The best 'Saturday Night Live' cast members of the 2020s (so far)

Thompson completely reinvented what it meant to be an “SNL” cast member. He’s still on the show, which he joined in 2003. Thompson made our list for the 2000s and for the 2010s, and he’s here for the 2020s as well. Only Lorne Michaels has been more involved in “Saturday Night Live” at this point. Thompson is a living legend of sketch comedy, and he has shown no signs of resting on his laurels.

With the 2020s so fresh, any cast member of note to appear in a couple seasons in the decade is going to make the cut here. Bryant certainly is such a cast member. After all, she made our 2010s list. She left the show in 2022, but that was after 10 seasons, including a couple in this decade. Bryant was not a force of nature like some cast members, but more of a solid contributor who did a lot of good work and added quality to most sketches she was in.

McKinnon did “return” for part of a season in order to become the longest-tenured female cast member in the show’s history in 2022, but that did mean a few more episodes for her in the 2020s. Plus, McKinnon is an all-time great “SNL” performer. She was an excellent impressionist and played a litany of wonderfully weird characters. McKinnon is one of the rare “SNL” cast members to win an Emmy for the show. She deserves to make the cut.

Mooney, along with Beck Bennett, joined “SNL” in 2013 from the comedy group Good Neighbor (the other members were hired behind-the-scenes as well). They were making comedy videos in the wake of The Lonely Island, and so in an era where more and more sketches were pre-taped, they fit right in. Bennett was on the show for eight seasons, so he lasted until 2021. Mooney, though, stuck around for nine, which means he left the show in 2022, and so he is included for this decade as well.

Che was a writer for “Saturday Night Live,” but then he got a job as a correspondent on “The Daily Show,” taking him away from 30 Rock. Then, when Cecily Strong left the show, Che was hired back by “SNL” to join the “Weekend Update” desk. While he was just a joke-delivering anchor for the first couple seasons, he was then moved to the cast and started to appear in sketches. Che has talked about leaving the show in the past, but he’s been there for over a decade, so we shall see.

Che joined Jost at the “Weekend Update” desk, and the two have been there together for over a decade now. Unlike Che, Jost basically just does “Weekend Update.” To be fair, he has also served off-and-on as one of the head writers on the show, a role Che has also had. Jost is the longest-tenured “Weekend Update” anchor in the show’s history, so much so he is probably the defining anchor to many “Saturday Night Live” fans at this point.

It’s not surprising that Villasenor has done a lot of voiceover work. Her skill set is built around her ability to cover a lot of ground vocally. During her time on “Saturday Night Live,” Villasenor racked up a ton of impressions, many of them accurate, many others not as accurate but a lot of fun. She didn’t invent the Owen Wilson impression, but it does feel like she helped popularize it, thereby ruining the word “wow” for many.

Day is heading toward the double-digit seasons club. While lengthier runs are becoming more common, that’s still notable. Plus, it means that Day has been on the show for the entirety of the 2020s. Things are going well for him, too. He was just part of the instant-classic Beavis and Butt-Head sketch, so clearly his welcome has not worn out.

Speaking of that Beavis and Butt-Head sketch, Gardner broke while in said sketch, and that was notable. She had earned a reputation for being one of those performers who never breaks during a sketch. Sure, some cast members who break can be charming while doing it (while others do it like Jimmy Fallon, much to our chagrin), but there is a lot to be said for a performer who is committed and in the scene episode in and episode out. She also gets to be in those ads with Daniel Levy now. Granted, we don’t remember the name of the company, but still, we recognize her from the ads.

While Nwodim getting hired on “SNL” meant we didn’t get to hear her as much on “Comedy Bang! Bang!,” it was a worthy exchange. Her podcast (and stage) appearances showed off her acumen with character work, and now “Saturday Night Live” viewers are familiar with Nwodim’s skill in this area as well. She hasn’t had the kind of breakthrough sketch, character, or impression many of her cohorts have, but we aren’t counting her out.

On the podcast front, Yang first became known as one of the co-hosts of the popular podcast “Las Culturistas.” This probably helped pave the way for him being hired as a writer on “Saturday Night Live.” After one season writing, Yang was invited to join the cast. The move has worked out. Yang has yet to win, but he’s been nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series three times for his “SNL” work.

Mercifully, the era of Alec Baldwin, Donald Trump impressionist ended with Johnson’s arrival to the “SNL” cast. Not only is he not stunt casting, Johnson is a great impressionist of the most-prominent monsters of modern times. His skill at that particular impression is indicative of his overarching skill at mimicry. It’s early in his run, but Johnson could end up being the best impressionist “SNL” has had since Darrell Hammond.