Saturday Night Live has seen a number of amazingly talented female cast members that have left their mark over the years. Here are some of the best.

The women of Saturday Night Live are a special group of some of the funniest talents to ever appear on TV. A lot of the most influential comedians in the entertainment industry have been women - women like Lucille Ball, Joan Rivers, Whoopi Goldberg, and Phyllis Diller, to name just a few. In fact, some of the best comedians on arguably the most famous comedy sketch series of this modern era, Saturday Night Live, have been women.

These ladies have been a huge part of one of the longest-running shows in history and many of them have gone on to continue successful careers afterward, from hosting TV shows to becoming movie stars, and so much more. Due to comedic timing, longevity, and iconic characters, some ladies have stood out above the rest.

Updated on June 5th, 2021 by Kristen Palamara: The SNL cast has always changed throughout the years as new comedians are added to the show and as cast members leave for other television series. There have been countless female comedians who have appeared on the show over the decades but some were consistent fan favorites. From the trio of Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, and Maya Rudolph to Cheri Oteri and Ana Gasteyer, so many talents can count themselves as the best female Saturday Night Live cast members.

Updated on June 14th, 2022 by Kevin Pantoja: Recently, word broke that several long-running SNL cast members were departing the series. Among those talents were Aidy Bryant and Kate McKinnon, who have been making the audience laugh for so long that seeing the show without them is going to feel weird. They have also carved out their place among the greatest women of SNL and will go down among the best SNL female cast members, along with these other greats.

15 Vanessa Bayer

Vanessa Bayer was on the show from 2010 to 2017, making her one of the longest-lasting women in series history. Not only was she someone who was around for a while but she also proved her talents over and over, earning an Emmy nomination along the way.

Some of her most popular characters were Jacob the Bar Mitzvah Boy on Weekend Update and child actress Laura Parsons who would perform dramatic scenes in roles typically played by adults. Her Miley Cyrus impersonation was also so spot-on that she once did it in a segment opposite Miley herself.

14 Aidy Bryant

Aidy Bryant first appeared on SNL in 2012 and is still on the show in 2021 making audiences laugh with her recurring characters and brightening up any skit she appeared in.

She impersonated former White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, was an unnamed woman who would appear in pornography movies but was completely oblivious to the situation, and was Morgan on the Girlfriend Talk Show with Cecily Strong. She also had some of the funniest legitimate breaks on screen, when she would laugh when she wasn't supposed to. You can see Bryant expand her horizons with her Hulu show, Shrill.

13 Cheri Oteri

Cheri Oteri was on Saturday Night Live from 1995 to 2000 with several original character skits from the grouchy Rita DelVecchio who would yell at children in her Philadelphia neighborhood to fast food employee Nadeen who would tell customers to "simmer down," Oteri was always great.

She had a decent amount of impressions as well she perfected during her time on the show from Barbara Walters to Debbie Reynolds. Arguably, Oteri's still best known for the cheerleader skit where she and Will Ferrell were awkward yet enthusiastic cheerleaders for the Spartans' chess team.

12 Ana Gasteyer

Ana Gasteyer was on SNL from 1996 to 2002 and is arguably best known for her spot-on celebrity impressions that she perfected over the years she was a cast member on the show. Gasteyer impersonated so many celebrities to perfection during her time on the show.

Most famously she was Martha Stewart in various segments about crafts and cooking that were always fan-favorites. She was also Celine Dion in a skit where she hosted her own show along with other impressions like Joy Behar and Joan Rivers.

11 Cecily Strong

Cecily Strong joined SNL in 2012 and has made audience members laugh with her complete commitment to any skit since. That includes the recent Boxed Wine skit where she sloshed around wine as Jeanine Pirro, immediately making Colin Jost break, and jumped in a big case of boxed wine singing Frank Sinatra's "I Did It My Way."

Strong is a celebrated impressionist as she's done several celebrity impressions from Julie Andrews to Fran Drescher. She's also known for her Khloe Kardashian impersonation that was recurring in several skits.

10 Laraine Newman

Founder and original cast member of The Groundlings, an improvisational and sketch comedy troupe and school based in Los Angeles, California, Laraine Newman was also a part of SNL’s original cast in 1975. From 1975 to 1980, Newman provided comedy relief to millions of viewers on the late-night comedy sketch sensation.

She became instantly famous in the late 1970s, getting stopped in the street by fans and celebrities alike. Although she struggled with her fame and status on the show, she lent her talents to some of the most memorable sketches in SNL's history. Her best-known characters were Connie Conehead, Valley Girl Sherry, and the bemused co-host of E. Buzz Miller’s public-access television cable TV show. Newman has had an over 40-year career in both film and television.

9 Jane Curtin

Jane Curtin was part of the original “Not Ready for Prime Time Players” of Saturday Night Live on NBC in 1975 and she kept audiences filled with amusement until 1980. Ironically, of the original cast members, she was probably the most “strait-laced.” Not a partygoer or a participant of the culture surrounding the set, once the last dialogue was said, she went home avoiding the infamous SNL show wrap-up parties. Arguably her most recognized character was Prymaat, one of the Coneheads.

Although Curtin had moderate success in film, most of her accomplishments were in television. She had a hit series in the 1980s on CBS with Katie and Allie, alongside Susan St. James. Curtin won back-to-back Emmy Awards for Best Lead Actress in a comedy series while portraying Allison “Allie” Lowell. Fans also loved her for six seasons as Dr. May Albright in the smash series, 3rd Rock From the Sun.

8 Molly Shannon

Molly Shannon, a name synonymous with Saturday Night Live, was a stand-out and fan favorite since day one. She was a cast member from 1995 to 2001 and her best-known character is Mary Katherine Gallagher, a Catholic high school teenager whose odd behavior includes sticking her fingers under her arms when she gets nervous and taking a long-lasting smell - comedy gold, and even more so when starring in a school play or singing in the choir, vying to become a superstar.

Her character was so popular that it spun off into a feature movie, Superstar, alongside cast alumni Will Ferrell. Shannon’s movies include How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, and Never Been Kissed.

7 Kate Mckinnon

Winner of an American Comedy Award in 2014 and several Primetime Emmy Awards (with nine total nominations), Kate Mckinnon was a feature cast member of Saturday Night Live since 2012. She is the longest-tenured female cast member on the weekly sketch comedy series in the history of the show, surpassing Amy Poehler.

There are so many famous McKinnon sketches including “CNN Equality Town Hall Cold Open,” in which she played candidate Elizabeth Warren speaking on equality in America, delivering a list of one-liners including, “Sir, where is your bus stop because I wonder where you get off?” Other amazing sketches included “Diner Lobster” and “Teacher Fell Down,” where she played a Madison High teacher who falls in class but does not get up, only to teach life lessons from the floor. She also got to say goodbye in her final episode as one of her best characters, a woman who has odd experiences with aliens. Outside of the show, she has appeared in a handful of highly successful films.

6 Rachel Dratch

Rachel Dratch was a cast member of Saturday Night Live from 1999 to 2006. Her cast of famous characters included the Boston Teen "Denise" and Sheldon from "Wake Up Wakefield." But, who can forget Debbie Downer, the depressed woman who annoys others with her dialogue that is usually so absurd it's humorously confusing?

One of her most memorable sketches took place in 2017, just before Super Bowl LII, where Dratch appeared as a “Patriot of New England” in a revolutionary war-themed sketch parodying the fans of the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles. Although never cementing a career in movies, Dratch has played several guest roles on television shows like Third Watch, Monk, and Frasier.

5 Maya Rudolph

Gainesville, Florida’s Maya Rudolph, the daughter of acclaimed singer Minnie Riperton, appeared on Saturday Night Live from 2000 to 2007. Her godmother was R&B artist Tina Marie, which could be the reason why she impersonates famous singers so well. Her first touch of fame was with the alternative rock band, The Rentals, known for the songs “Friends of P” and “Waiting.”

Her gambit of impressions includes Michelle Obama, Beyoncé, Barbra Streisand, and Vice President Kamala Harris. Her most famous sketches are "Donatella Versace Goes Skiing" and "Celebrities Visit Jay Z and Beyonce to See Their New Baby." But her abundance of talent does not stop there. Some of her memorable roles include Grown Ups 2, The Godo Place, Bridesmaids, and Shrek the Third as Rapunzel.

4 Kristen Wiig

Nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a comedy series from 2009 to 2012, Kristin Wiig was a cast member with an impressive run. Her best impressions include Suzan Orman, Kathy Lee Gifford, Madonna, and Gwen Stefani.

Some of Wiig's greatest characters and sketches on SNL are the Target Lady and Penelope, a guest at a party who speaks in a nervous, shaking voice and twirls her hair around in fingers, and has to “one-up” the other guest drawing the attention to her. Some of her best-known movies are Knocked Up, Bridesmaids, Ghostbusters, and Wonder Woman 1984.

3 Amy Poehler

Actress, comedian, director, and producer Amy Poehler was a cast member on SNL from 2001 to 2008. Poehler was promoted from featured player to full cast member in her first season, making her the first woman and the second cast member to do so. She co-anchored Weekend Update with Seth Myers and announced live on the Weekend Update on December 13, 2008, that it would be her last show, thanking her family and friends.

Some of her famous sketches are “Mom Jeans” and “Meet Your Second Life,” alongside Tina Fey, cementing the pair as SNL’s dynamic duo. Poehler is also known for her role in Parks and Recreation as Leslie Knope and for the movie, Inside Out in which she is the voice of Joy.

2 Gilda Radner

Part of the seven original cast members, Gilda Radner was on Saturday Night Live from 1975 to 1980. Her most famous sketch was personal advice expert, Roseanna Rosanna Danna, which was based on a New York reporter, Rose Ann Scamardella, and Baba Wawa, a parody of Barbara Walters.

Radner won an Emmy in 1978 for her role on SNL and next to John Belushi, Radner was the most beloved of the original cast members. She made the film Hanky Panky, where she met her husband Gene Wilder, as well as The Woman in Red and Haunted Honeymoon. Sadly, Radner lost her battle with ovarian cancer in 1989.

1 Tina Fey

Tina Fey worked on Saturday Night Live from 1996 to 2007. She was co-anchor of Weekend Update (with Jimmy Fallon) and co-writer. Fey came back and hosted SNL five times, the first cast member to do so and only the third woman to perform the same feat, making her number one on the list of the best female cast members on Saturday Night Live.

Her best-known character is probably former Vice President candidate from Alaska, Sara Palin, and her most memorable sketch is “Mom Jeans” with Rachel Dratch. Fey starred on 30 Rock for seven years and some of her notable movies are Mean Girls (in which she wrote the screenplay), Baby Mama, Date Night, and Sisters.

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