Saturday Night Live is the classic comedy sketch show that everyone knows and loves. Through the years many great comedians have come and gone, leaving us with pains in our sides from laughing so much. Women have done a lot for this show (girl power!), but sometimes they don’t get the credit they truly deserve. Here are some funny ladies that we know and love from SNL!
1. Tina Fey
She basically is SNL. Tina started out as a writer for the show and was co-anchor of the Weekend Update segment. She is iconic for her Sarah Palin impression. Later, she became the show’s first female head writer. She left in 2006 to do her own show, 30 Rock, but has hosted four times since then.
2. Amy Poehler
We all now know and love her as Leslie Knope, but before Parks and Recreation, Poehler was on SNL. She is known for her many impressions – though one of her best is Hilary Clinton. She co-anchored Weekend Update with Tina Fey for two years until Tina left. Seth Meyers joined her after and created the hilarious “Really? With Seth and Amy” bit.
3. Molly Shannon
Molly is known for her character Mary Katherine Gallagher, which ended up in the movie SuperStar after years of hilarity on SNL. Gallagher is an awkward Catholic school girl that has stage fright, but loves to perform. Molly is also known for Delicious Dish, which includes the Schweddy Balls sketch, that involved Alec Baldwin and Ana Gasteyer.
4. Ana Gasteyer
You may recognize her as Cady’s mom from Mean Girls, but on SNL, we know her for her impression of Martha Stewart and as the host of Delicious Dish. She co-hosted Delicious Dish, the NPR parody, with Molly Shannon and sometimes Rachel Dratch. Gasteyer was also in the recurring sketch about a family group of singers, who would perform conservative versions of pop songs, called The Culps. In the sketch Will Ferrell was one of her costars.
5. Kristen Wiig
Kristen Wiig is fabulous and hilarious. We know her from Bridesmaids, but her big break came from SNL. Her well-known characters are Penelope, the one-upper and exaggerator; Gilly, the mischievous schoolgirl; and Target Lady, who has an obsession for Target products. She is also known as Sue, who always spoiled big surprises with her over-excitement.
6. Maya Rudolph
Maya starred in Bridesmaids too, but we love her on SNL for her Beyoncé impression. She has also impersonated Christina Aguilera, Tina Turner, and Donatella Versace. She’s obviously fabulous, just like Beyoncé.