Jennifer Coolidge, Jim Carrey, And 16 Other Actors Who Got Rejected From "SNL" But Still Ended Up Becoming Famous Anyway
1.Jennifer Coolidge auditioned in 1995 (along with Will Ferrell, Cheri Oteri, and Chris Kattan).
She didn't get the job, but in 1999 got the role of Stifler's mom in American Pie, and the rest is history.
Universal Pictures
2.Jim Carrey auditioned in 1980, when he was 18.
He did not get the job, but um...he ended up being Jim Carrey. We don't really need to see a gif of him in one of his famous roles, so instead here's his audition tape:
3.Lisa Kudrow auditioned in 1990.
She didn't get the job, butttt it's fine. Three years later, she was cast as Ursula in Mad About You. Then, she was cast as Phoebe (Ursula's twin sister) in Friends. The rest is herstory.
NBC
4.Jack McBrayer auditioned in 2001.
He didn't get the job, but years later, he got the part of Kenneth the page in 30 Rock.
NBC
5.Kumail Nanjiani auditioned in 2012.
He didn't get the job, but in 2014, he started starring in Silicon Valley. Then, he wrote and starred in The Big Sick, and now, he's a Marvel superhero.
Marvel
6.Paul Scheer auditioned in 2001 and 2002 (and maybe 2003?).
He didn't get the job, but a few years later, got his own show, Human Giant. Then, he was on The League and appeared on dozens and dozenssss of other shows.
FX
7.Geena Davis auditioned in 1984.
She didn't get it, but in 1988, she starred in Beetlejuice, and then, after that came Thelma & Louise, A League of Their Own, and the list goes on.
Warner Bros.
8.Zach Galifianakis auditioned in 1999.
He didn't get cast but was hired to guest-write for two weeks, and then was ~dismissed~. After that, he ended up doing Between Two Ferns and then The Hangover, and blah blah blah, it all worked out in the end. Here's a very short clip of his audition:
9.Rachel Bloom auditioned in 2012.
She did not get the job. Then, in 2015, she wrote and starred in her show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, which lasted four seasons.
CW
10.Nicole Byer auditioned in 2013.
She didn't get the job...but since then, she has appeared on many TV shows, hosts Nailed It!, plus four different podcasts, and has multiple Emmy nominations.
Netflix
11.David Cross auditioned in 1992.
He didn't get the job, but in 1995, created and starred in Mr. Show (with Bob Odenkirk). Then, he played Tobias Funke on Arrested Development and generally became a famous person.
Fox
12.Tiffany Haddish auditioned in 2013.
She didn't get the job, but ended up starring in multiple movies and TV shows, and won a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album for Black Mitzvah.
Comedy Central
13.Kevin Hart auditioned in the early 2000s.
He didn't get the job but went on to release several comedy albums and star in approximately 76 movies per year since.
Columbia Pictures
14.Ellie Kemper auditioned in 2008.
She didn't get the job, but the following year, she was cast on The Office, and then starred in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.
NBC
15.Nick Kroll auditioned in 2008.
He didn't get the job, but eventually got his own show, The Kroll Show, and then starred on The League. Then came lots of other shows and movies, and Nick Kroll became the Nick Kroll we know today.
Comedy Central
16.Kathy Najimy auditioned in 1984.
She didn't get the job, but it's cool because she went on to star in Sister Act, Hocus Pocus, Rat Race, etc. etc.
Disney
17.Jon Glaser auditioned in 1995.
He didn't get the job, but he ended up writing and performing on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and also has appeared on lotsss of shows.
Peacock
18.Stephen Colbert auditioned in 1992.
He didn't get it, but in 1997, he was hired to be on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and then, in 2007 got his own show, The Colbert Report. Since 2015, he's been the host of The Late Show.
Comedy Central
