When Did Will Ferrell Join SNL? All About the Season 21 Cast
The sketch comedy returned to TV screens with new cast members in 1996, including Will Ferrell, Chris Kattan and Cheri Oteri, marking a new era for the show.
Season 21 of Saturday Night Live marked a time of change for the NBC sketch comedy series.
When the show premiered with Mariel Hemingway as the host in September 1995, only five previous cast members returned, while six new comedians were introduced to viewers across the country. Among the newcomers were The Groundlings alumni Cheri Oteri and Will Ferrell, as well as Darrell Hammond, Jim Breuer, David Koechner, and Nancy Walls. As the season progressed, producer Lorne Michaels recruited The Groundlings alum Chris Kattan and promoted then-writers Fred Wolf and Colin Quinn to featured players.
The first-time cast members would bring a new energy to the sketch series, not to mention a slew of hilarious characters. Notably, Season 21 saw the debut of "The Roxbury Guys" as well as Ferrell and Oteri's extremely enthusiastic "Spartan Cheerleaders."
Who was in the Season 21 cast?
Will Ferrell
Will Ferrell joined the sketch comedy show in 1995, having spent much of his career working with Cheri Oteri and Chris Kattan as part of The Groundlings. Notable sketches from his debut season include "The Spartan Cheerleaders" and "The Roxbury Guys," both of which would become recurring sketches. During his run on the show, which lasted until 2002, Ferrell was involved in his share of iconic sketches: who could forget "More Cowbell," which he actually wrote as well. And one of the bits he incorporated in his audition – a seemingly prototypical suburban dad yelling at his kids to "get off the shed" – made it into the show twice in Season 21. Ferrell has returned many times as a host and surprise guest since his departure.
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Cheri Oteri
Having cut her teeth in the improvisational comedy troupe The Groundlings in Los Angeles, Season 21 newcomer Cheri Oteri was more than ready when she received her invitation to join SNL in 1995. Oteri’s success during her time on the show stemmed from her prowess with physical comedy as well as her knack of making ordinary characters extraordinary. Her “Spartan Cheerleaders” sketches with Will Ferrell remain some of her most memorable.
Darrell Hammond
Prior to being unseated by Kenan Thompson in 2017, Darrell Hammond was the longest-tenured cast member of Saturday Night Live with 14 years of show experience to his name (1995-2009). He was perhaps best known for his impressions of political figures like Bill Clinton and Al Gore. Despite leaving the show in 2009, Hammond couldn’t leave it all behind and rejoined the series as the show’s announcer 2014 in addition to making numerous cameos between 2009-2020.
Norm Macdonald
It’s impossible to discuss Saturday Night Live without mentioning Norm Macdonald, a foundational pillar for the show during the '90s. After beginning as a featured player and writer during his first season in 1993, the comedian served as a cast member for five seasons from 1993-1998, anchoring "Weekend Update" for four of those years. He also memorably portrayed Burt Reynolds, er, "Turd Ferguson," on Celebrity Jeopardy.
He died in 2021 at the age of 61.
Mark McKinney
After rising to prominence in Kids in the Hall, another sketch show produced by SNL creator Lorne Michaels, Mark McKinney joined Saturday Night Live in Season 20 (1994-1995) as a repertory player. While he only appeared on three seasons, he was highly regarded for his impersonations of figures like Mel Gibson and Al Gore.
Molly Shannon
After working as a hostess on Sunset Boulevard for many years, Molly Shannon was recruited to SNL in 1995, during Season 20. She remained a member of SNL for six seasons while also tackling numerous film roles, including Superstar, which featured Shannon’s mainstay SNL character, the overly enthusiastic, armpit-smelling Mary Katherine Gallagher.
Tim Meadows
Similar to Norm Macdonald, Tim Meadows was a reliable fixture on Saturday Night Live from 1991-2000. Like many a talent on SNL, Meadows's versatility was among his strongest qualities. Dennis Rodman, Johnnie Cochran and Rick James are just a few of his memorable portrayals, as well as creating the character Leon Phelps, better known simply as "The Ladies Man."
David Spade
During his six years on SNL (1990-1996), David Spade earned his stripes as both a trusted writer for countless sketches and a brilliant sparring partner amongst his peers. While Season 21 was his last and saw him used in more of a limited capacity, Spade appeared in his "Weekend Update" segment "Spade in America," where Sean Penn gave him a real tattoo
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Jim Breuer
Whether it was playing Joe Pesci or Goat Boy, it didn’t take long for stand-up comedian Jim Breuer to carve out space for himself in his first of three seasons on Saturday Night Live. After leaving the show in 1998, Breuer memorably went on to star in the movie Half Baked, with fellow SNL alum Norm Macdonald.
David Koechner
David Koechner was a lightning rod on the comedy scene from the jump, earning a reputation as a skilled improv actor from his time at Improv Olympic and Second City in Chicago. His talents in this sphere helped him with his impersonations of the likes of Burt Reynolds to Oliver Stone.
Nancy Walls
Though Nancy Walls only spent one year as a featured player on Saturday Night Live, she stood out with spot-on portrayals of Diane Sawyer, Martha Stewart, and Bobbie Battista. She went on to appear in her now-husband Steve Carell's NBC show The Office multiple times, as well as the movies Bridesmaids and The 40-Year-Old Virgin.
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Chris Kattan
Chris Kattan joined the series as a featured player in March 1996, midway through Season 21, and spent seven years as a cast member on SNL, providing many side-splitting impressions, including Bono and even Queen Elizabeth. But Kattan may be most remembered for his turn as Doug Butabi alongside Will Ferrell in the long-running sketch “The Roxbury Guys” – roles Kattan and Ferrell went on to reprise in the 1998 film Night at the Roxbury – as well as Mr. Peepers and Mango.
Colin Quinn
Colin Quinn was already working on Saturday Night Live as a staff writer for a full season before he stepped into the spotlight during Season 21. Quinn is known for sketches like "Lenny the Lion" and for later anchoring "Weekend Update." He wrote for the show until 1997, but continued in his role as a cast member until 2000.
Fred Wolf
Fred Wolf started off his Saturday Night Live career as a staff writer in 1993 but was later promoted to featured player during Season 21, when he made his first appearance in the April 13, 1996 episode hosted by then-presidential candidate Steve Forbes. He was credited in three episodes from the season, which would be his last as both a writer and featured player. He's continued to appear in and write on other projects by SNL alumni, including David Spade's Joe Dirt
