Of the four true newbies joining the Saturday Night Live cast, Jeremy Culhane arrives with perhaps the strongest improv background.
Culhane is best known to comedy fans as a regular on Dropout, the improv-driven streaming service launched by the company formerly known as CollegeHumor. There, he showcased his quick-thinking sketch and impression skills on shows like Make Some Noise and Game Changer.
On Make Some Noise, Culhane gamely tackled on-the-spot prompts, delivering impressions such as “someone named Joshua Tree” and a “scrappy orphan who always seems about to burst into song.”
SNL won’t be Culhane’s first appearance on NBC. In 2019, he played Lilly Singh’s assistant in one of the first comedy shorts promoting A Little Late with Lilly Singh, the 1:30 AM replacement for Last Call with Carson Daly. The sketch resurfaced during a primetime special, giving Culhane early network exposure.
Soon after, he popped up on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in a holiday parody ad for the Tree Fort—a Christmas tree designed as a safe space from bickering relatives.
On the scripted side, Culhane has held recurring roles on Netflix’s American Vandal, Paramount’s Heathers, and The Sex Lives of College Girls on HBO Max.
The 33-year-old California native has been doing improv since high school. After graduating from Texas Christian University, he returned to Los Angeles with his friend and future Jimmy Kimmel Live! announcer Lou Wilson to chase comedy. Culhane became a regular at the Upright Citizens Brigade’s West Coast theater. (Wilson marked his friend’s SNL hiring with a heartfelt Instagram post, writing, “He gave me the strength and courage to chase our dreams, and now, boy oh boy, do we have them by the horns!”)
In what’s increasing become a prerequisite to being hired at SNL, Culhane has built a sizable online following. On TikTok, he’s racked up nearly 350,000 followers and 14 million likes, with videos that often hit millions of views. His comedy has connected strongly on Instagram Reels as well, where he has more than 35,000 followers.
He also co-hosts the comedy podcast Artists on Artists on Artists on Artists. In recent years, Culhane has written, directed, and performed for KCRW’s Important Things of Great Importance. In 2023, his short film The Sperm Bank—which he co-wrote and starred in—was selected for the Tribeca Festival.
Culhane will make his SNL debut when the show kicks off Season 51 on October 4. He joins fellow newcomers Veronika Slowikowska, Kam Patterson, and Tommy Brennan, along with Please Don’t Destroy’s Ben Marshall.
