List of Saturday Night Live writers


The following is a list of Saturday Night Live writers. The show, created by Lorne Michaels is an American live sketch comedy and variety show. The show, which has aired since 1975, has employed a large and changing staff of writers.

Seasons: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 [|9] 10 11 [|12] [|13] [|14] [|15] [|16] [|17] [|18] [|19] [|20] [|21] [|22] [|23] [|24] [|25] [|26] [|27] [|28] [|29] [|30] [|31] [|32] [|33] [|34] [|35] [|36] [|37] [|38] [|39] [|40] [|41] [|42] [|43] [|44] [|45]

Season 1">Saturday Night Live (season 1)">1 (1975–76)

Head writer
Lorne Michaels and Michael O'Donoghue
Writing staff

  • Anne Beatts
  • Chevy Chase
  • Tom Davis
  • Al Franken
  • Lorne Michaels
  • Marilyn Suzanne Miller
  • Michael O'Donoghue
  • Herb Sargent
  • Tom Schiller
  • Rosie Shuster
  • Alan Zweibel

Season 2">Saturday Night Live (season 2)">2 (1976–77)

Season 3">Saturday Night Live (season 3)">3 (1977–78)

Season 4">Saturday Night Live (season 4)">4 (1978–79)

Season 5">Saturday Night Live (season 5)">5 (1979–80)

Head writer
Herb Sargent
Writing staff

  • Peter Aykroyd
  • Anne Beatts
  • Tom Davis
  • Jim Downey
  • Brian Doyle-Murray
  • Al Franken
  • Tom Gammill
  • Lorne Michaels
  • Matt Neuman
  • Don Novello
  • Alan Brudner
  • Sarah Paley
  • Max Pross
  • Herb Sargent
  • Tom Schiller
  • Harry Shearer
  • Rosie Shuster
  • Alan Zweibel

Season 6">Saturday Night Live (season 6)">6 (1980–81)

Season 7">Saturday Night Live (season 7)">7 (1981–82)

Season 8">Saturday Night Live (season 8)">8 (1982–83)

Season 9">Saturday Night Live (season 9)">9 (1983–84)

Head writer
Bob Tischler and Andrew Smith
Writing staff

  • Jim Belushi
  • Andy Breckman
  • Robin Duke
  • Adam Green
  • Mary Gross
  • Nate Herman
  • Tim Kazurinsky
  • Kevin Kelton
  • Andy Kurtzman
  • Michael McCarthy
  • Eddie Murphy
  • Pamela Norris
  • Margaret Oberman
  • Joe Piscopo
  • Herb Sargent
  • Andrew Smith
  • Bob Tischler
  • Eliot Wald

Season 10">Saturday Night Live (season 10)">10 (1984–85)

Head writer
Bob Tischler
Writing staff

  • Jim Belushi
  • Andy Breckman
  • Billy Crystal
  • Larry David
  • Jim Downey
  • Christopher Guest
  • Rich Hall
  • Nate Herman
  • Kevin Kelton
  • Andy Kurtzman
  • Margaret Oberman
  • Rob Riley
  • Herb Sargent
  • Harry Shearer
  • Martin Short
  • Andrew Smith
  • Bob Tischler
  • Eliot Wald

Season 11">Saturday Night Live (season 11)">11 (1985–86)

Head writer
James Downey
Writing staff

  • A. Whitney Brown
  • Tom Davis
  • James Downey
  • Al Franken
  • Jack Handey
  • Lanier Laney
  • Carol Leifer
  • George Meyer
  • Lorne Michaels
  • Mark McKinney
  • Bruce McCulloch
  • Don Novello
  • R. D. Rosen
  • Herb Sargent
  • Suzy Schneider
  • Robert Smigel
  • John Swartzwelder
  • Terry Sweeney

Season 12">Saturday Night Live (season 12)">12 (1986–87)

Head writer
Jim Downey
Writing staff

  • Andy Breckman
  • A. Whitney Brown
  • E. Jean Carroll
  • Tom Davis
  • Jim Downey
  • Al Franken
  • Jack Handey
  • Phil Hartman
  • George Meyer
  • Lorne Michaels
  • Kevin Nealon
  • Herb Sargent
  • Marc Shaiman
  • Rosie Shuster
  • Robert Smigel
  • Bonnie Turner
  • Terry Turner
  • Jon Vitti
  • Christine Zander

Season 13">Saturday Night Live (season 13)">13 (1987–88)

Head writer
Jim Downey
Writing staff

  • A. Whitney Brown
  • Greg Daniels
  • Tom Davis
  • Jim Downey
  • Al Franken
  • Jack Handey
  • Phil Hartman
  • George Meyer
  • Lorne Michaels
  • Conan O'Brien
  • Bob Odenkirk
  • Herb Sargent
  • Rosie Shuster
  • Robert Smigel
  • Bonnie Turner
  • Terry Turner
  • Christine Zander

Season 14">Saturday Night Live (season 14)">14 (1988–89)

Season 15">Saturday Night Live (season 15)">15 (1989–90)

Season 16">Saturday Night Live (season 16)">16 (1990–91)

Season 17">Saturday Night Live (season 17)">17 (1991–92)

Season 18">Saturday Night Live (season 18)">18 (1992–93)

Season 19">Saturday Night Live (season 19)">19 (1993–94)

Season 20">Saturday Night Live (season 20)">20 (1994–95)

Season 21">Saturday Night Live (season 21)">21 (1995–96)

Season 22">Saturday Night Live (season 22)">22 (1996–97)

Head writer
Tim Herlihy and Adam McKay
Writing staff

  • Ross Abrash
  • David Breckman
  • Cindy Caponera
  • Robert Carlock
  • Stephen Colbert
  • Jim Downey
  • Hugh Fink
  • Tom Gianas
  • Steve Higgins
  • Norm Hiscock
  • Tim Herlihy
  • Adam McKay
  • Dennis McNicholas
  • Lorne Michaels
  • Lori Nasso
  • Matt Piedmont
  • Paula Pell
  • Colin Quinn
  • Frank Sebastiano
  • Robert Smigel
  • Andrew Steele
  • Scott Wainio

Season 23">Saturday Night Live (season 23)">23 (1997–98)

Season 24">Saturday Night Live (season 24)">24 (1998–99)

Season 25">Saturday Night Live (season 25)">25 (1999–2000)

Head writer
Tina Fey
Writing staff

  • Kevin Brennan
  • Robert Carlock
  • Jerry Collins
  • Steven Cragg
  • Tony Daro
  • Ali Farahnakian
  • Tina Fey
  • Hugh Fink
  • Richard Francese
  • Steve Higgins
  • Tim Herlihy
  • Adam McKay
  • Dennis McNicholas
  • Lorne Michaels
  • Matt Piedmont
  • Paula Pell
  • J. J. Philbin
  • Michael Schur
  • T. Sean Shannon
  • Andrew Steele
  • Scott Wainio

Season 26">Saturday Night Live (season 26)">26 (2000–01)

Season 27">Saturday Night Live (season 27)">27 (2001–02)

Season 28">Saturday Night Live (season 28)">28 (2002–03)

Season 29">Saturday Night Live (season 29)">29 (2003–04)

Season 30">Saturday Night Live (season 30)">30 (2004–05)

Season 31">Saturday Night Live (season 31)">31 (2005–06)

Season 32">Saturday Night Live (season 32)">32 (2006–07)

Head writer
Seth Meyers, Paula Pell, and Andrew Steele
Writing staff

  • Doug Abeles
  • James Anderson
  • Alex Baze
  • Jim Downey
  • Charlie Grandy
  • Steve Higgins
  • Colin Jost
  • Erik Kenward
  • John Lutz
  • Seth Meyers
  • Lorne Michaels
  • Matt Murray
  • Paula Pell
  • Marika Sawyer
  • Akiva Schaffer
  • Robert Smigel
  • John Solomon
  • Emily Spivey
  • Andrew Steele
  • Jorma Taccone
  • Bryan Tucker

Season 33">Saturday Night Live (season 33)">33 (2007–08)

Season 34">Saturday Night Live (season 34)">34 (2008–09)

Season 35">Saturday Night Live (season 35)">35 (2009–10)

Season 36">Saturday Night Live (season 36)">36 (2010–11)

Head writer
Seth Meyers
Writing staff

  • Doug Abeles
  • James Anderson
  • Alex Baze
  • Heather Anne Campbell
  • Jessica Conrad
  • Matt Craig
  • Jim Downey
  • Tom Flanigan
  • Shelly Gossman
  • Steve Higgins
  • Colin Jost
  • Erik Kenward
  • Rob Klein
  • Jonathan Krisel
  • Seth Meyers
  • Lorne Michaels
  • John Mulaney
  • Christine Nangle
  • Michael Patrick O'Brien
  • Paula Pell
  • Simon Rich
  • Marika Sawyer
  • Akiva Schaffer
  • Sarah Schneider
  • John Solomon
  • Kent Sublette
  • Jorma Taccone
  • Bryan Tucker

Season 37">Saturday Night Live (season 37)">37 (2011–12)

Season 38">Saturday Night Live (season 38)">38 (2012–13)

Season 39">Saturday Night Live (season 39)">39 (2013–14)

Season 40">Saturday Night Live (season 40)">40 (2014–15)

Season 41">Saturday Night Live (season 41)">41 (2015–16)

Season 42">Saturday Night Live (season 42)">42 (2016-17)

Season 43">Saturday Night Live (season 43)">43 (2017-18)

NOTE: beginning with Season 43, the Weekend Update writers were credited separately from the rest of the staff.

Season 44">Saturday Night Live (season 44)">44 (2018-19)

Season 45">Saturday Night Live (season 45)">45 (2019-20)