The Top 5 Weekend Update Hosts on 'Saturday Night Live'
-Additional research by Jim Miller (@jimmiller)
Of all the positions on Saturday Night Live, sitting behind the iconic Weekend Update desk is, perhaps, the most prestigious and sought-after. Whether working solo or partnered up with an equally funny SNL co-star, the Weekend Update anchors have kept viewers informed on current events, with the added bonus of a hilarious punchline, over the past 40 years. As we celebrate the series' anniversary, which VH1 Classic is currently honoring with its "SNL Rewind: 2015-1975 Mega Marathon," we picked the top five Weekend Update hosts and hosting duos.
5. Seth Meyers
Seth Meyers was behind the Weekend Update desk from 2006 to 2014, both alone and with co-hosts (including Amy Poehler and Cecily Strong) making him the longest-running host on the show to date. While other memorable hosts went for snarky or biting (see: Dennis Miller), Meyers used his nice-guy charm to cut to the core of that week's most notable news stories. It's not hard to understand why Stefon loved him so much: Meyers was his strongest on Weekend Update, and the segment simply hasn't felt the same since he left to take over Late Night for fellow former W.U. host Jimmy Fallon.
4. Chevy Chase
Because he's Chevy Chase, and you're not. Plus, ya know, without Chase, Weekend Update may have never existed. The Not Ready For Primetime Player co-created the segment with SNL writer Herb Sargent. The sharp-witted Chase—who was the first person to ever utter the iconic phrase "Live from New York, it's Saturday night!"—was the original Weekend Update anchor and set the bar awfully high, despite his short tenure.
3. Jane Curtin and Dan Aykroyd
Though they only worked as a Weekend Update team from 1977 to 1978, Jane Curtin and Dan Aykroyd would pave the way for all other male-female duos to follow in their footsteps. (Heck, not even the great Bill Murray could top Aykroyd's partnership with Curtin.) After all, the pair had the best Weekend Update banter ever with their famous exchange: "Jane, you ignorant slut," and "Dan, you pompous ass."
2. Norm MacDonald
Norm MacDonald's acerbic comedic sensibilities and button-pushing one-liners may have rubbed some viewers the wrong way, but there's no denying that the star made for some of the all-time best—and most shocking— Weekend Update moments. The droll MacDonald, who had the gig from 1994 to 1997, was not only ahead of the curve when it came to dry wit (especially in the '90s when that brand of comedy was not nearly as popular), but he was really willing to go there. Ultimately, MacDonald was removed from his anchor position (rumor has it NBC exec Don Ohlmeyer thought he just wasn't funny enough), but he left his mark on Weekend Update, and no solo host has quite been able to touch it since. Not even Frank Stallone.
1. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler
Come on, as if there was any other choice? These comedy powerhouses and long-time friends are so damn funny in their own right, but they are downright unstoppable when they're together. While they both worked incredibly well with their other Weekend Update co-anchors, Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers, respectively, these hilarious and razor-sharp ladies, whose chemistry earned them a co-hosting gig on the Golden Globes for three straight years, made for the all-time best Update duo. You know why? Because bitches get stuff done.
[Photo Credit: NBC/Getty Images]