The Funniest Female SNL Alumni
List of the funniest women to ever be on Saturday Night Live, as ranked by SNL fans and critics. In the history of SNL there have been very few women in the cast. Although women have notoriously had the toughest time breaking into the comedy world, these inspiring SNL female comedians have proved all the naysayers wrong. They’ve created some of the most memorable characters, written the best sketches, and made millions of people laugh, all while breaking the comedy glass ceiling. SNL’s female alumni have gone on to be the most successful film and television stars in the business.
This list answers the question, “Who are the funniest women in the history of SNL?” Women like Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Kristen Wiig have gone on to be critically acclaimed writers and actresses, creating some of the biggest products in pop culture like Bridesmaids, Mean Girls, and Parks and Recreation. Female cast of SNL from earlier seasons like Gilda Radner and Jane Curtin were among the first women to prove that being hilarious wasn’t just a man’s game.
All of the women on this list have proved themselves as comics both on SNL and with their huge careers in the comedy world afterwards.
2005-2012
Kristen Carroll Wiig (; born August 22, 1973) is an American actress, comedian, writer, and producer. She was born in Canandaigua, New York, and raised in both Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and Rochester, ...more1975-1980
Gilda Susan Radner (June 28, 1946 – May 20, 1989) was an American comedian and actress who was one of the seven original cast members for the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live (SNL). In her ...more1997-2006
Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey (born May 18, 1970) is an American actress, comedian, writer, producer, and playwright. She is best known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night ...more2001-2008
Amy Meredith Poehler (; born September 16, 1971) is an American actress, comedian, director, producer, and writer. After studying improv at Chicago's Second City and ImprovOlympic in the early 1990s, ...more2000-2007
Maya Khabira Rudolph (born July 27, 1972) is an American actress, comedian and singer. In 2000, she became a cast member on Saturday Night Live, then played supporting roles in films such as 50 First ...more2012-present
Cecily Legler Strong (born February 8, 1984) is an American actress and comedian who has been a cast member of Saturday Night Live since 2012. She was hired for SNL while doing improv at The Second ...more