We talking awards? We talking awards?
Yes, and yes again. Ashley Padilla has earned a rare double in just her second season on Saturday Night Live. The engaging performer has been named the winner of the Phil Hartman Award, given to the SNL cast member who is the “glue” of the show.
Padilla was also named Most Valuable Performer (MVP) of Season 51 following a breakout year as a featured player. Few performers have won both the MVP and Hartman Award in the same season. Padilla is the first to do so as a non-repertory cast member.
Padilla is only the seventh cast member to win both the MVP and Hartman Award in the same season. It’s happened a total of nine times: Dan Aykroyd and Phil Hartman accomplished it twice. Padilla is the second female cast member to win both honors in the same SNL season, joining highly-ranked all-time cast member Cecily Strong.
SNL Cast Member Who Won Both MVP and Hartman Award in Same Season
| CAST MEMBER | SNL SEASON | YEAR FOR CAST MEMBER |
| Dan Aykroyd | 2 | 2nd |
| Dan Aykroyd | 4 | 4th |
| Phil Hartman | 13 | 2nd |
| Phil Hartman | 18 | 7th |
| Darrell Hammond | 28 | 8th |
| Jason Sudeikis | 38 | 9th |
| Kenan Thompson | 44 | 16th |
| Cecily Strong | 46 | 9th |
| Ashley Padilla | 51 | 2nd |
Since Saturday Night Live debuted in 1975, the show has relied on steady cast members to keep everything together. In the original cast the most cohesive cast member was Aykroyd, who was a famously dedicated writer, a unique performer, and had the ability to be a star or to support his castmates in sketches. He even took a turn as a Weekend Update anchor. Anything needed for the show was what Danny did.
Following a wildly successful stretch in the sketch troupe The Groundlings, Phil Hartman arrived for SNL’s 12th season, a savior of sorts. NBC had unofficially canceled SNL following the disaster of Season 11, the first for Lorne Michaels after a hiatus from the show he co-created. Hartman was the core of a new cast that went on to form the Second Great Era of SNL in the last 1980s and early 1990s.
Michaels dubbed Hartman the glue of SNL for his ability to hold together even the most outrageous or unfunny sketches. Hartman was possibly the best “sketch host” the show has ever seen, serving as the narrator or show host on countless sketches in his nine-year run. He was capable of being super-serious and committed to a role, like his Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer. Or he could be quirky and eccentric like in the famous sketch Anal Retentive Chef. For a generation of fans of the show, Hartman was the spine of SNL. supporting the entire body for nearly a decade.
Padilla starred in the best sketches of Season 51, including “Mom Confession/MAGA Mom”, “Kathy”, “Haircut”, and “Office Birthday Surprise”. She also did great work as a supporting cast member in sketches, pre-tapes, and special films. When the show needed someone to go toe-to-toe with a talented host who had great acting chops, it was always Padilla.
Padilla’s win stops a four-year streak where Kenan Thompson won the award. The longest-running cast member has won the Phil Hartman Award seven times.
Hartman and Darrell Hammond both won the Hartman Award eight times each, the most in SNL history.
