There is a tired, lazy narrative that if you leave 30 Rock and don’t immediately become the next Adam Sandler or Tina Fey, you’ve somehow failed the gauntlet. It’s the kind of “Star or Bust” mentality that fans and hack critics use to measure success, usually while ignoring the fact that half the people on the “A-list” are miserable or phoning it in for a paycheck.
The truth? The smartest players from the Lorne Michaels school of hard knocks aren’t always the ones headlining $100 million blockbusters that rot on Rotten Tomatoes. They’re the ones building bulletproof legacies in the margins: the voiceover kings, the prestige TV assassins, and the multi-hyphenates who realized early on that “famous” and “successful” are not synonyms.
As we hit the mid-point of Season 51, it’s time to stop pitying the alumni who aren’t on every bus wrap in Times Square. Here are five former cast members who are winning the post-SNL game harder than you realize.
Taran Killam
When Taran Killam was unceremoniously let go in 2016, the internet acted like he’d been exiled to a desert island. In reality, Killam just traded the grueling 100-hour work weeks for a career that actually respects his range. While you were busy wondering why he wasn’t the lead in a generic rom-com, Killam was busy playing King George III in Hamilton on Broadway, arguably the most coveted stage role of the decade.
By 2026, Killam has cemented himself as the utility player Hollywood actually needs. He’s currently starring in the ABC hit High Potential, bringing a grounded gravity that his “Jebidiah Atkinson” days never hinted at. He’s married to Cobie Smulders, he’s a theme park historian with a massive cult following, and he’s steadily working in high-end theater and television.
Vanessa Bayer
Vanessa Bayer spent seven years being the best “nervous person” in the history of television. But if you think her career ended when she stopped playing Jacob the Bar Mitzvah Boy, you haven’t been paying attention.
Bayer’s Showtime series, I Love That for You, was a pitch-black comedy about childhood leukemia and the home shopping network that proved she has more creative depth than 90% of the “stars” who left the show with her.
Bayer is the queen of the “stealth career.” She shows up in every prestige comedy, from Brooklyn Nine-Nine to I Think You Should Leave, and instantly makes it 50% funnier.
Chris Parnell
If there were an award for the most quietly influential post-SNL career, it would be named the Kyle J. Mooney Award, but Chris Parnell would already have a shelf full of them. Parnell was fired twice from the show, which should tell you everything you need to know about how little the producers understood his genius.
Since leaving, Parnell has become the voice of a generation, literally. Between Rick and Morty, Archer, and countless national ad campaigns, his voice is likely in your house more often than your own family members. Combine that with his legendary run as Dr. Leo Spaceman on 30 Rock and his constant presence in big-budget animation, and Parnell is likely the highest-earning “underrated” cast member in the history of the show. He’s the ultimate proof that you don’t need to be the face of the franchise if you own the airwaves.
Nasim Pedrad
During her stint in Studio 8H, Nasim Pedrad was the secret weapon of the SNL, delivering spot-on impressions while the “Big Three” took all the credit. But while the industry tried to put her in a box, Pedrad decided to build her own house. Creating, writing, and starring as a 14-year-old boy in Chad wasn’t just a bold move, it felt like a middle finger to every executive who told her to play it safe.
By 2026, Pedrad has parlayed that creative autonomy into a massive voice-acting empire (including the Star Wars universe) and recurring roles on some of the biggest sitcoms of the last ten years (New Girl, Curb Your Enthusiasm).
Bobby Moynihan
Bobby Moynihan could have spent the rest of his life doing “Drunk Uncle” at corporate retreats for $50k a pop. Instead, he’s become one of the most prolific voice actors and character performers in the business. From Disney’s DuckTales to We Bare Bears, Moynihan has cornered the market on animated charm.
But it’s his recent pivot to projects like Bat-Fam (where he voices Man-Bat alongside Luke Wilson) that shows his true longevity. Moynihan is a “writer’s actor.” He’s the guy people like Lorne Michaels and Tina Fey call when they need someone who can actually deliver a joke without an ego getting in the way. He’s working more now than he ever did at SNL, and he’s doing it without the 4:00 AM “Update” rewrites.
