Several well-known comedic actors failed to secure spots on Saturday Night Live despite auditioning, yet they built impressive careers in television and film. This retrospective highlights John Goodman, Jim Carrey, Aubrey Plaza, Paul Reubens, and Lisa Kudrow, who turned rejection into motivation. Their stories show that missing out on SNL did not hinder their paths to stardom.
Saturday Night Live has launched many comedy careers since its debut, but not every talented performer makes the cut. A recent article details five actors who auditioned unsuccessfully for the show but went on to achieve significant success in entertainment.
John Goodman auditioned in 1980, shortly after the original cast and producer Lorne Michaels departed. He later reflected to The Hollywood Reporter, "I didn't have any improv or stand-up background, and I had a terrible audition, but for some reason, I still thought I'd get cast." Despite the setback, Goodman starred in series like Roseanne and The Conners, films including The Big Lebowski, and The Righteous Gemstones. He hosted SNL 13 times, a record surpassed only by Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin, and won an Emmy for a guest role on Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.
Jim Carrey tried out three times: for Season 6 in 1980-81 at age 18, and Seasons 11 and 12 in 1985-86 and 1986-87. He later guest-hosted multiple episodes and portrayed Joe Biden during Season 46. Recalling one audition day at the 2018 New Yorker Festival, Carrey shared via Vulture, "I got out of the car in the parking lot, and there was a person trying to work up the guts to commit suicide on the building on NBC in Burbank... I went, 'That's not probably a good sign.'"
Aubrey Plaza, inspired by SNL from a young age, interned there in 2005 and auditioned in 2008 without success. She told The Guardian in 2012, "I became really obsessed with comedy and improv. I wanted to be on ['SNL'] for as long as I could remember." Opportunities in Los Angeles, such as Funny People in 2009, Parks and Recreation, and Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, kept her on the West Coast, delaying any return to New York pursuits.
Paul Reubens auditioned in 1980 but lost the role to Gilbert Gottfried. Bitter about the outcome, he told The San Francisco Chronicle, "I was so bitter and angry." Channeling that frustration, Reubens produced Pee-wee's Playhouse, stating, "I thought, 'You better think about doing something to take this to the next level... I went from this 'Saturday Night Live' reject to having 60 people working for me.'"
Lisa Kudrow, from the Groundlings improv group, performed in a 1990 show attended by Lorne Michaels alongside Kathy Griffin and Julia Sweeney. Sweeney joined SNL for Seasons 16 through 19. Kudrow admitted to Los Angeles Magazine, "The show that night got to me, I was unnerved and clearly not ready. I was disappointed that I did not get it." She later found fame as Phoebe Buffay on Friends.
