Only a handful of newcomers have ever opened a season of Saturday Night Live. This weekend, rookie cast member Jeremy Culhane became one of them.
Appearing as an unnamed general who introduces Pete Hegseth (Colin Jost) in Saturday night’s cold open, Culhane was the very first person seen on camera in the show’s Season 51 premiere. His role was brief, but in SNL lore, it’s still a big deal.
Throughout its 50-year history, only five or six new cast members have managed the same feat: Michael O’Donoghue, Gail Matthius, Will Ferrell, James Austin Johnson, and now Jeremy Culhane. Whether Harry Shearer counts is a matter of debate: he did open Season 10 as Robin Leach in a parody of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, but technically he was a returning cast member at that point, having previously served on the cast four years earlier..
LateNighter’s podcast partner The Saturday Night Network was the first to note Culhane’s milestone in context.
For Culhane, whose early credits include College Humor, The Amanda Show, and writing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the moment marks an auspicious start to his tenure in Studio 8H.
Among SNL’s five newcomers this year, only Kam Patterson got a true showcase Saturday night, earning his own “Weekend Update” feature next to Colin Jost.
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Gail and Michael dont count bc everyone on their casts were new