From political sketches to celebrity impressions, there's nothing quite like Saturday Night Live. With 45 seasons since it began airing in 1975, the show manages to constantly stay fascinating, intelligent, hilarious, and relevant. That's no small feat, so we're definitely big fans and in awe of the people behind it.
SNL has made us aware of a lot of talented people, from writers to members of the cast, and it's fun to see which celebrity is hosting each week. But besides the amazing content on the actual show, there are a lot of behind-the-scenes happenings that we definitely want to hear about.
Keep reading to learn all about SNL's behind-the-scenes secrets.
20 SNL Originally Happened Because Johnny Carson Needed Time Off And The Network Needed A Replacement Show
Cheat Sheet says that Saturday Night Live originally came into being because Johnny Carson needed some time off. The network wanted another show to air when he wasn't filming The Tonight Show. We definitely would have never guessed that this is what went down, so it's an amazing behind-the-scenes fact to learn about.
19 Many Funny People Like Steve Carell And Lisa Kudrow Tried Out For SNL But Got Turned Down
Buzzfeed says that many funny people, such as Steve Carrell and Lisa Kudrow, tried out for Saturday Night Live but got turned down.
This isn't something that we ever would have thought was possible. How could you turn down Phoebe from Friends?! It sounds like a very competitive environment. Talk about a crazy behind-the-scenes fact.
18 Surprisingly, Only One Of Larry David's Sketches Was Chosen While He Was Working As A Writer For The Show
Whether we love Seinfeld or Curb Your Enthusiasm (or perhaps both), we know that Larry David is hilarious. So it's definitely surprising to learn that, according to Buzzfeed, he wrote only a single sketch that was chosen for the show when he worked for SNL. We would have thought that everything he wrote was total comedic gold.
17 Back In 1999, Tina Fey Was The Inaugural Woman Hired For The Head Writer Position
We all love Tina Fey, whether we're fans of her sitcom 30 Rock or the many funny movies that she has been in since then. She also has a long history of writing for and appearing on Saturday Night Live.
According to Buzzfeed, back in 1999, Tina Fey was in the inaugural woman hired for the head writer position.
16 Conan O'Brien Didn't Think Mike Myers' Iconic Wayne's World Sketch Was Good
Did we know that Wayne's World was a sketch on SNL before it was a hit film?
It's pretty wild to hear about now, but when Mike Myers pitched it, head writer Conan O'Brien said that he didn't think it would be funny, according to Little Things. The sketch was super popular and, of course, so is the movie.
15 The Balcony Seats Are Considered Lucky Because They're From Yankee Stadium
The balcony seats on the set of SNL are considered lucky. Why? Because, according to Cheat Sheet, they're from Yankee Stadium.
SNL doesn't want to get rid of them, and they pay for them, too. We often hear about people in show business having certain rituals or superstitions, so this does make a lot of sense.
14 Kanye West Screamed At A Crew Member For Moving Something When He Was On SNL In 2016
We might not expect Kanye West to be super well-behaved when appearing on a TV show, but we're definitely going to be shocked to hear about what he did behind-the-scenes on SNL.
According to Ranker, the celebrity screamed at a crew member for moving something when he was on the show in 2016. Yes, this is true.
13 Only 8 Out Of 40-50 Sketches Are Actually Chosen For Each Show
We know that a lot of hard, creative work goes into a show like Saturday Night Live, and as it turns out, this includes the sketches that are written for each episode.
Buzzfeed says that only 8 out of 40 or 50 sketches are chosen for each show. That's definitely a lot of time spent writing.
12 Bill Murray And Chevy Chase Had Real BTS Beef
Ranker says that Bill Murray and Chevy Chase really didn't like each other at all. According to Biography.com, Chevy Chase went into John Belushi's dressing room on-set and told Bill Murray that he wanted to fight. They actually got into one and it sounds like a pretty crazy, chaotic moment.
11 John Belushi Didn't Like The Sketches Written By Female Writers
According to Ranker, John Belushi didn't like the sketches by female writers when he was on SNL. He said that he couldn't perform them, and he didn't think that they were funny. This is pretty sexist, and also just plain weird. We're confident that many of those sketches were probably amazing.
10 Inspired By Monty Python, The SNL Staff Used To Move A Stuffed Cow Down From The Rafters When They Didn't Think A Sketch Was Funny
According to Little Things, the staff on the show used to move a stuffed cow down from the studio rafters. Why? It was their way of saying that they didn't think that a sketch was funny.
This definitely sounds super weird, but at least it was inspired by something: Monty Python. That makes at least a bit more sense.
9 An ABC Series Called Saturday Night Live Was Already Airing, So The Opener Says 'It's Saturday Night' And Leaves Out The Word 'Live'
We love hearing the words "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!" when we tune into a new episode. But, we might wonder why no one says "It's Saturday Night Live!" since that's the show title, right?
Buzzfeed mentions that an ABC series called Saturday Night Live was already airing, so that's why the word "live" is left out.
8 Emma Stone Met Her Fiance, Director Dave McCary, On SNL
Buzzfeed says that Emma Stone, an actress that many of us love, met her fiance, Dave McCary, on SNL. He's a director on the series. They were together for two years before he asked the actress if she would marry him.
That's super romantic, and we love that relationships have been sparked by people appearing on the series.
7 Eddie Murphy Was Hired At 19 After He Phoned The Talent Coordinator For Seven Days Straight
Little Things says that Eddie Murphy was hired to be on SNL at 19 after he phoned the talent coordinator for seven days straight.
It definitely sounds like he was a massive fan of the show and would have done anything to be on it. Eddie Murphy's time on the show is beloved, and of course, now he's super famous.
6 Tina Fey Said That Some Of The Male Writers Would Use Jars Instead Of The Bathroom
According to Ranker, Tina Fey says that some of the male writing staff would pee in a jar. Yeah, that's pretty gross. What's even worse, though, is that they all used the same one.
This is so weird to hear about. What's so hard about walking over to the bathroom? We would never have thought that this was going on.
5 Jason Sudeikis' Abrupt Exit Came As A Shock To The Rest Of The Cast
Ranker says that Jason Sudeikis quit the show in 2013 and he didn't have a farewell appearance on the show. This surprised the crew.
We love the actor, who is known for roles in movies like Horrible Bosses and Booksmart, and we might not have even know that he was on SNL at all. It's pretty awesome how many famous people have been on the show.
4 Stefan Always Had His Hands Over His Face, Because Bill Hader Was Always Laughing
Cheat Sheet mentions an interesting reason why Bill Hader's popular character, Stefan, put his hands over his face: he was laughing so much.
Now that we know this, we can totally see the actor trying his best not to laugh hysterically (but thankfully, we can laugh out loud whenever we watch this great character).
3 The Crew Has Only One Minute And 42 Seconds To Change The Main Stage During The Opening Credits
The opening credits of SNL always feel super exciting as we get ready for what is sure to be an awesome episode.
According to Buzzfeed, the crew has only one minute and 42 seconds to change the main stage during the opening credits. This is definitely a short amount of time, and we give everyone major props for doing it each week.
2 The Show Doesn't Cover Drinks And Food At The After Parties, So Employees Have To Pay Out Of Pocket
We can only imagine how much fun the SNL after parties are. If only we could be a fly on the wall, we bet we would learn a lot.
We definitely didn't know this behind-the-scenes fact: according to Buzzfeed, the show doesn't cover drinks and food at these parties. Employees have to pay totally out of pocket.
1 Bill Hader Did NOT Like Working With Justin Bieber
According to Ranker, Bill Hader hated having to be on the show with Justin Bieber. He said that his bad reputation was accurate.
Hader was quoted saying, “I really didn’t enjoy having Justin Bieber around. He’s the only one who lived up to his reputation. I think that’s the only time I felt that way in eight years here.”