How Much Money Do 'SNL' Cast Members Make?
Michael Che and Kenan Thompson on 'SNL.'
Saturday Night Live, which kicked off in 1975, has given rise to some of the most popular celebrities of the 20th and 21st centuries. From comedy legends such as Eddie Murphy and Adam Sandler to more recent stars like Kate McKinnon and Bowen Yang, the SNL cast has always been stacked with talent—something for which they’re duly rewarded.
Cast members not only get the chance to flex their creative chops every Saturday night, but they get paid a lot to do so. Here’s a breakdown of how SNL cast salaries work, and who gets paid the most.
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How much does the cast make on SNL?
Like most other TV programs, the SNL salary is not the same across the board. How much cast members are paid depends largely on how long they’ve been on the series.
First-year cast members
According to Celebrity Net Worth and career site Zippia, first-year SNL cast members make about $7,000 per episode.
This may seem like chump change (for celebrities, at least) until you consider that there are roughly 21 episodes per season. That translates to $147,000 per year, which probably makes SNL rookies poor amongst their peers, but they’re doing pretty well compared to most comedians. Per Zippia, the average comedian makes about $51,000 per year.
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Second-year cast members
Once cast members have made it to their second year, they get a pay bump of $1,000 for a total of $8,000 per episode. That nets them around $168,000 per year.
Fifth-year cast members
By the time cast members reach their fifth year on SNL, they’re doing much better financially. At this point, they can expect to be making $15,000 per episode or $315,000 per year.
Highest-paid cast members
Some cast members stay much longer than five years and become household names. The highest salary possible for these cast members is $25,000 per episode, which totals up to $525,000 per season/year. (Of course, uber-famous SNL stars often take income-bumping opportunities outside the show, whether in film and/or lucrative brand partnerships.)
There are exceptions to the SNL salary cap, most notably with Kenan Thompson, who some sources believe earns much more than $25,000 per episode.
How much does Kenan Thompson make on SNL?
Thompson’s exact SNL salary hasn’t been made public, but Celebrity Net Worth estimates it at $2 to $3 million per year, which would mean he got paid at least $95,238 per episode. This is a big jump over the supposed “highest” SNL salary,but Thompson is clearly worth it for the amount of time and publicity he’s given the show.
In early 2023, Thompson revealed to E! News that he has no plans to leave SNL—but no set time for how long he wants to stay, either. "I don't feel pressure to stay, I don't feel pressure to go either," Thompson said. "If [show creator] Lorne [Michaels] says he wants me to be there, I should be there."
Who is the highest paid SNL cast member?
The highest-paid current cast member on SNL is undoubtedly Kenan Thompson, who has been on the show a record-setting 21 seasons (since 2003). For context, the next-longest run was by Darrell Hammond, who acted on SNL for 14 seasons from 1995 to 2009.
What's the most someone can make on SNL?
The most that SNL cast members can make is reportedly $25,000 per episode or $525,000 per year, a pay level reserved for only the most tenured and famous cast members.
However, Kenan Thompson’s alleged $2-to-$3 million salary pokes a hole in that theory. On one hand, Thompson could very well be the only cast member earning anywhere near that amount of money (yearly raises after 20 years tend to add up). But the precedent this type of salary sets could give leverage to other cast members and rocket more SNL salaries into the millions.
How much do head writers make on SNL?
Unlike with cast members, it’s not known exactly how much the writers on SNL bring in. According to some sources, they earn an average of $66,232 to $70,000 per year, with more experienced writers making $82,540 and more, but those numbers haven't been verified by any reputable sites.
Of course, Lorne Michaels—who has written for SNL, along with creating and producing it—does a bit better than that. With his total net worth estimated at $500 million, Celebrity Net Worth pegs Michaels’ yearly salary at $30 million.
Related: Breaking Down Lorne Michaels' Net Worth
Do SNL hosts get paid?
Justin Timberlake once told Entertainment Tonight that he was paid $5,000 for hosting SNL, as reported by The Sun. It was apparently his third time hosting, although he’s made many appearances on the show over the years. Whether other celebrity hosts can expect to make the same is anyone’s guess.
Do SNL guests get paid?
Along with hosts, it appears that guests on SNL get paid, too. Alec Baldwin, who famously acted as President Donald Trump during the former president’s term and election years, told The New York Times he was paid $1,400 per gig.
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