Few Things You Probably Never Knew About SNL
Since 1975, Saturday Night Live has been more than just a comedy show, it’s a late-night institution with its own legends, rituals, and inside jokes. Behind the sketches and celebrity hosts lies a world of strange traditions and long-held secrets that have shaped the culture of Studio 8H. Here are 20 fascinating pieces of SNL lore you may not have heard about.
1. The Backstage Llama
From the very beginning, a llama has been part of SNL’s mythology. The first promo for the show in 1975 featured a llama, and ever since, the animal has lingered in the background of the show’s culture. Sometimes a real llama is brought in for backstage photos or quick appearances, while other times it’s simply part of the lore with no explanation. Cast members confirm it has popped up over the years in unpredictable ways, but no one has ever clarified its meaning. Lorne Michaels has never revealed why the tradition started or why it continues, which makes it one of the strangest and most enduring superstitions at Studio 8H. The llama isn’t about comedy sketches or famous hosts, it’s a quirky, unspoken rule that the show seems happy to keep mysterious.
2. “Live From New York!”
Every SNL cold open ends with the line, “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!”, a tradition that has never been broken since 1975. While it looks spontaneous, the choice of who gets to say the line is carefully decided by Lorne Michaels, often at the last minute. Over the decades, this honor has gone to presidents, athletes, actors, and even The Muppets. The line works as both a curtain-raiser and a ceremonial announcement, signaling to the audience that the show is officially underway. For cast members, being chosen to deliver it is a milestone moment. It’s not just a catchphrase; it’s a ritual that binds every season, from the very first episode to the latest.
3. The Tuesday All-Nighter
By Tuesday night each week, the cast and writers of SNL gather at 30 Rockefeller Plaza for one of the show’s toughest traditions, the overnight writing session. Starting in the evening and stretching until dawn, the group brainstorms, writes, and pitches dozens of sketches in one exhausting sprint. Fueled by coffee, fast food, and sheer adrenaline, it’s the creative heartbeat of the show. Cast members often describe the delirium of the session, where lack of sleep sometimes leads to brilliant, off-the-wall ideas. Not every sketch survives the week, but many of SNL’s most famous moments were born in those late-night hours. The Tuesday all-nighter is both a rite of passage and a survival test for anyone hoping to thrive at Studio 8H.
4. Cue Cards, Not Teleprompters
Unlike most live television shows, SNL does not use teleprompters. Instead, every line of dialogue is handwritten on giant cue cards by a specialized team of crew members nicknamed the “cue card mafia.” This system allows for last-second edits, with cards sometimes swapped just moments before delivery. The process is high-pressure and requires incredible coordination, since cast members rely on those cards to keep the sketch moving. Mistakes or misreads are part of the charm and often lead to memorable bloopers. The cue card crew is so vital to the show that they’ve become legends themselves, with cast and writers acknowledging that without them, the live aspect of SNL would collapse. It’s a method that feels more like live theater than modern TV.
5. The Dress Rehearsal Show
Every Saturday at 8 p.m., just before the live broadcast, SNL performs a full 90-minute dress rehearsal for a studio audience. This version is packed with sketches, often far more than will ever make it to air. Afterward, producers and Lorne Michaels decide which pieces stay and which get cut, sometimes eliminating nearly half the material. For superfans lucky enough to attend, dress rehearsal is a treasure, offering a glimpse of experimental sketches, bold failures, and oddball ideas that never reach television. Some of these “lost” sketches gain cult status among fans, while others are reworked and reappear years later. The dress show is a hidden part of SNL’s magic, where the risk-taking spirit of the writers and performers is most visible.
6. The Five-Timers Club
Hosting SNL five times comes with a special reward, membership in the “Five-Timers Club.” The tradition started in 1990 when Tom Hanks hosted his fifth show and was welcomed with a comedy sketch and a custom jacket. Since then, the club has grown to include stars like Steve Martin, Alec Baldwin, Justin Timberlake, and Scarlett Johansson. What began as a tongue-in-cheek joke has become an actual badge of honor for repeat hosts, complete with sketches celebrating their membership. It’s one of SNL’s longest-running inside gags, but also a genuine way the show recognizes loyalty and success among its most trusted guests.
7. The Ghost Light of 8H
Like many theaters, Studio 8H at 30 Rockefeller Plaza follows the tradition of leaving a single light bulb burning on stage whenever the space is empty. Known as a “ghost light,” it’s part safety measure, part superstition. Some cast members have joked that the studio is haunted, with stories of strange noises and eerie moments late at night. Others say it’s less about ghosts and more about respecting the long hours and spirits of performers who came before. Whether it’s theater folklore or a real belief, the ghost light is a nightly ritual at SNL and one of the most quietly meaningful traditions of the studio.
8. The Goodnights Mic Trick
At the end of every episode, the cast, crew, and host gather on stage to wave and celebrate while the band plays. On television, the moment looks brief and subdued, with the sound of music fading out over the credits. But in the studio, the atmosphere is anything but quiet. NBC lowers the microphones to keep the broadcast clean, which means the audience hears the hugs, cheers, and sometimes even tears that happen in those final moments. For those inside Studio 8H, the goodnights are loud, emotional, and deeply personal, a reminder that each episode marks the end of an intense week of work.
9. Costume Chaos
Costume changes at SNL are famous for being lightning fast and incredibly stressful. Some sketches require performers to swap outfits in under 30 seconds, with teams of dressers rushing to rip off clothes, attach wigs, and snap new costumes into place. Cast members like Kristen Wiig and Will Ferrell became well-known for handling the chaos with ease, but the real credit often goes to the backstage dressers who operate like a pit crew. These frantic moments are hidden from the audience, but they are as much a part of the show’s live theater feel as the sketches themselves. The backstage scramble has become legendary among both cast and crew.
10. The Don Pardo Curse
Don Pardo, SNL’s legendary announcer for nearly four decades, was famous for his booming introductions of the cast and hosts. But among the performers, a superstition grew, if Pardo accidentally mispronounced your name, it meant you were destined to bomb that night. While obviously playful, the “curse” became part of the show’s lore, repeated among nervous newcomers. After Pardo’s passing, Darrell Hammond stepped in as announcer, and he has joked about the curse himself, sometimes “misnaming” cast members during rehearsals just for laughs. It’s a reminder of how much Pardo’s voice shaped the identity of the show.
11. The Candy Bowl
On Lorne Michaels’ desk sits a candy bowl that has taken on its own mythic reputation over the years. Writers often grab from it during the late-night writing marathons, but there’s a superstition attached, if you take candy and your sketch doesn’t survive dress rehearsal, you “owe it back.” The ritual, half joke and half belief, has endured for decades as a quirky piece of office folklore. For some, the candy represents fuel; for others, it’s a bribe or even a curse. No matter what, the bowl remains one of the quiet traditions of SNL’s behind-the-scenes culture.
12. The Last Laugh Rule
At the end of each week, SNL cast and writers gather for wrap parties, where one tradition stands out: celebrating whoever earned the “last laugh.” This isn’t an official award, but a toast to the performer, host, or writer who managed to land the final big moment of the night. Sometimes it’s the guest host, sometimes it’s a breakout sketch, and sometimes it’s a small but unforgettable joke. The ritual reinforces what the show is all about, laughter that leaves a lasting impression. For SNL’s tight-knit cast and crew, ending the week on the last laugh is the highest honor.
Behind the live sketches and celebrity cameos, SNL is built on traditions, myths, and small rituals that give the show its unique spirit. These details remind us that comedy is as much about community and superstition as it is about timing and jokes. For nearly 50 years, Studio 8H has thrived not just because of what happens on stage, but because of the culture behind it, and that’s what keeps Saturday night feeling truly live.
This story 12 Traditions, Secrets, and Myths of Saturday Night Live (SNL) was first published on Daily FETCH
