‘SNL’ Fans Name Their All-Time Favorite Character

Saturday Night Live fans have named Stefon as the long-running show’s favorite recurring character ahead of its 50th anniversary special.

Stefon, portrayed by former cast member Bill Hader—who created the character with John Mulaney—made his debut in a November 1, 2008 sketch titled “Movie Pitch with Stefon,” according to NBC.

“It barely worked as a sketch,” Hader recounted on Late Night with Seth Meyers. But it was Stefon’s memorable appearances on SNL’s “Weekend Update” that made the character a star.

Fans chose Stefon over 16 other popular characters, including Molly Shannon’s Mary Katherine Gallagher; Wayne and Garth, portrayed by Mike Myers and Dana Carvey, respectively; Will Ferrell and Cheri Oteri’s Spartan Cheerleaders; and Chris Farley’s Matt Foley (who faced off in the final round against Stefon).

“The fans have spoken!” announced SNL’s official X account. “The WINNER of the #SNL50 Character Bracket is… Stefon!!!”

One X commentator added, “stefon’s victory truly reflects the enduring impact of brilliant character development in comedy. what a well-deserved win! #snl50.”

SNL plans to bring back a gaggle of veteran hosts and characters for its three-hour anniversary special on Feb. 16—including Tom Hanks, Steve Martin, Scarlett Johansson, Paul Simon, Martin Short, Woody Harrelson, Adam Driver, Bad Bunny, Dave Chappelle, Kim Kardashian, and more, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Hader said he drew inspiration for Stefon’s mannerisms from a local barista, and used lines from a club promotion emailed to Mulaney as fodder. The promotion declared: This club has everything.

“The club was called, like Push, or something,” recounted Hader at the New Yorker Festival. “One of the things in the email was rooms full of broken glass.”