Top 10 Surprise SNL Cameos
For this list, we'll be looking at the funniest, smartest, and most-unexpected “SNL” appearances from celebrities who weren't announced as a part of the show. That means hosts and musical guests don't count, but every other surprise visitor is fair game, from singers to politicians.
Wait – is that who we think it is? Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we're counting down our picks for the Top 10 Surprise SNL Cameos.
For this list, we'll be looking at the funniest, smartest, and most-unexpected “SNL” appearances from celebrities who weren't announced as a part of the show. That means hosts and musical guests don't count, but every other surprise visitor is fair game, from singers to politicians.
#10: The Five-Timers Club
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When Justin Timberlake made it to the "five-timers club" of celebrities who've hosted "SNL" 5 times or more, the show resurrected an occasionally recurring skit that pictures the club as an actual club, of the members-only variety. This time, the show pulled out all the stops and featured cameos from no less than 8 people: Paul Simon, Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, Martin Short, Dan Aykroyd, Alec Baldwin, Candice Bergen, and Tom Hanks all make appearances. The bit about the club members entertaining themselves by forcing current "SNL" players to fight each other to the death is a particularly funny one.
#9: Sarah Palin
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This cold open featuring Tina Fey's popular Sarah Palin impression starts innocently, with Fey, as Palin, taking questions from the press and giving typically silly answers. But then it cuts to a cameo montage of people criticizing Lorne Michaels for leading with the bit, including Mark Wahlberg, Alec Baldwin, and finally Sarah Palin herself. Fey is eventually notified that the actual Sarah Palin will be taking the stage, and bows out so that Palin herself can kick things off. It's a quick, tight bit with an unexpected twist, much like the time Hillary Clinton visited Kate McKinnon.
#8: Paul McCartney
Two of “Saturday Night Live”’s most popular hosts - Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin, who have hosted the show a combined total of more than 30 times to date - waggle their egos at each other in this 2006 skit, each trying to prove that theirs has been the more illustrious hosting career of the two. Seeing the two hosts together is entertaining enough – and seeing Martin Short as a waiter only adds to the fun – but it's Paul McCartney's wordless appearance that really steals the show. Not even Steve Martin's quick joke (“It's Paul Simon!”) can hide both actors' genuine surprise at seeing Sir Paul up close and personal.
#7: Larry David
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Back in 2015, “SNL” decided to send up the Democratic presidential primary candidates with a couple of special guest impressions. Although this cold open also featured Alec Baldwin as Virginia Senator Jim Webb, Larry David stole the show with his cantankerous, scowling Bernie Sanders impression. His spot-on cameo appearance as the famous U.S. Senator was such a big hit with audiences that the “Curb Your Enthusiasm” comedian has revisited it several times since then, and even appeared alongside the actual Bernie Sanders in a later sketch. For "SNL" viewers, it came as no big surprise when the two later found out they are related by blood.
#6: Alex Trebek
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Will Ferrell's mega-popular skits featured the future “Elf” actor as a worn-out, frustrated version of “Jeopardy!” game show host Alex Trebek, with three clueless celebrities – played by cast members and guests – taking the podium to answer simple pieces of trivia in the form of a question. Darrell Hammond's foul-mouthed Sean Connery impression is the first thing most people remember about it, but the last of the regular "Celebrity Jeopardy!" segments also featured a surprise cameo from the real Alex Trebek himself. He came out to help send off Ferrell from the segment... and let Hammond's Connery get in a few more off-color jabs at both their expense.
#5: Alec Baldwin
Ever since the first televised debate of the 2016 U.S. Presidential election, “SNL” has been relying on surprise appearances from perennial host and guest star Alec Baldwin to do comedic justice to the resort mogul's over-the-top personality and distinctive speech patterns. At times, Trump can seem like an impossible man to parody, but Baldwin always delivers the goods, walking a fine line between the real President's outrageous actions and the winking zaniness of a great “SNL” parody. No matter how many times he reprises the role, we never get tired of watching this master Trump satirist at work, especially whenever he shares the screen with Melissa McCarthy as Sean Spicer.
#4: Madonna
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Musical guest Lady Gaga showed off her sketch comedy chops in this classic segment, which sees the singer joined on the stage by pop megastar and “SNL” favorite Madonna, in a surprise cameo appearance. The two play vicious and self-absorbed versions of themselves, trading venomous insults with each other as they try, and fail, to get along and perform together for the “Deep House Dish” music program. The skit packs in a flurry of subtle references to both singers, and pop music fame in general. Years later, the two stars actually would have a public disagreement, but that feud never reached the laugh-out-loud heights of this 2009 gem.
#3: Barack Obama
Back in 2007, when Barack Obama was still just a primary candidate for the office of President of the United States, he made this typically deadpan cameo on a skit set at Bill & Hillary Clinton's Halloween party. Various political guests show up in costume and share a joke or two with the beleaguered hosts; finally, a tall, slim guest approaches in an Obama novelty mask. After the usual commentary from the Clintons, their guest removes the mask to reveal... Senator Obama himself. It's a great example of the dry sense of humor Americans came to expect from Number 44 in the subsequent years of his presidency.
#2: Robert De Niro & Joe Pesci
Jim Breuer's recurring "The Joe Pesci Show" sketch featured an impression of the famous actor as a violent maniac, similar to his characters in the films "GoodFellas" and "Casino," who used any perceived slight from his guests as an excuse to assault them. The segment also often used special guests to play Robert De Niro, who would validate Pesci's anger and join in alongside him. So when the real Pesci and De Niro eventually showed up on the sketch in an unannounced double cameo, the comedic tension was almost too much. The two veteran actors played their parodied selves to a “T,” and brought the house down in the process.
Before we unveil our number one pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
John Goodman
Robert Duvall
Bryan Cranston
#1: Barbra Streisand & Madonna
“SNL”’s studio audience was already delighted enough by the surprise appearance of superstar pop singer Madonna on this episode of Mike Myers' recurring talk show sketch, but even the Material Girl was star-struck when the legendary Barbra Streisand popped in. She entered at just the right time, too, during a moment when both characters were praising her singing voice. The rare cameo by Streisand was the result of a last-minute, off-the-cuff arrangement with “SNL” head honcho Lorne Michaels, so none of the cast knew it was happening until it did. The surprise and admiration radiating from Madonna's face was unscripted, totally real, and impossible to forget.
