Q 01/05

Who created Saturday Night Live?

A) Dick Ebersol

B) Lorne Michaels

C) Fred Silverman

D) Bernie Brillstein

Answer · why

B) Lorne Michaels

Lorne Michaels created Saturday Night Live, which premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, broadcast from Studio 8H at 30 Rockefeller Plaza.

Q 02/05

Which comedian hosted the very first episode of SNL on October 11, 1975?

A) Richard Pryor

B) Steve Martin

C) George Carlin

D) Lily Tomlin

Answer · why

C) George Carlin

George Carlin hosted the October 11, 1975 premiere, then billed as NBC's Saturday Night; Billy Preston and Janis Ian were the musical guests.

Q 03/05

What nickname was given to SNL's original cast?

A) The Not Ready for Prime-Time Players

B) The Late Night Irregulars

C) The Studio 8H Company

D) The Saturday Night Regulars

Answer · why

A) The Not Ready for Prime-Time Players

The original cast was billed as The Not Ready for Prime-Time Players, a troupe that included John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Gilda Radner and Chevy Chase.

Q 04/05

Which cast member, who joined in 2003, became the longest-serving in SNL history?

A) Darrell Hammond

B) Fred Armisen

C) Seth Meyers

D) Kenan Thompson

Answer · why

D) Kenan Thompson

Kenan Thompson was already a sketch veteran when he joined in 2003, having been an original cast member of Nickelodeon's All That in the 1990s.

Q 05/05

Who was the first recipient of the Kennedy Center's Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, in 1998?

A) Bill Cosby

B) Jonathan Winters

C) Carl Reiner

D) Richard Pryor

Answer · why

D) Richard Pryor

He grew up in Peoria, Illinois, and won the Grammy for Best Comedy Album five times.