• Log in
    PoliticsBusinessA&ETransgenderBisexualityReligionFamiliesVoicesVideo
    OUTPrideOut TravelerPLUSADVOCATE CHANNEL
    SubscribeSubscriber ServicesEmail Newsletter Signup
    CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
    © 2023 Pride Publishing Inc.
    All Rights reserved
    Advocate.comAdvocate.com
    Scroll To Top

    By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.

    Accept

    A Brief History of LGBTQ+ Firsts On ‘Saturday Night Live’

    Rachel Shatto
    | 09/16/22

    A Brief History of LGBTQ+ Firsts On ‘Saturday Night Live’

    Molly Kearney, Punkie Johnson, Bowen Yang, Kate McKinnon

    From boundary-breaking cast members and writers to musical guests who sang the soundtrack of our lives, queerness has played a role in the long-running comedy sketch show Saturday Night Live -- quite literally from the very beginning. So, without further ado ... Live from New York, it's the queer history of Saturday Night Live!

    Janis Ian Is the First Queer Musical Guest (Season 1, Episode 1)

    Janis Ian

    Queer folks were hiding in plain sight from the very beginning of Saturday Night Live. In episode 1 of season 1 in 1975, Janis Ian, though then still closeted, appeared as a musical guest. She performed her hit "At Seventeen."

    Lily Tomlin Is the First Queer Host (Season 1, Episode 6)

    Lily Tomlin

    While viewers didn't know it at the time, its first LGBTQ+ host appeared in the first season when Lily Tomlin had the honor of hosting the episode. Tomlin's monologue was a delightfully strange reading of her journal, and audiences were treated to her classic characters of the precocious Edith Ann and telephone operator Ernestine.

    The B-52's Are the First Out Queer Musical Guests (Season 5, Episode 9)

    The B-52s

    SNL got its first out musical guests with the B-52's. The band performed "Rock Lobster" and "Dance This Mess Around" in 1980.

    Terry Sweeney Is the First Out Gay Cast Member (Season 11)

    Terry Sweeney

    In season 11, SNL added its first out cast member, Terry Sweeney. His partner, Lanier Laney, also joined that season as a writer. During Sweeney's one-season tenure on the sketch show in 1985, his characterizations of Nancy Reagan, Joan Collins, and Joan Rivers were standouts. However, he left the show after his first season, reportedly having endured behind-the-scenes homophobic bullying by Chevy Chase, a former cast member who had returned to host SNL. It would be 27 years before another out cast member would join the show.

    Danitra Vance Is the First Lesbian Cast Member (Season 11)

    Danitra Vance

    Danitra Vance also joined SNL in season 11, becoming the series' first lesbian cast member, although she was not out professionally at the time. Unhappy with the choice of characters she was asked to play, which included That Black Girl (an actress repeatedly being overlooked for her race) and Cabrini Green Jackson (a professional teenage mother and motivational speaker), Vance also left the show after season 11.

    Alan Cumming Is the First Out Queer Host (Season 25)

    Alan Cumming

    Bisexual Scottish actor Alan Cumming might not have been SNL's the first queer host, but he was the first to host the show while he was already out and proud, in 2000.

    Paula Pell Is the First Out Queer Woman to Become a Head Writer (Season 32)

    Paula Pell

    Although writer Paula Pell had been making her mark on SNL with characters like Debbie Downer and the Spartan cheerleaders beginning in season 21, it wasn't until season 32 that she was named head writer, a gig that lasted for two seasons. Not only was she the first only queer woman head writer, but she was only the second woman, period, to hold that title in the series' long history (after Tina Fey).

    Kate McKinnon Is the First Out Lesbian to Join the Cast (Season 39)

    kate mckinnon and colin jost

    In 2012, Kate McKinnon became the series' first out woman cast member. She began as a member of the repertory company and was promoted to full castmate in her second season. She had quickly become an icon of the show for her incredible celebrity impersonations and wacky, frequently queer characters.

    Chris Kelly Is Named the Series' First Out Gay Head Writer (Season 42)

    Chris Kelly

    Chris Kelly became the long-running sketch show's first out gay head writer when he was promoted to the role in 2016. He was the co-lead writer alongside Sarah Schneider.

    Bowen Yang Becomes the First Out Gay Asian Cast member (Season 45)

    Bowen Yang and Colin Jost

    The hilarious Bowen Yang joined the cast of SNL in 2019 and made history as its first out Asian cast member. He quickly became a scene-stealer and made further history just two years later when he was nominated for the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Emmy for his role on Saturday Night Live, the first time a "featured" player had earned that nod.

    Punkie Johnson Becomes the First Out Queer Black Cast Member (Season 46)

    Punkie Johnson

    Thirty-five seasons after Danitra Vance joined the cast and became the first queer (but closeted at the time) Black woman on the cast, Punkie Johnson made history as the first out queer Black woman. Her bits on "Weekend Update" have quickly been a highlight of the segment.

    Molly Kearney Becomes 1st Nonbinary Actor to Join SNL

    Molly Kearney

    Molly Kearney will join the cast this year as the show's first out nonbinary featured player.

    Kearney, who is from Cleveland and uses they/them pronouns, is no newcomer to entertainment. They were selected for Comedy Central's Up Next showcase in 2019 and can be seen right now in Prime Video's A League of Their Own and Disney+'s The Mighty Ducks.

    Latest Stories

    Days of Rage posters
    Activism
    Badge
    gallery

    ​14 Inspiring Queer Protest Posters in Days of Rage from ONE Archives

    8h
    Sky High Pride: Unveiling New York City’s Top LGBTQ-Friendly Rooftop Bars
    Business
    Badge
    gallery

    Sky High Pride: Unveiling New York City’s Top LGBTQ-Friendly Rooftop Bars

    June 05 2023 8:00 PM
    Glamorous
    television
    Badge
    gallery

    10 First-Look Photos of New Queer Netflix Series 'Glamorous'

    June 05 2023 6:01 PM
    15 Steamy Photos from the 'True Colors' Pride Series by Kuros
    Photography
    Badge
    gallery

    15 Steamy Photos from the 'True Colors' Pride Series by Kuros

    June 03 2023 10:00 PM
    Temptation Sunday
    Photography
    Badge
    gallery

    47 Photos of Temptation Sundays Summer Launch in Las Vegas

    June 03 2023 6:58 PM
    17 Photos of the Trans Experience by Mariette Pathy Allen
    Art
    Badge
    gallery

    17 Photos of the Trans Experience by Mariette Pathy Allen

    June 03 2023 3:35 PM
    ONE Archives
    Pride
    Badge
    gallery

    13 Vintage Photos of Los Angeles's Queer Pride from ONE Archives

    June 02 2023 5:05 PM
    Shows to watch in June
    Arts & Entertainment
    Badge
    gallery

    15 LGBTQ+ TV Shows and Movies to Watch in June

    June 02 2023 4:31 PM
    Christopher Briney and Gavin Casalegno
    television
    Badge
    gallery

    9 First-Look Photos of 'The Summer I Turned Pretty' Season 2

    June 01 2023 7:00 PM
    Matt Bomer and Jonathan Bailey’s Gay Romance 'Fellow Travelers' Gets Teaser
    television
    Badge
    gallery

    Matt Bomer and Jonathan Bailey’s Gay Romance 'Fellow Travelers' Gets Teaser

    June 01 2023 5:00 PM
    LGBTQ Pride Flags
    Pride
    Badge
    gallery

    36 Queer Pride Flags You Should Know

    June 01 2023 4:01 PM
    Ayo Edebiri, Sofia Coppola, and Julio Torres
    film
    Badge
    gallery

    NewFest Pride Reveals Lineup for its 3rd Annual Summer Film Series

    June 01 2023 2:30 PM
    Tan and Rob France
    People
    Badge
    gallery

    Queer Eye’s Tan France Welcomes Baby Number 2 With Husband Rob

    May 31 2023 2:00 PM
    60 Photos of Your Favorite Celebs Supporting LGBTQ+ Youth at GLSEN Respect Awards
    Activism
    Badge
    gallery

    60 Photos of Your Favorite Celebs Supporting LGBTQ+ Youth at GLSEN Respect Awards

    May 31 2023 10:05 AM
    Girls Like Girls, Stars Collide, and Leg book covers
    Books
    Badge
    gallery

    13 LGBTQ+ Books to Read and Enjoy Before Spring Is Over

    May 30 2023 11:00 AM
    Joe Locke and Kit Connor from Heartstopper
    television
    Badge
    gallery

    5 First Look Photos from 'Heartstopper' Season 2

    May 30 2023 8:00 AM
    Nico Tortorella, Janelle Monáe, and Brandon Urie
    Pansexual
    Badge
    gallery

    12 Pan Icons to Celebrate Pansexual Visibility Day

    May 24 2023 7:17 PM
    'Red, White, and Royal Blue,' the Gay R-Rated Rom-Com, Debuts Key Art
    film
    Badge
    gallery

    'Red, White, and Royal Blue,' the Gay R-Rated Rom-Com, Debuts Key Art

    May 24 2023 11:06 AM
    Jake Daniels
    People
    Badge
    gallery

    Gay Soccer Star Jake Daniels, 18, Shares About His Partner, 46

    May 22 2023 1:35 PM
    5 Victims of Club Q Shooting Remembered
    Crime
    Badge
    gallery

    5 Victims of Club Q Shooting Remembered

    May 19 2023 10:03 PM