Throughout Saturday Night Live’s 49 seasons, the variety sketch show has pumped out countless fan-favorite comedians. While it’s always sad to say goodbye to cast members, it is also always exciting to say hello to new ones and see how they will put their own spin on characters and sketches. That being said, it is also definitely nerve-wracking coming onto the series, and for Chloe Fineman, her first season wasn’t going as well as she thought, but Will Ferrell helped her out.
Fineman joined SNL in Season 45 in 2019, and she quickly became a fan-favorite. She was promoted to repertory status in 2021 for Season 47, becoming a mainstay in a lot of the sketches. Now, being part of a legacy of cast members, it is a lot to live up to. Fineman admitted to Variety that she thought she did fine her first year, but when she realized it was the complete opposite, she got some sage advice from host and former cast member Ferrell that is still good to use to this day:
Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader. But I really freaked out when Molly Shannon hosted, because that was childhood for me. My first year, Will Ferrell hosted. I thought I did fine. Turns out I bombed the hardest I’ve ever bombed. At the end, he was like, 'Hang in there. It gets better.'
That advice from Ferrell may have been short, but it was probably the best advice she could have gotten. It’s not surprising to hear that her first year didn’t go as she planned, because, not only was it her freshman year, but it was the season that was shortened and moved to “At Home” episodes because of COVID-19. Obviously, she’s been doing a great job; otherwise, she wouldn’t still be on the show and doing iconic sketches like the Hallmark roast and hilarious impressions like her Jojo Siwa bit on Weekend Update.
Growth like this is one of the best parts of SNL. Seeing how far the cast members come over the years and how they improve and get more confident is wonderful. It also helps that some former cast members host -- Pete Davidson, Kate McKinnon, Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph all hosted in Season 49 -- meaning that the cast has likely gotten advice from people who have been in their shoes before.
Another great thing about SNL is that even cast members don’t always have perfect sketches. With Saturday Night Live, of course, being live, anything can happen -- like basically the entire cast breaking during the Beavis & Butthead sketch. Working live television is different than working on a normal film or show, and I can’t imagine how hard it is for the cast, hosts, and musical guests to get everything perfect. It can take time, but luckily, Chloe Fineman had some great role models.
Season 50 of Saturday Night Live might be a little bit more nerve-wracking than past seasons just because it’s such a milestone, but it’s nothing the cast can’t handle. While a premiere date has yet to be announced, it will more than likely be airing on the 2024 TV schedule this fall. A 50th anniversary special will air in February on NBC. Who knows, maybe we'll get to see Chloe Fineman and Will Ferrell share the screen together!
