Longest-running ‘Weekend Update’ hosts on ‘SNL’


Longest-running ‘Weekend Exchange’ hosts on ‘SNL’
In 1975, when “Saturday Night Dwell” first hit the airwaves, the term “counterfeit data” had an extraordinarily various connotation than it does as of late. In dwelling of being a politicized term frail to discredit data you don’t agree with, it simply intended made-up tales without a actual basis of route. It changed into once this vogue of “counterfeit data” that Chevy Lag, a member of “The No longer Ready for Top-Time Gamers” (the title the first “SNL” forged gave themselves), wished to follow it a segment he called “Weekend Exchange.”
The important-ever “Weekend Exchange,” which changed into once a a part of the first-ever “SNL” order their own praises, opened with the phrase, “And now the counterfeit data.” For 2 seasons, Lag told jokes about the most out of the ordinary and annoying data headlines (some actual, some imagined), of route paving the technique for the reasonably just a few satirical data shows that dominate leisurely-night TV as of late. “Weekend Exchange” stays a core segment on “SNL” some 47 seasons later, though the comic turning within the counterfeit data file has modified a range of instances.
In honor of the groundbreaking bit, Stacker has compiled an inventory of the 10 longest-running “Weekend Exchange” hosts by episode count. From Jane Curtain (who took over for Lag) to the silent counterfeit data duo Colin Jost and Michael Che, we’re taking a nearer take a look at at what’s place these anchors apart and highlighting just a few of their funniest on-display veil moments.
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#10. Kevin Nealon
– Episodes: 60
– Seasons: 3
– Tenure: Sept. 28, 1991 – Could possibly possibly furthermore 14, 1994
Kevin Nealon changed into once a core member of the “SNL” forged for 9 seasons. He spent four years dumb the “Weekend Exchange” desk, where his dry wit and chemistry with other forged members get been given an different to shine. Followers of the order their own praises are sure to bear in mind his banter with Adam Sandler, who repeatedly popped into the segments as an assortment of goofy characters.
While there get been loads of high moments with Nealon dumb the desk, there get been low ones as successfully—Nealon repeatedly flubbed his traces, which recurrently resulted within the punch line of a shaggy dog tale falling flat or being skipped fully. Within the high, Nealon told “The Closing Laugh” podcast he left the order their own praises, and his web hosting job, because he changed into once “forced out” by the creators, but admitted they weren’t completely unwarranted for trying him long gone, as he had gotten a bit “lackadaisical” about his work.
#9. Norm Macdonald
– Episodes: 69
– Seasons: 4
– Tenure: Sept. 24, 1994 – Dec. 13, 1997
In a spherical-up of the suitable “Weekend Exchange” anchors, “Leisure Weekly” declared Norm Macdonald high dogs. Even supposing he most efficient sat within the host’s chair for 3 years, Macdonald stands out because he cared so miniature about what the viewers opinion of him.
His style has been described as “deadpan, appropriate very straight, no frills,” and making the viewers chortle never looked as if it’d be a project for him—if a bit didn’t land, it changed into once the audiences’ fault, no longer Macdonald’s. That doesn’t mean the comic wasn’t silly, reasonably the reverse of route. His running gags—devour the one about Germans loving David Hasselhoff—recurrently left the viewers in tears.
#8. Jane Curtin
– Episodes: 78
– Seasons: 4
– Tenure: Sept. 25, 1976 – Could possibly possibly furthermore 24, 1980
The 2nd-ever “Weekend Exchange” host, Jane Curtin is good remembered for being the straight man to her co-hosts’ (Dan Aykroyd and Invoice Murray) eccentric characters. Even supposing she wasn’t in most cases the one causing the largest laughs, Curtin told “Closing date” she loved the gig because it kept her from competing and intended she “didn’t settle on to battle for materials.”
Followers loved the “Level/Counterpoint” bits she contributed to, opinion to be one of which spawned the enduring line, “Jane, you ignorant slut!” Despite the actual fact that the road, and reasonably a bit of the humor on “SNL” in overall, hasn’t used successfully, Curtin maintains that she changed into once never offended by the sexist undertones. That being acknowledged, she admits the road “silent haunts” her.
#6. Jimmy Fallon (tie)
– Episodes: 80
– Seasons: 4
– Tenure: Oct. 7, 2000 – Could possibly possibly furthermore 15, 2004
Up to now as “Weekend Exchange” hosts stir, Jimmy Fallon changed into once a pretty divisive one. Followers of the order their own praises either loved his glad, almost juvenile, sense of humor or hated how recurrently he broke character, ruining the fluidity of the shaggy dog tale in growth. Despite what side of the road you tumble on, it’s no longer doable to articulate that Fallon’s web hosting stint helped revive the segment.
Within the ‘90s, “Weekend Exchange” had turn into carefully political, but when Fallon and Tina Fey took over within the early 2000s, it returned to the lighthearted bit it had been sooner than. While dumb the desk, Fallon repeatedly did impressions of various celebrities and public figures. One in all those impressions, which changed into once done in blackface, unbiased no longer too long within the past resurfaced and received him in reasonably a bit of wretchedness, though he has since apologized.
#6. Amy Poehler (tie)
– Episodes: 80
– Seasons: 6
– Tenure: Oct. 2, 2004 – Dec. 13, 2008
One-half of the first all-female “Weekend Exchange” crew, Amy Poehler joined longtime buddy Tina Fey dumb the desk in 2004. The mettlesome, brash duo is repeatedly regarded as opinion to be a few of the segment’s perfect pairings of all time. This is due, in top-notch piece, to the out of the ordinary chemistry they shared and the easy technique they performed off of every other, bringing jokes actually (and figuratively) to the next stage.
About a of Poehler’s most memorable “Weekend Exchange” bits encompass an attempt at mentoring Lindsay Lohan and the “Bitches Bag Stuff Achieved” sketch that become a form of “feminist rallying bawl” in step with Vox. Poehler’s charisma dumb the desk, and on “SNL” in overall, helped convince the order their own praises to incorporate more female-pushed sketches.
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#5. Dennis Miller
– Episodes: 111
– Seasons: 6
– Tenure: Nov. 9, 1985 – Could possibly possibly furthermore 18, 1991
Even supposing he doesn’t get in the case of the identical stage of recognition as other “Weekend Exchange” hosts, Dennis Miller changed into once opinion to be a few of the segment’s longest-lasting and most memorable anchors. He introduced his own outlandish stamp of fiery, cynical humor to the bit, having fun with up the political points of the info tales to extra laughs. Viewers will likely bear in mind his frequent long-winded rants, and the debates he had with himself (where he’d argue both viewpoints from reverse angles of the desk).
In dissimilarity to other anchors, he recurrently shared his private opinions about the tales he coated, in desire to sticking to pre-reward scripts and more nameless opinions. Miller proved so adept at this vogue of role, that he at final left the comedy sequence for his own leisurely-night talk order their own praises, “The Dennis Miller Describe.”
#4. Tina Fey
– Episodes: 118
– Seasons: 7
– Tenure: Oct. 7, 2000 – Could possibly possibly furthermore 21, 2005 and Oct. 22, 2005 – Could possibly possibly furthermore 20, 2006
The longest-running female “Weekend Exchange” host, Tina Fey started the tradition of writers going within the head anchor chair. While she never ran the desk solo (she changed into once paired with both Jimmy Fallon and Amy Poehler), she silent managed to sever out her own sure dwelling within the segment’s history thanks to her outlandish, and hilarious, deadpan style.
Fey’s jokes get been recurrently completely packed—a single sentence would get the viewers laughing at three or four spots—and never shied away from the controversial. Following one particularly barbed shaggy dog tale about then-president George W. Bush, Leisure Weekly’s Ken Tucker wrote of Fey, “that [she] delivers such blow darts —poison stuffed jokes written in long, precisely parsed sentences unparalleled in ‘Exchange’ history—with this kind of radiant, sunny countenance makes her the total more devilishly delicious.” In 2006, Fey departed “SNL” in suppose to work on “30 Rock.”
#3. Michael Che
– Episodes: 152
– Seasons: 8
– Tenure: Sept. 27, 2014 – silent
Michael Che is the order their own praises’s first Murky head writer and “Weekend Exchange” host. All over his tenure at the desk, Che has continually co-anchored with Colin Jost, a pairing that appears to be like appropriate in idea but never has never been as gigantic of a success with audiences as, whisper, Fey and Poehler or Aykroyd and Curtin. While both males are ideal comedians in their very own handsome (Che, particularly, shines when the script permits for more standup-esque jokes), they haven’t managed to hunt out the identical chemistry as other duos.
That being acknowledged, many of their favorite bits, devour the one where Che writes racist jokes for Jost to learn, on a favorite basis get the viewers in stitches. At the high of 2021, Che and used host Tina Fey elated audiences when they hosted an impromptu Christmas time “Weekend Exchange” segment collectively.
#2. Seth Meyers
– Episodes: 154
– Seasons: 8
– Tenure: Sept. 30, 2006 – Feb. 1, 2014
Seth Meyers did the segment solo (from 2008–2013) and with a accomplice (Amy Poehler and Cecily Stable) at various points, illustrating that no matter the scenario, his stamp of humor changed into once ideal for the job. A straight man devour Jane Curtin, many of Meyer’s completely performed jokes get been reactions to more eccentric characters devour Invoice Hader’s membership-loving Stefon.
One other particularly memorable bit changed into once the “In any case!?!” routine Meyers would on a favorite basis creep with Poehler, where the two would learn out of the ordinary headlines and respond with a straightforward, sarcastic “indubitably!?!” In 2014, Meyers left “SNL” and “Weekend Exchange” dumb to host “Tiring Night with Seth Meyers.”
#1. Colin Jost
– Episodes: 159
– Seasons: 9
– Tenure: March 1, 2014 – silent
Ultimately, the title for the longest-running “Weekend Exchange” host currently belongs to none as an alternative of Colin Jost. Toward the high of 2021, Jost claimed the crown from Meyers, having hosted 155 (and counting) segments. Despite his long tenure, many viewers aren’t the largest fan of Jost, citing his derivative comedy style or “very punchable face.”
Peaceable, when he’s bantering with Che or reading out the racist jokes his co-host has written for him, there’s no denying Jost (a writer himself) is certainly silly. Rumors get been swirling for years that Jost is getting ready to stir away “SNL,” but as of this writing they’ve never been confirmed, which manner we can query to take a look at him dumb the info desk for seasons to reach.
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