Since the first episode of Saturday Night Live aired in October of 1975, the Weekend Update segment has been a staple of the show. Originally anchored by Chevy Chase, the “fake news” sketch has provided many of the most hilarious and memorable moments in SNL history.
Often, Weekend Update is populated with funny characters who add entertainment to the segment. But here we rank the anchors. Below are the Top 20 Weekend Update SNL anchors of all-time.
20. Colin Quinn
Colin Quinn is probably a nice man. By most accounts from his colleagues he is remarkably funny “around the table” and “in the club.” But he is not a person who should be reading anything on screen. Quinn’s mumbly-mouthed delivery led to so many mistakes it was practically impossible to watch his much-too-long tenure as replacement for the fired Norm Macdonald.
19. Horatio Sanz
It’s hard to understand how Sanz secured a spot at the desk. He’s not only one of the worst WU anchors, he is a weak cast member.
18. Cecily Strong
Few cast members were as solid and likable as Cecily. Her brief time as Weekend Update co-anchor was not terrible. Her ranking her reflects the fact that Strong had a little time to show what she could do, and others got more episodes in the chair.
When Strong was paired briefly with Seth Meyers it may have been the best boy/girl pairing as anchors, with the possible exception of Dan Aykroyd and Jane Curtin.
17. Gail Matthius
An underrated cast member, Matthius played the WU desk very over-the-top, which was her style. She was always better than the material and castmates she was forced to work with.
16. Jimmy Fallon
If smirking “hey, look at me I am behind this desk, isn’t this great?” is your thing, you’ll argue with this low ranking for Fallon. But, for our tastes, Jimmy was too focused on laughing at everything he said. He benefitted from a pretty good partner on the desk, which lifts him from being lower in these rankings.
Here’s an example of how stupid Weekend Update got when Fallon was at the desk:
15. Mary Gross
Mary had a deadpan delivery and a wealth of wonderful comedic faces, which she employed during her stint as an anchor of Weekend Update in difficult years for SNL.
14. Bill Murray
A singularly unique Weekend Update anchor. Murray was sort of a hybrid of Macdonald and Miller: sarcastic, caustic, and dry, but also with his classic bad boy personality.
13. Amy Poehler
Maybe should rate higher. Amy probably could have been a great Update anchor had she been able to deliver the headlines solo instead of with Fey, for whom it always seemed Poehler was trying to impress.
12. Brad Hall
As much as anyone other than Chevy Chase, Charles Rocket, and Kevin Nealon, Hall made Update a parody of serious newsmen. He was gifted and a superb writer, probably one of the five best to anchor WU on SNL.
11. Charles Rocket
Better than history has given him credit for, Rocket was the first breakout star (albeit briefly) following the original cast. He only had the one season to shine, and he was perfect for Update, where he used a punchy delivery and comedic pauses and eyebrow-raises in an attempt to make the uneven material funnier. Was accused of copying Chase.
10. Colin Jost
Not a bad host, but not great either. Probably leans too much into his interactions with co-host Michael Che and Update guest commentators. Suffers from the same flaw that hampered Jimmy Fallon: thinks he’s funnier than he is, and laughs at his own jokes way, way too much.
9. Tina Fey
When she wasn’t trying to one-up her co-hosts, Fey was very good. She was probably better suited to be a guest editorialist in the style of A. Whitney Brown.
8. Michael Che
The stronger of the longtime Che/Jost duo. It’s very clear by his copy that Michael is a standup, but that served Miller and Macdonald pretty well. Che has written and read some of the most scathing political jokes in SNL history that emanated from behind the Weekend Update desk.
7. Jane Curtin
Became the stabilizing Weekend Update presence after the gigantic hole created by Chase’s exit. Curtin was a lot like Brad Hall and Cecil Strong, in that she took the WU hosting job seriously, choosing to be a straight-laced parody instead of a laugh-a-minute joke machine or a giggling parrot.
6. Dan Aykroyd
Could likely have been as great as Chase, because he could do anything on the show. Of the 10 greatest moments in Weekend Update history, Aykroyd is part of probably four or five of them.
5. Kevin Nealon
When someone wants to know how to play off other characters on Update, they should watch Nealon. The longtime cast member knew expertly how to allow a co-star shine without hamming or laughing like a loon. He could deliver news copy as well as anyone who ever sat in the chair, and he may have been the most authoritative presence in WU history.
4. Dennis Miller
Rewatching him years later, Miller is more goofy and hammy than we remembered. But, his writing was excellent, and he was behind the desk during the second-greatest era in SNL history. He ad-libbed as well as any anchor besides Chevy Chase and Bill Murray.
3. Norm Macdonald
Many viewers became fans of SNL because of Macdonald’s tenure as Weekend Update anchor and funny man. His comic skills were impressive, and he served behind the desk providing entertainment during a stretch when the rest of the show gradually sank to low depths.
Arguably, the O.J. Simpson case is the most important non-political story to have emerged during SNL’s history. Macdonald’s wit and deadpan delivery skewered that topic every week when it was the hottest story on the planet.
However, Macdonald’s tenure was also unfortunately punctuated by his habit of punching down. For a man who could write great material, there were far too many instances of “she’s so fat,” and “she’s so stupid” and “isn’t he gay?” For every sharp joke Norm delivered on politics and culture, he also tossed in an insane amount of “women can’t drive” lines. That type of humor was lazy then, and it looks even more so in retrospect.
We wouldn’t argue if some observers rated Norm higher than No. 3, but given his stormy tenure and reliance on too many 9th grade comedy tropes, we think he’s where he belongs.
2. Seth Meyers
Likely the best writer and word craftsman to ever serve as Weekend Update anchor. Meyers is one of the 10 best writers to ever work on Saturday Night Live. For our money, when the day comes that Lorne Michaels finally hangs it up, Meyers should take over SNL. But it will probably end up going to a woman or person of color, because let’s face it: five decades of white guys leading the show is probably enough for now.
1. Chevy Chase
Chevy is certainly overrated as a cast member. Despite being a very talented actor, he disappeared too much in sketches. But, his short service on the Weekend Update set is still the best to ever appear on the show.
Chase isn’t ranked here at No. 1 because he was the first. He understood the purpose of the WU slot better than anyone. Update is best when it’s treated as if it is a sketch in the show. It’s best when we are invited into the comedy mind of the anchor. Chase didn’t just rely on jokes and newsy commentary, he created a news show that was a brilliant SNL sketch packed with satire, charm, and memorable bits.
For many anchors of WU the gig is about getting as many laughs and hamming it up to the camera (we’re looking at you Jimmy and Tina), but Chase understood that the anchor is the compass on a voyage of comedy that features guest characters, great parody, and well-crafted jokes. Seth Meyers is the only other host who understood that as well as the original Weekend Update host.
