18 Famous People Who Got Rejected By SNL

    Luckily, it didn't set them back too far.

    Audrey Engvalson
    by Audrey Engvalson

    BuzzFeed Staff

    1. Zach Galifianakis

    NBC

    He auditioned sans beard for SNL, but didn't make the cut.

    2. Paul Reubens (aka Pee Wee Herman)

    Netflix

    SNL alum Phil Hartman helped him develop his character, which he took to audition for the 1980-1981 season. He was beat out by Gilbert Gottfried.

    3. Ellie Kemper

    NBC

    She auditioned at the same time as Kate McKinnon, but didn't make the cut. Her husband does write on the show though.

    4. Jim Carrey

    NBC / Only Auditions / Via youtube.com

    Carrey auditioned for the show three different times, eventually being beat out by Phil Hartman, Dana Carvey, and Eddie Murphy.

    5. Lisa Kudrow

    NBC

    Lisa Kudrow auditioned alongside Kathy Griffin and Julia Sweeney. Sweeney was eventually cast, but it all worked out for Kudrow because Phoebe Buffay is iconic.

    6. Stephen Colbert

    NBC

    He was at the same callback as Tracy Morgan who was eventually given a part on the show in 1996. Colbert did end up writing for Norm MacDonald on "Weekend Update" for one month, though.

    7. Rachel Bloom

    Rachel Bloom @Racheldoesstuff

    Ok @EW, here's my SNL audition tape from 2012 in which I did Kate Hepburn auditioning for "Space Jam."

    Reply Retweet Favorite

    The Crazy Ex-Girlfriend star didn't get the part, but she released her audition tape on Twitter for us all to see.

    8. Jennifer Coolidge

    MGM

    She was invited to audition with Will Ferrell, Cheri Oteri, and Chris Kattan. She was the only one not invited to join the show.

    9. Jack McBrayer

    NBC

    He auditioned the same day that Seth Meyers did, and even though he didn't join the SNL cast, he worked with Lorne Michaels on 30 Rock.

    10. Nick Kroll

    FX Network

    He auditioned alongside John Mulaney, who became a writer for the show. Kroll didn't get the part on SNL, but joined the cast of The League the following year.

    11. Jordan Peele

    Comedy Central

    Peele also auditioned the same time that Kroll and Mulaney did, but went on to have a massively popular sketch show of his own.

    12. Kevin Hart

    NBC

    Snippets of his audition were played for SNL's 40th anniversary special, and he went on to host the show twice.

    13. Kel Mitchell

    Paramount Pictures

    While Mitchell didn't get the part, his Good Burger and All That costar, Kenan Thompson, has been on the show since 2003.

    14. David Cross

    Imagine Entertainment

    Cross showcased for SNL, but that's about as far as it went. He then went on to play Dr. Tobias Fünke in Arrested Development.

    15. Kevin James

    CBS

    James did his stand-up act for his audition, and he says that it's the worst he's ever bombed.

    16. Josh Gad

    Columbia Pictures

    He had been sending audition tapes to SNL and was eventually offered to come audition, but was just starting Book of Mormon, so he decided to pass on the opportunity.

    17. Marc Maron

    Netflix

    The GLOW star interviewed Lorne Michaels to ask why it didn't work out, and Michaels gave him answers that beat around the bush.

    18. Donald Glover

    NBC

    He auditioned for it twice and even talked about it in his opening monologue when he hosted the show in 2018.