Can celebrities really manifest their dream roles through style choices?
A staff member rejected Carrey's audition for the 1980-1981 season, and 'SNL' executive producer Lorne Michaels told Vanity Fair that he never even got to see it!
Of course, Colbert went on to become famous for his political-comedy persona on Comedy Central's 'The Daily Show' and 'The Colbert Report.'
Another member of The Groundlings, Kathy Griffin was also rejected by Lorne Michaels at the same time that Kudrow was.
In the 1990s, Lisa Kudrow was part of LA-based improv and sketch-comedy school The Groundlings. The founder of the school had reportedly put in a good word for Kudrow to Lorne Michaels, but Michaels ended up picking Julia Sweeney over her.
Despite the rejection, Carrey obviously went on to become a comedic genius in numerous films, and he'd even return to host 'SNL' on several occasions. Most recently, he played then-Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden for six episodes.
Though he didn't make the cut, he went on to become a successful actor, writer, producer, and musician, not to mention one of the few stars to both host and perform as musical guest on 'SNL,' which he did in 2018.
The multi-talented star famously auditioned for 'SNL' twice, and was rejected twice as well.
Both Kudrow and Griffin admitted the loss felt immense back then, and though Griffin jokes about not being over it, she has built quite a reputation for herself as a famous comedian in her own right.
For the 'SNL' 40th-anniversary special, they released a compilation of audition tapes of cast members and now-famous rejections, one of which was a pre-beard Zack Galifianakis who auditioned in 1999.
Another member of the improv-comedy school The Groundlings, Jennifer Coolidge was invited to audition along with her group-mates Will Ferrell, Chris Kattan, and Cheri Oteri back in 1995. Unfortunately, she was the only one of the group who was not cast.
Actor John Goodman reportedly auditioned for 'SNL' back in 1980 when producer Jean Doumanian was in charge. He obviously wasn't cast.
Kenney-Silver went on, however, to star on shows like Comedy Central's 'Reno 911!' instead.
Sources: (Vanity Fair)(GQ)(The Guardian)(GQ)(Entertainment Weekly)(Air America)(Los Angeles Magazine)
"As soon as I took the candy I swear to God Lorne shot a look at the head writer that clearly connoted to me that I had failed the test. I walked out of there thinking I ruined my career because of a Jolly Rancher. I don't even like Jolly Ranchers." Of course, Maron has enjoyed a career since then as a stand-up comic, writer, and podcaster.
On 'The Last Laugh' podcast, Mindy Kaling said that during season two of 'The Office' she was offered a chance to audition for 'SNL,' and that 'The Office' showrunner Greg Daniels agreed to let her out of her contract if she was offered a role. She went to the audition but was rejected.
Goodman's rejection freed him up for a major role on ABC's 'Roseanne.' He soon became a household name with a successful career in both TV and film, and he ended up hosting 'SNL' more than a dozen times!
After being rejected, he really shaped up his act and soon became famous for his stand-up comedy and comedic film roles.
Kaling was, however, offered a writer position on 'SNL,' and she wanted to take it, but Daniels said that this wasn't the deal they'd made. So, Kaling stayed with 'The Office,' which in retrospect defined her whole career.
He was rejected, but it spurred him on to produce his own comedy series, 'The Pee-wee Herman Show,' and everything worked out better than anticipated.
On Marc Maron's podcast, Kenney-Silver said that she auditioned for 'SNL' after MTV's sketch-comedy show 'The State,' was canceled. She said the audition was "terrifying," that she didn't get any laughs, and she ultimately wasn't cast.
In 2004, she told Los Angeles Magazine, that it was probably for the best because she doesn't think she could have handled the mental stress of being on the show. Since then, she made her name in popular films like 'American Pie' (1999) and 'Legally Blonde' (2001), and more recently, became the breakout star of the hit show 'The White Lotus.'
Aubrey Plaza finally got her time to shine on 'SNL' by hosting an episode in January 2023. 'The White Lotus' star revealed that she auditioned for 'SNL' early in her career and got rejected. In an interview on 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,' Plaza explained her unsuccessful audition tactic. "I remember one character I did was like a Puerto Rican news reporter that was always trying to make all of the news stories sexy, even if they were horrific news stories. I was just trying to like, sex up the news or something.” Her second character was “a pill-popping housewife that had a show called ‘Celebri-Tails,’ where I would just name celebrities and name what kind of tail they would have if they had a tail." Apparently, her skits didn't pass muster with Lorne Michaels!
Just landing an audition at ‘Saturday Night Live’ is a feat, but getting an actual role on the late-night sketch comedy series is even harder. That’s why even some of the biggest comedians and actors out there have a history of being rejected by the show. We’re talking A-listers with now-extensive filmographies, some of whom have even been invited back to host the show years after they found fame on a different road.
Click through to see which stars were rejected by casting directors of ‘SNL,’ and witness the proof that rejection can be an important step in a fruitful career.
Stars who were rejected from 'Saturday Night Live'
Some of the biggest names in comedy didn't make the cut
CELEBRITY Celebrity trivia
Just landing an audition at ‘Saturday Night Live’ is a feat, but getting an actual role on the late-night sketch comedy series is even harder. That’s why even some of the biggest comedians and actors out there have a history of being rejected by the show. We’re talking A-listers with now-extensive filmographies, some of whom have even been invited back to host the show years after they found fame on a different road.
Click through to see which stars were rejected by casting directors of ‘SNL,’ and witness the proof that rejection can be an important step in a fruitful career.