`SNL's Most Iconic SoCal Gang Reunites`

Saturday Night Live‘s most iconic SoCal gang is back together.

Actors Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, and Fred Armisen, former members of the Saturday Night Live family, have come together once more in a humorous commercial for Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz electric bus—perfectly timed to honor SNL’s 50th anniversary.

In the advertisement, we see the group bringing back their cherished characters from their Los Angeles sketches – Karina (played by Wig), Devin (portrayed by Hader), and Stuart (depicted by Armisen) – gathering on a beach together.

Devin, I appreciate you joining me at Malibu beach next to highway 1,” Wiig expresses, adopting a playful Valley girl tone. “It’s been a while since we caught up.

In a characteristic manner, Hader, with his flamboyant California accent, says, “I ran into you at Marina Del Rey this morning,” to which Wiig counters, “But not at Malibu shoreline.

When Armisen interrupts their intimate moment, Hader’s character cries out, “Hold on, Stuart, aren’t you supposed to be somewhere else?

Indeed, Armisen clarifies, “I’m having a great time cruising around in my new Volkswagen ID. Buzz. So, what brings you here?

After Armisen comments that the electric vehicle aligns with his “good energy,” Hader endorses the “cool” car, prompting Armisen’s response, “I know it’s cool, Devin. I drove on Highway 5, then 405 and 10 to Pacific Coast Highway.

After that, they all boarded the bus accompanied by Wiig expressing surprise, “These seats feel as comfortable as Californian lounge chairs!” Additionally, Armisen shared, “With just one charge, we’ll travel quite a distance.

See the stars’ epic reunion in the ad above.

Enhancing the partnership further is that Volkswagen will serve as a lead sponsor for the SNL 50: The Anniversary Special, airing on Feb. 16. This special event promises to gather an impressive roster of talent, featuring past cast members, renowned hosts from the show’s history, and legendary musical artists.

We’re discussing the likes of Tom Hanks, Steve Martin, Sabrina Carpenter, Bad Bunny, Scarlett Johansson, Paul McCartney, Miley Cyrus, Kim Kardashian, Martin Short, and Quinta Brunson, among others.

Additionally, Kenan Thompson, Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Pete Davidson, Jimmy Fallon, Eddie Murphy, Andy Samberg, Tracy Morgan, Molly Shannon, and Maya Rudolph will also be part of the cast, along with several others.

Don’t forget to catch the special anniversary episode of SNL, titled “SNL 50: The Anniversary Special,” airing this Sunday, February 16th, at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) or 5 p.m. Pacific Time (PT), exclusively on NBC and Peacock streaming service.

In the interim, continue to peruse as we reveal some celebrities who may astonish you to discover they began their careers on SNL.

In 1981, Laurie, famously recognized for her Emmy-winning role on Roseanne, made an appearance in the final episode of a season for Saturday Night Live. This appearance was during a pre-recorded segment on Weekend Update, where she humorously discussed shielding the president from a bullet. However, this particular season didn’t have Lorne Michaels as its producer and was generally considered a flop. Following this unsuccessful season and a writers’ strike, there were significant changes made to the show, and most of the original cast members were not invited back.

She was employed during Lorne’s initial return to SNL in 1985, however, she, like several other cast members that year, was not invited back after the season ended due to its inconsistent performance.

The actress who played in “Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later” initially joined the show’s cast back in 1994. However, she only stayed for half a season before leaving due to feeling anxious and depressed, finding the work environment quite challenging. She often felt typecast, playing wife or girlfriend roles, and found many of the sketches to be immature and potentially offensive, with hints of homophobia. When Janeane joined the cast, she was one of only three women working alongside notable male comedians such as Adam Sandler, Mike Myers, Chris Farley, Tim Meadows, Kevin Nealon, Norm Macdonald, Chris Elliot, and David Spade.

Despite numerous others falling short in securing a job at Saturday Night Live, Catherine, renowned for roles in Best in Show, Home Alone, and Schitt’s Creek among others, managed to secure the position but never made an appearance on the show itself. She was offered the role during its restructuring in 1981 following Lorne’s departure, but she relinquished this opportunity when her earlier sketch show, SCTV, was revived instead.

Larry David, the genius behind both “Seinfeld” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” served as a writer at Saturday Night Live (SNL) from 1984 to 1985. Out of all his sketches, only one made it on air, and even then, it was the last sketch of the night. Leaving SNL was something he later regretted upon returning home. His neighbor, who later became the inspiration for the “Seinfeld” character Newman (or Kramer, depending on the episode), advised him to pretend nothing happened and go back to work. David followed this advice and it paid off for him as he managed to stay at SNL for the rest of the season and got acquainted with Julia Louis-Dreyfus, eventually casting her as Elaine in “Seinfeld.” In 1991, David wrote an episode called “The Revenge” for “Seinfeld,” where George attempted a similar tactic. The strategy didn’t work for George, but it did for David, allowing him to remain at SNL and establish a friendship with Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

In the year 1981, during season six, this actor joined the team but didn’t continue beyond the break. Despite featuring in several episodes, he was hardly identifiable due to not using his current distinctive voice and primarily portraying minor roles. One of his least favorite moments on the show was when he played a corpse in a funeral sketch.

During the 1985-1986 season, Damon was employed but let go due to excessive on-air alterations. An example of this was his decision to portray a character originally written as a straight cop as a flamboyantly gay one instead. Wayans asserted that he deviated from the script because he was disgruntled that his sketches weren’t being featured on the show. Despite this, it seems there was not too much animosity, as he came back to SNL a decade later to perform stand-up comedy.

1985 saw Anthony making a significant impact when he joined SNL, becoming the youngest cast member at 17 years old, having already starred in movies like The Breakfast Club and Weird Science. This was an experimental year for the show as Lorne Michaels aimed to refresh it with a more youthful and trendy team. Unfortunately, Anthony could only remain for one season.

As an ardent admirer of Sarah Silverman, I can’t help but share her remarkable journey with Saturday Night Live (SNL). From 1993 to 1994, she graced our screens as a writer and cast member, only for one season unfortunately. During this time, she showcased herself in sketches, yet none of her written pieces ever saw the light of day on air.

Bob Odenkirk, who was a writer from 1987 to 1991, once remarked about Sarah, “I could see how it wouldn’t work at SNL because she’s got her own voice, she’s very much Sarah Silverman all the time. She can play a character but she doesn’t disappear into the character—she makes the character her.”

Additionally, Sarah herself admitted that she wasn’t quite ready for the job when she was first hired, which I believe added to the unique charm of her performances.

It’s said that Steve and his wife, Nancy Carell, both tried out for Saturday Night Live in the 90s. Although Steve didn’t make it onto the show, Nancy became a cast member during the 1995-1996 season. Lorne Michaels expressed regret over losing Steve as talent, but Steve claimed he never auditioned. Instead, Steve joined the cast of the brief-lived Dana Carvey Show, where The Ambiguously Gay Duo cartoons debuted. Steve provided the voice for one of the duo’s characters, while the other half was voiced by…

Stephen tried out for Saturday Night Live, but didn’t get selected. Instead, he collaborated with Robert Smigel as a freelance writer following a short stint at The Dana Carvey Show. At this show, Robert developed The Ambiguously Gay Duo. Stephen voiced Ace, while Steve played Gary. These cartoons were intermittently shown on Saturday Night Live from 1996 to 2011.

Although Julia served for three seasons on the show, many people might not remember her tenure due to the significant presence of Eddie Murphy during the time when Lorne was not in charge. Being only 21 years old and new to the realm of sketch comedy, Julia found it a challenging and sometimes tense experience. However, her stint on SNL paved the way for her to work with Larry David and ultimately achieve icon status as Elaine on Seinfeld.

In 1989, Ben was employed by SNL following the acclaim he received for a satirical short film based on Martin Scorsese’s movie, “The Color of Money.” However, his decision to leave after just four episodes stemmed from not being permitted to continue producing shorts for the program. Subsequently, he collaborated with Judd Apatow to create a sketch show named after himself. This show initially aired on MTV in 1990 and later moved to Fox in 1992. Notable SNL alumni Janeane Garofalo and Bob Odenkirk joined the cast of this low-rated yet culturally significant series.

In the 1985-1986 television season, the man who would later become Iron Man graced the stage of Saturday Night Live alongside Joan Cusack and Anthony Michael Hall. At just 20 years old, his stint was only one year long, but it appears he’s done quite well for himself since leaving the show.

2025-02-14 17:51

`SNL’s Most Iconic SoCal Gang Reunites`

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