dave Atell is a relatively well-known name in the comedy world, having hosted a popular show on Comedy Central called Insomniac and appeared in hit movies like Pootie Tang, Funny People, and Trainwreck. One of the stand-up comedian’s earliest gigs in show business was writing for SNL during the 1993-1994 season.
Akiva Schaffer
After he and his partners in The Lonely Island made a name for themselves by making short films for Channel 101, Akiva Schaffer would specialize in making shorts for SNL with them. In addition to making funny appearances in movies like Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, he has since become successful on his own as the director of films like 2022’s Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers and the 2025 reboot of The Naked Gun.
Max Brooks
In addition to being the son of Mel Brooks (creator of many hilarious parody movies), Max Brooks is famous for writing one of the most acclaimed works of zombie fiction, The Zombie Survival Guide, and World War Z. Before then, he wrote for SNL from 2001 to 2003.
Chris Kelly
Chris Kelly found great success from co-creating the Comedy Central original series, The Other Two, with Sarah Schneider. Prior to that, both of them served as writers at SNL, and both became the head of the staff during their last season between 2016 and 2017.
Emily Spivey
Former MADtv writer Emily Spivey’s Emmy-winning tenure in the Studio 8H writer’s room lasted from 2001 to 2010. She would reunite with other female SNL alumnae from that era in the Netflix movie, Wine Country, and also wrote for shows like The Last Man on Earth and How I Met Your Father.
Tom Gammill
Tom Gammill and his longtime writing partner got their start at SNL in the late 1970s. They would go on to join the staff for Late Night with David Letterman, Seinfeld, and The Simpsons, most notably.
Matt Graham
Talented stand-up comedian Matt Graham was a writer for the likes of Saturday Night Live and Late Night with Conan O’Brien, and even for game shows like Chain Reaction. Yet, his bigger claim to fame may be his title as the World Scrabble Championship runner-up when he represented the United States in an international competition in 1997, according to The New York Times.
Bruce McCulloch
Multi-talented Canadian comedian Bruce McCulloch was part of the SNL writing staff from 1985 to 1986. Just a few years later, he became a part of the comedy troupe, The Kids in the Hall, who started their own popular, self-titled sketch comedy series that ran from 1989 to 1995.
J. J. Philbin
You can probably tell from her last name that J.J. Philbin has a famous father named Regis. On top of that, she has a famous husband, Michael Schur, whom she met while she was writing for SNL in the late 1990s. However, she would later make a name for herself by writing for shows like Dead Like Me and The O.C., co-creating ABC’s Single Parents, and executive producing Only Murders in the Building.
Sam Jay
Sam Jay is the star of some great stand-up comedy specials on Netflix (as well as part of the platform’s Roast of Tom Brady), a talk/variety show on HBO called Pause with Sam Jay, and a Peacock original comedy series called Bust Down. Prior to those achievements, she became the first Black, lesbian SNL writer in 2017.
Charlie Grandy
Charlie Grandy is best known for his many collaborations with Mindy Kaling, including The Office, The Mindy Project, and Velma. One of his earliest gigs, however, was writing for SNL from 2001 to 2008, during which he earned one of his two Primetime Emmy Awards.
Streeter Seidell
Comedian Streeter Seidell first made a name for himself on the popular website CollegeHumor.com, on which he released his web series, Prank Wars, which was picked up by MTV as Pranked. In 2014, he found himself on the SNL staff, for which he co-created the character of David S. Pumpkins, and was promoted to head writer status eight years later.
Simon Rich
Simon Rich is one of the youngest SNL hires in the show’s history, having joined the writing staff right out of college from 2007 to 2011. He would leave Studio 8H to work for Pixar and later created the surreal romantic-comedy series, Man Seeking Woman (based on his short story collection, The Last Girlfriend on Earth), on FXX in 2015.
Andy Breckman
Andy Breckman is the writer and director of, arguably, Eddie Murphy’s single greatest SNL sketch, “White Like Me.” He also wrote for Late Night with David Letterman, but is best known as the creator of the Emmy-winning, long-running detective dramedy, Monk.
