<P> Lighter colors denote "featured players" versus repertory cast members . </P> <P> The following is a list of the cast members with the longest tenures, who have spent at least eight seasons on the show . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Th> Performer </Th> <Th> No. of seasons </Th> <Th> Notes </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Kenan Thompson </Td> <Td> 15 </Td> <Td> Thompson holds the records of being the longest - tenured cast member in the show's history, the first cast member born after the show's premiere in 1975, and the longest - active African - American cast member . He first joined the show in 2003 . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Darrell Hammond </Td> <Td> 14 </Td> <Td> Hired after a cast overhaul in 1995, he is the last cast member hired in the 1990s to leave the show, and the oldest cast member to leave the show (age 53 when he left the show in 2009). In 2014, Hammond returned to the show where he replaced Don Pardo as the show's announcer after Pardo's death, and often appears in sketches, reprising old roles such as Donald Trump and Bill Clinton . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Seth Meyers </Td> <Td> 13 </Td> <Td> He joined the show in 2001, and in 2013, his tenure on Weekend Update reached its eighth year, making him the longest - serving Weekend Update anchor (breaking the records held by Dennis Miller and Tina Fey). He left the show in early 2014 to take over hosting duties for Late Night . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Fred Armisen </Td> <Td> 11 </Td> <Td> Armisen joined the show in 2002, and left at the end of season 38 in 2013 . He is the show's longest - running Hispanic cast member (beating out the Chilean - born Horatio Sanz). Armisen is also the longest - running cast member of any Asian descend (his paternal grandfather was Korean). </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Al Franken </Td> <Td> Hired as a writer in the beginning of the series, as the show progressed, he and Tom Davis were allowed to perform material on - air sporadically . He left the show in 1980, but returned to the show when Lorne Michaels came back in 1985, regaining his writing and on - air featured status until 1995 . Later elected the junior United States Senator from Minnesota . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Tim Meadows </Td> <Td> 10 </Td> <Td> Meadows joined the show in early 1991 . He left the show at the end of the season 25, which ended in 2000, after ten seasons on the show . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Kevin Nealon </Td> <Td> 9 </Td> <Td> Nealon joined the show as a featured player in 1986 following a major cast overhaul, and was promoted to contract status the following year . He served as Weekend Update anchor for his sixth through eighth seasons, then gave up the position in his ninth . After nine seasons on the show, Nealon left in 1995 . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Bobby Moynihan </Td> <Td> He joined the show during season 34, and departed after season 42 . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Maya Rudolph </Td> <Td> She joined the show in early 2000 towards the end of season 25 . She was absent for most of season 31 following the birth of her child . Her last season was the first half of season 33 . She did not return to the show in 2008 after the 2007--2008 Writers Guild of America strike ended . Although, she only stayed 7 of those years, she appeared in 6 more episodes than Amy Poehler, making Rudolph the longest - running female cast member . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Jason Sudeikis </Td> <Td> He joined towards the end of season 30, after having been a writer for the show in the previous season . He left at the end of season 38 . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Will Forte </Td> <Td> 8 </Td> <Td> Forte joined the cast in 2002, and left in 2010 after the release of MacGruber . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Bill Hader </Td> <Td> Hader joined the cast in 2005 left at the end of season 38 in 2013, alongside Fred Armisen and Jason Sudeikis . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Phil Hartman </Td> <Td> Hartman was brought onto the cast for the show's twelfth season following a major cast overhaul, and left following the finale of the nineteenth season . He also returned to host the show twice in 1996 . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Chris Kattan </Td> <Td> Kattan moved to New York to work on the show as a featured player in 1996, later becoming a full - time member along with Tracy Morgan and Ana Gasteyer . Most notably, he played alongside Will Ferrell as one of the Butabi Brothers, who also featured in the 1998 film A Night at the Roxbury . He left the show in 2003 . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Chris Parnell </Td> <Td> Parnell joined the cast in 1998, and was later fired in 2001 to make way for new talent . About a year later, he was rehired and remained on the show until he was let go again due to budget cuts in 2006 . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Amy Poehler </Td> <Td> She served as co-anchor of Weekend Update with Tina Fey (2004--06) and with Meyers (2006--08). She left the series in late - 2008 to begin production on Parks and Recreation . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Horatio Sanz </Td> <Td> Sanz joined the cast in 1998, and later briefly served as co-anchor of Weekend Update, in season 31 with Poehler, for two episodes, after Fey gave birth to her first child (making him the show's only Hispanic Weekend Update anchor). He was also let go due to budget cuts in 2006 . </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Th> Performer </Th> <Th> No. of seasons </Th> <Th> Notes </Th> </Tr>

Who has been a cast member on snl the longest
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