In 2022, eight cast members of Saturday Night Live left the show to pursue other ventures. Concern among fans grew when staples like Aidy Bryant and Kate McKinnon left the comedy sketch show. Lorne Michaels finally broke his silence in a recent interview with The New York Times; the pandemic affected many cast members’ ability to move on, and to keep the show fresh, this mass exit was actually natural for the comedians. Chris Redd, who joined the cast in 2017, is one of the last members to leave the show. Known for his impersonations of celebrities such as Nick Cannon and Offset, Redd knocks every character out of the park. While fans may be bemoaning his departure, PEOPLE reports that Redd has a special HBO set to release later this year, as well as a feature film titled Cyber Monday in the works. In honor of Redd’s time on Saturday Night Livehere’s a ranking of his best characters.
9/9 Nick Cannon
Nickelodeon host Nick Cannon has been a fixture on the network since the early 2000s. He is as connected to the Millennials’ experience of TV as Britney Spears is to pop music. When comedian John Mulaney presented SNL, a millennial himself, one of Nickelodeon’s mocked sketches in other countries. With Redd portraying Cannon and Alex Moffatt portraying Marc Summers, the skit is as funny as it is wild. Redd’s rendition of Cannon is spot on. Redd, in particular, controls Cannon’s speech tempo.
8/9 Jordan Peele
Mocking the game shows and their hosts, such as Danger and Alex Trebek, is a staple for Saturday Night Live. But what made these sketches hilarious wasn’t just Will Ferrell’s imitation of Trebek, but SNL impersonations of celebrity contestants by hosts and cast members. Featuring Kenan Thompson as host Steve Harvey, the Celebrity Family Feud sketch, where Redd plays no director Jordan Peele, is a special highlight. Redd’s portrayal of Peele is reminiscent of Norm McDonald’s impersonation of Burt Reynolds.
7/9 Jaleel White
When the reboot of Fresh Prince Of Bel Air was announced, SNL did their own sketch to announce the Urkel reboot. While completely fictional, it pokes fun at modern reboots of 90s comedy shows that need to be more serious. Redd portrays Jaleel White as Steve Urkel in a more serious tone. Redd is hilarious as White/Urkel in the serious reboot commercial.
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5/9 Wesley Snipes
The Jurassic Park Auditions sketch features Redd as director Wesley Snipes, as well as Kate McKinnon as daytime TV host Ellen DeGeneres and Pete Davidson as comedian turned director Adam Sandler. SNL cast members impersonating celebrities auditioning for various roles in the famous saga is a top comedy. Redd auditioning Snipes begins with a joke about tax evasion and ends when he reads the line, looking slightly away from the camera.
4/9 Friendos Rap Threesome
Another digital short film starring Redd and Thompson as fictional rappers adds comedian Donald Glover to the trio called Friendos. The Friendos Music Video is about the group that goes into therapy to solve their problems. dr. Angela, played by Cecily Strong, encourages the group to use “I feel” statements when addressing emotional issues. The problem is, every time Redd brings up an emotional problem, Thompson yells, “LAMBO!” Notably, rapper A$AP Rocky makes a cameo in the sketch.
3/9 Stedman Graham
On The Weekend Update, Redd Stedman portrays Graham, Oprah’s longtime partner, alongside Leslie Jones, who plays Oprah. Redd often appeared on the segment as herself with hosts Colin Jost and Michael Che. He would explain certain concepts that have been whitewashed or commentary on big movie moments and what they mean to the black community. But in this particular segment, he imitates Graham’s unwavering support for Oprah. Jost even says Oprah is very powerful after her announcement to run for president, to which Redd laughs and replies, “You don’t even know!” This portrayal of someone who isn’t technically in the public eye, at least compared to their partner, is exactly what people would expect.
2/9 The Booty Kings
When Andy Samberg first joined SNL, he introduced the public to Digital Shorts. Samberg and the musical guest wrote a rap or song about something innocuous, like going out, and joked about it. After Samberg’s departure, Digital Shorts remained in a similar format. Redd is in several of the new shorts. In the Permission Digital Short portrays part of the fictional rapper duo, The Booty Kings, with Thomspon, while Davidson portrays the fictional rapper Uncle Butt. Samberg’s Digital Shorts were controversial at times, so with new cast members came a new perspective on the musical numbers. Redd, Thompson and Davidson’s Permission is about being in the club and asking for permission. Rappers Lil Wayne and Future make cameos.
1/9 Eric Adams
In a cold open, Redd portrays the newly elected mayor of New York City, Eric Adams. During an imitation of the mayor’s first press conference, it seems more like a party than a serious speech. Ariana Debose portrays City Hall spokesman Emily Hernandez, who refers to Adams as the frisiest uncle at the barbecue, setting the tone for the speech’s non-seriousness. He explains that NYC’s biggest problem is its lack of swagger. A running joke throughout the skit, which makes it all the more hilarious, is his experience (or lack thereof). First, he says he’s been eating clean for 60 years, soon followed by being a police officer for 70 years. The press conference ends with Debose as Hernandez slowly steps back into the frame, clapping, proposing not to invite the COVID-19 virus to NYC.