15 Funniest “SNL” Episodes to Watch When You Need a Good Laugh

‘Saturday Night Live’ has been making viewers laugh out loud since 1975

Saturday Night Live has been making fans laugh for over 50 years.

The late-night sketch comedy show first premiered on Oct. 11, 1975, a moment that was dramatized in 2024's Saturday Night film. Lorne Michaels has been at the helm since the beginning — barring seasons 6 to 10 in the early 1980s — as the show's creator and longtime producer, churning out nearly two dozen episodes a season.

Over the course of five decades, SNL has had some of Hollywood's biggest stars as hosts, forming an exclusive group to induct into the “Five-Timers Club." Several celebrities have even reached double digits when it comes to hosting duties, including Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin and Tom Hanks.

Through the years, the show has also been responsible for some of pop culture's most iconic moments, including “Wayne's World,” “More Cowbell,” “Debbie Downer” and “Van Down by the River.”

Here are 15 of the funniest full episodes of the sketch comedy show to watch when you just want to laugh.

"Steve Martin and The Blues Brothers" (Season 3, Episode 18)

Martin, who has hosted the show a total of 16 times since the show's premiere, took on the hosting gig for a fifth time on April 22, 1978. This was an important episode in SNL history, marking the first time The Blues Brothers — which consisted of SNL cast members Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi — were musical guests on the show.

During the actor's fifth hosting gig, he starred in several sketches that became mainstays in pop culture, including the return of a recurring sketch “The Festrunk Brothers,” which spawned the catchphrase “We are two wild and crazy guys!"

This episode also included "Dancing In The Dark," a sketch that starred Gilda Radner, with the duo dancing around the studio with beautiful and zany moves. The episode also featured the musical parody "King Tut," a song that took TikTok by storm decades later.

"Patrick Swayze and Mariah Carey" (Season 16, Episode 4)

Patrick Swayze made his first and only hosting appearance on SNL on Oct. 27, 1990, alongside first-time musical guest Mariah Carey. The episode was cemented into pop culture history with one particular sketch — "Chippendales Audition." Swayze starred opposite Chris Farley as dancers competing for one spot as a Chippendale, leading to six minutes of pure physical comedy from both actors.

It also featured a “Tonight Show with Johnny Carson” sketch, where Dana Carvey portrayed Carson and interviewed Jan Hooks as Susan Dey, Arsenio Hall as Chris Rock and Phil Hartman as Ed McMahon.

"Christopher Walken and Christina Aguilera" (Season 25, Episode 16)

Christopher Walken hosted the sketch comedy show for the fourth time on April 8, 2000, alongside first-time musical guest Christina Aguilera.

This episode cannot be mentioned without bringing up one of SNL's most famous sketches, “More Cowbell,” which received its own dedicated episode in Peacock's 2025 SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night docuseries.

In November 2019, Will Ferrell revealed during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that Walken once said the sketch “ruined [his] life" due to the sheer amount of cowbell references hurled at him daily.

Things got started with a cold open that featured Carvey as George H. W. Bush as he gave advice to his son, George W. Bush, portrayed by Ferrell. Molly Shannon's Sally O'Malley also got a chance to compete in — or rather, crash — a beauty pageant.

"Justin Timberlake" (Season 29, Episode 2)

Justin Timberlake made his hosting debut on Oct. 11, 2003, and took on double-duty as the show's musical guest. Timberlake became no stranger to SNL over the years, hosting the show five times, as well as appearing as a musical guest and in cameos over the years.

While his second hosting gig in 2006 spawned the beloved "D— in a Box," his debut was chock-full of hilarious sketches. Timberlake's first episode as host featured “Punk'd Barely Legal,” wherein the singer did an over-the-top impersonation of Ashton Kutcher, and “Benny's vs. Omeletteville,” which was later reprised during season 39 in 2013.

The episode featured a chaotic and hilarious sketch where Timberlake and Kermit the Frog attempted a duet of “Rainbow Connection” before getting into an all-out brawl. It also marked the debut of "The Barry Gibb Talk Show" featuring Jimmy Fallon, which would become a running segment over the decades.

"Lindsay Lohan and Usher" (Season 29, Episode 18)

Lindsay Lohan and Usher made their first SNL appearances on May 1, 2004, as host and musical guest, respectively.

Lohan's debut episode lives in infamy in large part due to the debut of "Debbie Downer," played by Rachel Dratch. In the inaugural sketch "Debbie Downer: Disney World," a family trip to Disney World was ruined when Debbie continued to make progressively more bleak statements to bring down the mood.

Even two decades later, the sketch — and phrase "debbie downer" — is a permanent fixture in the pop culture zeitgeist, with Lohan telling Fallon on his show in November 2024 that the sketch was “one of my favorite things I think I've ever done.”

Her first episode also included memorable sketches like "Turlington's Lower Back Tattoo Remover," "Harry Potter: Hermione Growth Spurt" and “Riding With Billy Joel,” which contained an epic blooper.

"Peyton Manning and Carrie Underwood" (Season 32, Episode 16)

Peyton Manning made his hosting debut on the late-night sketch comedy show on March 24, 2007, alongside first-time musical guest Carrie Underwood.

While Manning has been impersonated on the show by the likes of Miles Teller and made a cameo sharing his love for Emily in Paris, his first and only time hosting spawned several memorable sketches.

Manning's "United Way" sketch remains a fan favorite as he tried to volunteer for a youth group, though he ended up being a bad influence. The episode also featured “Saturday TV Funhouse: Maraka” — a parody of Dora the Explorer — and “Locker Room Motivation,” where Will Forte must pump up his team with an inspirational tune.

"Ryan Gosling and Leon Bridges" (Season 41, Episode 7)

Ryan Gosling has remained a fan favorite host over the years, starring in classic sketches of recent seasons including "Papyrus" and "Beavis and Butt-Head," which famously caused everyone to break.

Before “Beavis and Butt-Head” came Gosling's hosting debut on Dec. 5, 2015, alongside musical guest Leon Bridges. His first episode included the now-recurring "Close Encounter" sketch that followed three people after an alien abduction, though Kate McKinnon's abduction didn't turn out quite like the others.

The episode also included several festive sketches that had audiences laughing out loud, including "Santa Baby," which saw Gosling and Vanessa Bayer making the rest of the party guests uncomfortable. He also starred as the dad who caught Aidy Bryant's eye in the "Birthday Party" sketch, much to the disgust of her friends.

"Adam Driver and Chris Stapleton" (Season 41, Episode 10)

Adam Driver and Chris Stapleton made their SNL debuts on Jan. 16, 2016, as host and musical guest, though the House of Gucci star has made several appearances since.

In his first episode, Driver starred in "Star Wars Undercover Boss: Starkiller Base" as Kylo Ren going undercover as “Matt” to get a feel for the public perception of him. Spoiler alert: the feedback was not great.

The episode also featured more hilarious sketches, including "NFL Playoff Game," where he and Beck Bennett have to cover a bad injury as commentators during a playoff game, and “America's Funniest Cats,” wherein Cecily Strong, McKinnon and Driver take very different approaches in narrating videos of cats.

Liev Schreiber also made a cameo during "Golden Globes," in which Driver and Bayer have a crazy night out after winning awards while their kids are alone at home.

"Tom Hanks and Lady Gaga" (Season 42, Episode 4)

Hanks hosted SNL for the ninth time on Oct. 22, 2016, alongside Lady Gaga for her fourth time as musical guest. Hanks is no stranger to memorable sketches while he's appeared on the show, but this episode was chock-full of characters that have stood the test of time.

This episode included the return of the recurring sketch "Black Jeopardy with Tom Hanks" as well as his character David S. Pumpkins, which later received its own special in 2017. Hanks also reprised his character — and real-life pilot — Sully Sullenberger in the sketch "Cockpit" opposite Baldwin.

"John Mulaney and Thomas Rhett" (Season 44, Episode 14)

While John Mulaney used to be a writer at SNL — and was the man behind characters like Stefon and Herb Welch (both played by Bill Hader) — the standup comedian quickly became a beloved host. In the course of six years he has hosted six times, including his second gig on March 2, 2019, with Thomas Rhett serving as musical guest.

When Mulaney hosts, fans can always expect two things — a stellar standup monologue and an off-the-rails musical sketch, which he debuted with "Diner Lobster" in 2018. His second musical sketch, "Bodega Bathroom," spoofed the likes of Cats, Little Shop of Horrors and Rent.

This episode also included the warped sketch "Toilet Death Ejector" and the return of Chad (portrayed by Pete Davidson) with a horror movie twist. One of the most memorable sketches from the episode was "Cha Cha Slide," where Mulaney impresses his girlfriend, portrayed by Ego Nwodim, with his smooth dance moves at her cousin's wedding.

"Adam Sandler and Shawn Mendes" (Season 44, Episode 19)

Adam Sandler made a massive impact on SNL and in the world of comedy during his time as a cast member on the show. Despite his comedic career and several cameos over the years, he's only hosted the show once on May 4, 2019, with musical guest Shawn Mendes.

This episode started off strong with a monologue that included a Rock cameo and a hilarious song about his firing from the show decades prior. Sandler also portrayed the character Joe Romano in the sketch "Romano Tours," which included the hilarious delivery of the line, “But remember, you're still going to be you on vacation.”

Sandler also reprised his famed character Opera Man during the "Weekend Update" segment and ended the show with a heart-wrenching performance of the "Chris Farley Song," remembering his late friend and former SNL cast member.

"Eddie Murphy and Lizzo" (Season 45, Episode 10)

Few SNL cast members are as beloved as Eddie Murphy. The comedian made his return to the late-night sketch comedy show as host for the third time — and first time since 1984 — on Dec. 21, 2019, alongside musical guest Lizzo.

This episode was chock-full of nostalgia for longtime SNL and Murphy fans, with the actor bringing back several of his characters during his time on the show. In the reprisal of "Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood," Murphy taught children about gentrification, and Buckwheat made an appearance during "The Masked Singer" sketch, taking creative liberties with the lyrics of each song. He also brought back Velvet Jones in "Black Jeopardy" and Gumby on "Weekend Update."

"Timothée Chalamet and Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band" (Season 46, Episode 8)

Timothée Chalamet has been heavily impersonated on SNL over the years, but the actor made his hosting debut on Dec. 12, 2020, alongside Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band as the musical guest.

After a nostalgic monologue about Christmas in New York City, Bennett got chewed out by Heidi Gardner in the "December to Remember Car Commercial" after making a disastrous financial decision.

Meanwhile, Chloe Fineman got to break out her impression of Chalamet in front of him on the "Dionne Warwick Talk Show," while the actor did his best attempt at Harry Styles. Chalamet showed off his singing chops during the bizarre digital short "Tiny Horse" and teamed up with Davidson for "Rap Roundtable," which made its rounds on TikTok with the horribly catchy tune "Yeet.”

"Pedro Pascal and Coldplay" (Season 48, Episode 12)

Pedro Pascal made his hosting debut on Feb. 4, 2023, alongside musical guest Coldplay. An instant beloved host, he made a cameo less than a year later in October of that year, when Bad Bunny hosted.

Fresh off the success of the premiere of The Last Of Us, the show gave another popular video game the HBO treatment — Mario Kart. In the "HBO Mario Kart Trailer," Pascal took on the role of Mario as he tried to escort Princess Peach to safety.

Other laugh-out-loud sketches from the episode included "Waking Up," which found Pascal dealing with some strange side effects after a coma and "Protective Mom," where Pascal portrayed Marcello Hernandez's overbearing mother. The episode went completely off the rails during the sketch "Lisa from Temecula," which had Pascal and the whole cast breaking the entire time.

"Nate Bargatze and Foo Fighters" (Season 49, Episode 3)

Nate Bargatze had a memorable first time hosting SNL on Oct. 28, 2023, alongside musical guest Foo Fighters, which was followed in close succession by his second gig a year later in October 2024. His standup monologue got the show off to a hilarious start, followed by the "Chef Show" sketch, where the comedian shockingly won the competition for best soul food.

Bargatze also helped bring "Hallmark Horror" to life, bringing a murderous twist to a romantic love story. The episode is perhaps best-known for the sketch "Washington's Dream," where the comedian, as George Washington, tells his troops about his dreams for his country, including a confusing array of words to develop their “own systems of weights and measures.”

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