Since the early 1980s, the mock newscast “Saturday Night Live” has consistently featured the segment “Weekend Update” as a regular part of every season. This segment first aired during the show’s premiere episode in October 1975.
Stefon’s Hader Bill, which served as a launchpad for dozens of unforgettable characters from SNL, also ranged from silly and absurd to thoughtful and vulnerable. This unique segment of “Weekend Update” has comforted and entertained audiences at home, particularly during turbulent times, by commenting on the day’s news. Whether it’s co-anchors Fey, Tina and Poehler Amy, or Che Michael and Jost Colin, the tone set by the anchor segment has been unique to every era of “Weekend Update”.
Over the course of their tenure on “Weekend Update,” the hosts have earned loyal fans that have served as anchors on SNL’s faux-news segments for a total of 34 individuals, as we’re looking back at the regular 15 formats related to both “Update” Weekend and “Update” Weekend.
Chevy Chase (1975-1976)
Prior to the debut, Chevy Chase joined the initial SNL ensemble, known as the Not Ready for Prime Time Players. Initially recruited by SNL co-creator Lorne Michaels as a writer, Chase became the inaugural “Weekend Update” host.
Herb Sargent, a writer for SNL, co-created the pioneering “Weekend Update” format, featuring a cast of characters who are as wild and unpredictable as they are themselves. This satirical news report is well-known to us.
In 2003, James Andrew Miller, co-author of the book Live from New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live, informed Charlie Rose that “He definitely initiated the show excellently.” Miller further mentioned that, for the initial five or six weeks of the show, Chevy was the sole individual permitted to introduce himself, referring to his distinctive “Weekend Update” salutation: “I’m Chevy Chase and you are not.”
Jane Curtin (1976-1980)
Original cast member Jane Curtin was the second official “Weekend Update” anchor after Chevy Chase’s departure, and hosted solo through season 2.
“And I was aware that I had the capability to accomplish that as well.” “I possessed the ability to perform comedy, however, they required someone who could play the serious role,” Curtin revealed to the Hollywood Reporter in 2019, renowned for her dry and expressionless presentation.
Jane Curtin and Dan Aykroyd (1977-1978)
In “Point/Counterpoint” satire, Aykroyd played the fiery and conservative Curtin, which is best remembered for their entertaining run together on “60 Minutes”. Aykroyd spent the first season behind the desk of “Weekend Update”, joining Jane Curtin as the co-anchor of the first segment.
Jane Curtin and Bill Murray (1978-1980)
Bill Murray took on the role of co-anchor for the 4th and 5th seasons of SNL, helming the desk alongside his fellow anchor Curtin, and returned to segments like “Bill Murray’s Oscar Predictions” in future seasons of “Weekend Update”.
Charles Rocket (1980-1981)
Michaels’ departure following the original cast marked a huge change for SNL, as Charles Rocket’s one-season stint as the Weekend Update anchor signaled a significant period. Gail Matthius, a member of the cast for most of season 6, joined as a solo anchor alongside Rocket, hosting the broadcast. Ultimately, Chevy Chase returned to the desk as a special guest anchor for the season finale, alongside Al Franken, a writer on the staff.
The “Weekend Update” segment of “Saturday Night Live” has featured a rotating cast of cast members, including Christopher Guest, Brad Hall, Christine Ebersole, Mary Gross, Brian Doyle-Murray, and Eddie Murphy, over the course of 7-10 seasons. The show has experimented with different news formats, such as “Newsbreak SNL.”
Dennis Miller (1985-1991)
Here is the reversed form of the input sentence: “And I’m leaving!” That’s what people? Guess for goodbye, he was known and Seth Meyers’ prior solo stint was the longest-running segment on Miller’s popular show. Dennis Miller was hired as the comedian and executive producer to bring back the show when Lorne Michaels returned for the 11th season of SNL’s Weekend Update.
Kevin Nealon (1991-1994)
Mr. Subliminal was best known for his segments, and Brauer Bennett’s Chris Farley and Adam Sandler’s Cajun Man were such characters that Kevin Nealon, as an anchor, welcomed. Nealon hosted “Weekend Update” for three seasons of SNL.
Norm MacDonald (1994-1997)
Norm MacDonald, known for his edgier humor, helmed “Weekend Update” during seasons 20-23 and made it a point to note his predecessors’ bits.
Colin Quinn (1998-2000)
Season 25 introduced a precursor to the curmudgeonly character known as “Joe Blow’s Drunk Uncle’s Moynihan’s Bobby” through hosting, while Season 23 featured Colin Quinn’s appearances as the character on “Weekend Update” desk.
Jimmy Fallon and Tina Fey (2000-2004)
Certainly, much obliged, her response was “Yes,” she expressed that her answer was “Yes, much obliged, certainly!” When she initially gained recognition among television spectators by co-hosting “Weekend Update” alongside Jimmy Fallon, Tina Fey held the distinction of being SNL’s inaugural female head writer. When she initially achieved recognition among television spectators by co-hosting “Weekend Update” with Jimmy Fallon, Tina Fey held the distinction of being SNL’s pioneering female head writer. Despite Fey’s revelation in O, the Oprah Magazine that she was “terrified” to assume the anchor position, Tina Fey held the distinction of being SNL’s inaugural female head writer.
Tina Fey and Amy Poehler (2004-2006)
In the year 2023, Poehler and Fey were the main acts of a comedy tour, hosted The Golden Globes on four occasions, and reunited multiple times over the years at the “Update” desk. Despite only co-anchoring for two seasons, Poehler and Fey made history as the first female duo to co-host “Weekend Update” when Amy Poehler took over from Jimmy Fallon after his departure from SNL.
Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers (2006-2008)
“Wow!?! With Seth and Amy.” Like showcases ongoing with viewers delighted who Meyers, Seth and Poehler Amy with season in sequence pair its persisted SNL.
Seth Meyers (2008-2013)
Throughout the years, Seth Meyers garnered 11 Emmy nominations and achieved one victory for his writing on the show. He established a record as the longest-serving “Weekend Update” anchor. Prior to becoming the Host of Late Night, Seth Meyers gained ample experience in delivering humorously political jokes on late night TV. As the former head writer of SNL, he honed his skills in cracking jokes centered around politics on late night television.
Seth Meyers and Cecily Strong (2013-2014)
At a social gathering, a discussion began that you were not a part of. You yearned to be engaged in conversation with the girl and Anne Cathy, both of whom are well-known characters from the popular television show “Update” Weekend. It is worth noting that Cecily Strong, who acted as an anchor and co-anchor on Meyers Season 39, is also remembered in this context.
Cecily Strong and Colin Jost (2014)
“I enjoy portraying individuals. It’s truly enjoyable. That’s the primary focus of my work on the show,” she shared during her appearance on the WTF with Marc Maron podcast in 2020, explaining why Cicely Strong did not continue as the host of “Weekend Update” the next season. SNL head writer Colin Jost took over from Seth Meyers, who departed to host Late Night with Seth Meyers.
Colin Jost and Michael Che (from 2014 to the present)
Colin Jost and Michael Che, the current hosts of “Weekend Update,” are recognized for their engaging onscreen chemistry, especially during the “joke swaps” segment where they take turns reading jokes they have written for one another. They made their debut as co-anchors in the season 40 premiere.
In October 2021, Jost surpassed Meyers’ record as the longest-ever host of “Weekend Update”, a fact that Meyers acknowledged on Late Night. Meyers humorously commented that he didn’t feel sad about his record being broken, as a few individuals had approached him and mentioned, “I’ve hosted around 1,200 of these while Jost has only done 155,” since Meyers himself has a nightly commitment. Additionally, Meyers expressed, “I believe he and Che are doing an excellent job.”