It’s a feat only 79 other SNL cast members have pulled off: With tonight’s episode of Saturday Night Live, James Austin Johnson has appeared in 200 sketches.
That’s according to Jon Schneider and Mike Murray of The Saturday Night Network, LateNighter’s podcast partner.
Tonight’s cold open, in which Johnson played Donald Trump, was his 200th sketch.
Now in his fourth season, Johnson is the 80th cast member to hit the 200 sketch milestone, an honor he shares with nine other current SNL cast members: Michael Che, Mikey Day, Andrew Dismukes, Chloe Fineman, Heidi Gardner, Colin Jost, Ego Nwodim, Bowen Yang, and (of course) Kenan Thompson, whose 22 seasons on the show put him at the top of the list.
Tonight’s Family Feud Cold Open was James Austin Johnson’s 200th #SNL sketch appearance pic.twitter.com/m5tpxEmOHO
— Saturday Night Network (@thesnlnetwork) October 13, 2024
Johnson made his SNL debut the night of October 2nd, 2021. His first sketch was that night’s cold open in which he performed his Joe Biden impression.
Lest you think there’s a direct correlation between one’s tenure on the show and their sketch count, there are quite a few SNL cast members who’ve made it to this point in their tenure on the show without hitting the 200 episode milestone, including the likes of David Spade, Mike Myers, Adam Sandler, and Bowen Yang.
To be fair, there are also a handful of cast members who surpassed 200 sketches in less time than Johnson, including Bill Hader, Andy Samberg, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Jon Lovitz, Dana Carvey, Phil Hartman, and Chris Farley.
Our congratulations to James Austin Johnson–your new elite status qualifies you for a free checked bag at the Studio 8H page desk.
