The following is a list of recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches introduced during the fortieth season of SNL, which began on September 27, 2014.
A parody of the TV quiz show of the same name, with host Jane Lynch (played by Kate McKinnon) continually irritated by the cluelessness of the celebrity participants.
| Season | Episode | Host | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 11, 2014 | Bill Hader as Al Pacino, Kristen Wiig as Kathie Lee Gifford, Beck Bennett as Nick Offerman, Cecily Strong as Sofía Vergara, Jay Pharoah as Morgan Freeman, Taran Killam as Christoph Waltz. | ||
| April 11, 2015 | Taraji P. Henson as Wanda Sykes, Beck Bennett as Nick Offerman, Aidy Bryant as Wynonna Judd, Taran Killam as Vin Diesel, Jay Pharoah as Common, Cecily Strong as Marion Cotillard | ||
Janelle's (Sasheer Zamata) YouTube dance show is interrupted by her parents, concerned about the sexual nature of the videos and the presence of her obviously aroused friend Teddy Paskowitz (Kyle Mooney).
| Season | Episode | Host | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 1, 2014 | With Chris Rock as Janelle's father. | |||
| April 11, 2015 | With Taraji P. Henson as Janelle's mother. |
A high school theater troupe attempts to open its audience's eyes and tackle big subjects during a very self-aggrandizing play.
| Season | Episode | Host | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 22, 2014 | |||
| May 9, 2015 | |||
| November 14, 2015 | |||
| May 21, 2016 | |||
| December 3, 2016 | |||
A chain-smoking and disheveled woman played by Cecily Strong who serves as friend and mentor to various fairy-tale characters. She transitioned to Weekend Update appearances at the beginning of season 42.
| Season | Episode | Host | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 6, 2014 | Cathy Anne advises a bridge troll (James Franco) to ask for a kiss instead of riddles. | |||
| February 28, 2015 | Cathy Anne chaperones Cinderella (Dakota Johnson) during the royal ball. | |||
| October 1, 2016 | ||||
| December 10, 2016 | ||||
| May 13, 2017 | ||||
| August 24, 2017 | n/a | Cathy Anne talks about the rise of Neo-Nazi sentiment | ||
| December 9, 2017 | Cathy Anne discusses sexual harassment allegations against "Al Franco" (Al Franken) and Roy Moore.[1] | |||
| January 26, 2019 | ||||
| February 8, 2020 | ||||
| January 30, 2021 | ||||
| December 17, 2022 | Made as a send-off to Strong, who left the show following this episode. |
An Atlanta based morning talk-show presented by husband and wife Cory and Gracelynn Chisholm (Taran Killam and Cecily Strong). Awkward moments abound when the camera regularly cuts to guests pressured to be entertaining. The sketch is a spoof of the reality show Chrisley Knows Best.[2]
| Season | Episode | Host | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 13, 2014 | The guests are local contractor Louie Dulux (Freeman), producer Emily Margine (Aidy Bryant), and singer Keith Urban (Kate McKinnon). | ||
| May 2, 2015 | The guests are caterer Daniela DeNotta DiPasquale (Johansson) and singer Hozier (Kate McKinnon). | ||
| November 21, 2015 | The guests are chef Buster Littles (McConaughey) and singer Ed Sheeran (Kate McKinnon). | ||
Cecily Strong embodies all the clichés of the female love interest during Weekend Update.
| Season | Episode | Host | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 13, 2014 | Heather talks about female roles in Hollywood films.[3] | ||
| January 31, 2015 | Heather talks about Super Bowl XLIX.[4] | ||
| April 16, 2016 | |||
Kenan Thompson (as vocalist Treece Henderson), Kyle Mooney (as keyboard player Brad Dates) and the episode's host (as a woodwind player who is also Treece's roommate) play a band who perform gigs at a series of lodges, hotels and dive bars, with Treece alternating between singing an energetic jazz-funk song and onstage banter that inappropriately delves into the private life of the host's character, who is reluctant to discuss a vague, but serious-sounding issue.
| Season | Episode | Host | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 13, 2014 | The band plays a Christmas gig at the Pine River Lounge. Freeman's character, Isaac Newberry, plays tenor sax. Beck Bennett and Vanessa Bayer play audience members. Also featuring Taran Killam as Roman, a mysterious enemy of Newberry | ||
| September 30, 2017 | The band plays a pre-Football game gig at a Dive Bar. Gosling's character, Larry Fontanelle, plays flute. Beck Bennett and Heidi Gardner play audience members. Also featuring Leslie Jones as DuTrisha, Treece's girlfriend. Mooney's character is called Raj here. | ||
| October 13, 2018 | The band plays a Halloween at a Residence Inn by Marriott. Meyers's character, Jenks Stuplox, plays piccolo. Leslie Jones and Chris Redd play audience members. | ||
| December 21, 2019 | Murphy's character, Spencer Newcherry, plays keytar. Mooney's character, Brad Dates, subsequently plays a digital wind instrument, referred to by Treece as a clarinet. Heidi Gardner and Mikey Day play audience members. This sketch was cut for time, but later released online. | ||
| May 21, 2022 | Lyonne's character, Cassie Marie, plays harmonica. Mooney's character, Brad Dates, subsequently plays a keyboard. Cecily Strong's character Helen is a dancer. Chloe Fineman and Bowen Yang play audience members. | ||
Michael Che's neighbor who is an overtly optimistic man who appears on Weekend Update and is played by Kenan Thompson
| Season | Episode | Host | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 20, 2014 | ||||
| March 28, 2015 | ||||
| May 9, 2015 | ||||
| October 17, 2015 | ||||
| January 23, 2016 | ||||
| May 21, 2016 | ||||
| November 19, 2016 | ||||
| February 3, 2018 | ||||
| December 19, 2020 |
Weekend update character played by Kate McKinnon. She is a middle age woman who lives in Colin Jost's building and writes passive-aggressive notes to her neighbors.
| Season | Episode | Host | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 17, 2015 | |||
| October 10, 2015 | |||
A parody of the reality TV show The Bachelor, in which a single man must find true love with a contestant of his choosing.
| Season | Episode | Host | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 24, 2015 | Farm Hunk (Shelton plays a parody of Season 19's bachelor Chris Soules) | |||
| January 23, 2016 | Bland Man (Taran Killam plays a parody of Season 20's bachelor Ben Higgins) | |||
| January 14, 2017 | Beard Hunk (Beck Bennett plays a parody of Season 21's bachelor Nick Viall) | |||
| January 20, 2018 | Car Hunk (Alex Moffat—and, briefly, Luke Null—play a parody of Season 22's bachelor Arie Luyendyk Jr.) | |||
| January 26, 2019 | Virgin Hunk (McAvoy plays a parody of Season 23's bachelor Colton Underwood) | |||
| February 1, 2020 | Pilot Hunk (Watt plays a parody of Season 24's bachelor Peter Weber) |
Michael Che's high school friend, played by Bobby Moynihan. He likes to interrupt Che during Weekend Update and make fun of how easy reading cue cards is.
| Season | Episode | Host | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 24, 2015 | |||
| February 28, 2015 | |||
| May 16, 2015 | |||
| March 12, 2016 | |||
An unnamed spokeswoman for Totino's (Vanessa Bayer) would do anything for her "hungry guys". But while her "hungry guys" are watching the Super Bowl, she is doing things of her own.
| Season | Episode | Host | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 31, 2015 | The Totino's lady keeps herself entertained by a box of toys. | ||
| February 6, 2016 | In a parody of The X Files, the "hungry guys" become possessed. | ||
| February 4, 2017 | In a parody of Blue is the Warmest Colour, the Totino's lady begins a lesbian relationship with a woman named Sabine (Stewart). | ||
A Disney Channel sitcom based around two twin students played by Taran Killam and Chris Hemsworth. When Marky switches places in class with his much more muscular brother Matty, no one falls for it...
| Season | Episode | Host | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 7, 2015 | Math class | |||
| December 12, 2015 | Wrestling meet |
A parody of The Real World and other reality TV shows starring Beck Bennett, Kyle Mooney and the episode's host as castmembers/houseguests.
| Season | Episode | Host | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 7, 2015 | Also starring Taran Killam. | |||
| May 6, 2017 | Also starring Pete Davidson. | |||
| January 27, 2018 | Also starring Tracy Morgan and Heidi Gardner. |
Gerard, a movie director (Kenan Thompson), is convinced that the drama he is shooting will be more powerful and moving if his actors act like they're in a broad 70's sitcom.
| Season | Episode | Host | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 7, 2015 | Shooting of the movie Love at first scene. | ||
| December 19, 2015 | Shooting of the movie Sarah's desire. | ||
| January 20, 2018 | Shooting of the movie Justice for Ann. | ||
Gene Diradusio and his wife Lisa (Kenan Thompson and Vanessa Bayer) bump into a former acquaintance of Gene's, accompanied by his girlfriend, aspiring British singer Gemma (Cecily Strong). The boyfriend makes the couple uncomfortable by making relentlessly inappropriate comments about Gemma's attractiveness, while Gene is too scared to ask them to leave.
| Season | Episode | Host | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 28, 2015 | Dinner date. Gemma shares an extract from her single Banana. | |||
| May 16, 2015 | Couples retreat. Gemma briefly sings a part of her single Vacay. | |||
| November 5, 2016 | Bobby Flay's Steakhouse In Atlantic City. Gemma's song is called Magic. | |||
| May 20, 2017 | Jurassic Park River Rapids. Gemma's latest single is called Dynamite | |||
| December 8, 2018 | Sleigh Ride. Gene is with his new girlfriend (Leslie Jones) | |||
| May 15, 2021 |
32-year-old Janet Johnson-Luna (Cecily Strong) is prosecuted for having sex with 16-year-old student Gavin Daly (Pete Davidson). His mother (Kate McKinnon) is suing Luna on behalf of Gavin for emotional damage, but Gavin's testimony only proves how nontraumatic the experience was for him. Also featured in the sketch are Kenan Thompson as the judge, Bobby Moynihan as Gavin's father, and Beck Bennett and Aidy Bryant as reporters Bill Arnold and Paula Abbott.
| Season | Episode | Host | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 11, 2015 | Henson plays the prosecutor. | ||
| January 23, 2016 | Teacher Kara Torkelson (Rousey) is tried alongside Janet Johnson-Luna. Taran Killam plays the prosecutor. | ||
Elves (Kenan Thompson, Vanessa Bayer, and, in the final two skits, the episode's host) purposefully botch their jobs and gleefully wait for their master to give them the punishment they deserve and desire.
| Season | Episode | Host | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 16, 2015 | Elves work for a shoemaker (Louis C.K.) | |||
| December 5, 2015 | They work for Santa (Bobby Moynihan) | |||
| December 17, 2016 | They work for Mrs. Claus (Aidy Bryant) |