Now that Saturday Night Live has been around for decades, the sketch comedy show's cast and crew have had a huge effect on Hollywood. Between all the SNL stars who've become movie stars and the writers who've gone on to craft comedy for years, it is nearly impossible to track how much the show has changed the entertainment industry. Fortunately, virtually everyone who keeps an eye on the entertainment industry knows that Lorne Michaels' show has had a huge impact.
While SNL's impact on Hollywood is well-documented, many people don't know about how some entertainment industry powerbrokers have affected the long-lasting show. One perfect example of that is the fact that many people seem to have no idea that, before his recent tragic passing, Rob Reiner had many connections to SNL.
Rob Reiner's Saturday Night Live history explained
When people talk about the history of Saturday Night Live, one of the first things that comes up is the fact that George Carlin was the show's first host ever. However, most people who know that fact are unaware that Rob Reiner followed in his footsteps soon thereafter. On Oct. 25, 1975, Reiner became the third-ever host of SNL. That meant that Reiner got to perform with the SNL's original cast, Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, George Coe, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, Laraine Newman, Michael O'Donoghue, and Gilda Radner.
According to IMDb, Reiner made his SNL return in 1984 as he was credited as being an audience member. Then, in 1993, Reiner was impersonated during an episode of the sketch comedy show by one of SNL's most legendary cast members, Chris Farley. Reiner never appeared on the show again, which makes sense given how busy he became as a writer. However, that doesn't mean that Reiner's connection to Lorne Michaels' show ended there.
Throughout Reiner's career as a movie director, he worked with a slew of different former Saturday Night Live stars. In fact, Reiner's first film, 1984's This is Spinal Tap, starred three former cast members from the comedy show, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer. Decades later, Reiner once again cast a former SNL star in one of his movies since 2012's The Magic of Belle Isle featured Kenan Thompson in a supporting role.
Former Saturday Night Live employees who starred in Rob Reiner movies include Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, Billy Crystal, Paul Shaffer, Dan Aykroyd, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Alec Baldwin, and Kenan Thompson.
On top of the many movies Reiner directed, he also appeared in several films and TV shows as an actor. Given that Reiner had so many Hollywood credits, there is no doubt that he worked with a long list of other SNL former stars and behind-the-scenes staff. With that in mind, there is no doubt that Reiner's career was affected by SNL, and vice versa.
Last Night On's thoughts, prayers, and love are with the Reiner family at this time.