‘SNL’ Auditions Revealed: Jim Carrey, Jennifer Coolidge, Kevin Hart, Stephen Colbert and More Stars Who Got Cut

Ethan Shanfeld

16 January 2025 at 5:00 pm·4-min read

Jim Carrey, Jennifer Coolidge, Kevin Hart, Stephen Colbert, Donald Glover, Mindy Kaling and Jordan Peele. These are just some of the A-list comedy stars who once auditioned for “Saturday Night Live” and did not make the cut.

Their audition tapes were unveiled in the first episode of “SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night,” a four-part docuseries on Peacock directed by Morgan Neville that peels back the curtain on “Saturday Night Live’s” audition process, writers room and more.

More from Variety

Colbert sat down on camera to watch his own audition from 1996, in which he played a “waiter who is nauseated by food.”

He smiled and laughed watching his younger self gag and heave while reading the specials. “Why didn’t you hire me? That was pretty good!” he said. “I watched that and I went, ‘Aww… good for you, buddy. It’s going to get better. Eventually someone will like that enough to hire you.'”

The “Late Show” host said of his audition, “I feel perfectly fine with that effort, and I probably felt OK then — until I didn’t get it.”

Peele did a character named Darius, who is “way too thug to be a barista.” Throwing out his arms, he imitated the disgruntled coffee shop employee: “You said caramel mint mocha latte — nah, I ain’t think so!” Peele would, of course, go on to co-create his own successful sketch comedy show with Keegan-Michael Key, “Key & Peele,” before becoming the acclaimed film director behind “Get Out” and “Nope.”

“There’s a lot of people that I brought in and I’m like, ‘I can’t believe we’re not hiring that person,'” said former “SNL” producer Marci Klein. “Jennifer Coolidge was so funny. I couldn’t get anybody to get it.”

Coolidge unsuccessfully auditioned in 1995. Four years later, she got her big break in Hollywood as Stifler’s mom in “American Pie.”

“I always said, ‘Anyone who doesn’t end up on this show ends up doing better. Don’t worry about it,'” Klein said.

Hart tried out for the show in 2001 as a background dancer in Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” music video. The character attempts to show off his moves but can’t because he has a fused spine.

Kaling dressed up in a Red Sox hoodie and backwards hat for a character in her 2005 audition. She previously revealed that she was offered a job as a writer on “SNL” but had to turn it down due to her contract with “The Office.” Greg Daniels, showrunner of “The Office,” had agreed to let Kaling out of the contract if she made it on as a cast member, but the writing offer was not part of their deal.

“There are definitely a couple people who are incredibly successful both in film and TV who came in … and didn’t end up getting picked,” said co-producer and talent executive Jeff Blake.

Glover auditioned in 2007. Two years later, he landed his breakout role on NBC’s “Community.” In 1986, Carrey auditioned with a physical comedy bit in which he contorted his upper body and flung back his arm. Eight years later, he would star in “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective,” “The Mask” and “Dumb and Dumber” in the same year. He became one of the biggest movie stars of the 1990s and one of the highest-grossing actors of all time.

The “SNL50” docuseries also shows footage of comedic actor Henry Zebrowski’s audition, in which he went back behind the curtain and reappeared completely naked, covering his crotch with his hand. “He didn’t get hired, but not because he got naked,” said former producer Lindsay Shookus with a laugh.

“SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night” is just one of many ways NBC is celebrating the 50th anniversary of “Saturday Night Live.” A documentary special, “Ladies & Gentlemen … 50 Years of SNL Music,” from Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and Oz Rodriguez, will premiere Jan. 27. An immersive experience that will let fans “host” the venerable sketch comedy series will open at New York’s Rockefeller Center from Jan. 30 to Feb. 2. And a celebrity-filled, three-hour primetime special taped live from Studio 8H will take place on Feb. 16.

Best of Variety