Will Ferrell made a name for himself when he was a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1995 to 2002
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During his time on the sketch comedy show, he created several memorable characters and landed hilarious impressions
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Ferrell returned to SNL for the season 51 finale on May 16
Will Ferrellhas had too many hilarious moments onSaturday Night Liveto count.
The comedian got his start on the sketch comedy show when he starred as a main cast member from 1995 to 2002. During his time onSNL,Ferrell made a name for himself with his impersonations — including formerPresident George W. BushandHarry Caray— and creative fictional characters — such as Craig Buchanan, David Leary and Marty Culp, among others.
Even after Ferrell leftSNL, he reprised several of his beloved roles for years to come. He's hosted the show five times from 2005 to 2019 and returned to the gig for theseason 51 finaleon May 16.
While promoting the upcoming episode, Ferrell paid homage to one of his famous sketches, "Get Off the Shed," in apre-taped skitwith cast membersChloe FinemanandSarah Sherman.
Here, take a look back at some of Will Ferrell's most memorable moments fromSaturday Night Live.
"More cowbell!"
While there are no shortage of standout moments from Ferrell's time onSNL, one that might immediately come to mind is the "More Cowbell" sketch from season 25 in 2000.
Ferrell, who also wrote the skit, starred ascowbell player Gene Frenklefor the Blue Öyster Cult band.
The skit follows Gene and fellow band members — played byChris Parnell,Jimmy Fallon,Chris KattanandHoratio Sanz— as they record the song "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" for music producer Bruce Dickinson (portrayed by guest hostChristopher Walken).
As the group records the song, Bruce insists over and over again that he needs "more cowbell" from Gene — who is also dressed in a low-cut, form-fitting brown shirt that rises up and gets in the way of his bandmates. "More cowbell" irritates the rest of the bandmates to no end, but Bruce doesn't give up.
The sketch became so well-known that Walken even told Ferrell he's frequently asked to play the cowbell and joked that the sketch "ruined my life."
"Get Off the Shed!"
One of Ferrell's first sketches that made him a beloved cast member was one that he auditioned with and later brought to the stage as "Get Off the Shed" in season 21 in 1995.
The simple yet humorous skit revolves around Frank Henderson inviting over his new neighbors (played byDavid KoechnerandNancy Walls Carell) for a barbecue. While having casual conversation, Frank tells his off-screen children to "get off the shed."
As the situation plays out, Frank gets more and more upset with his kids and ends up screaming at the top of his lungs, "Get off the damn shed!" while taking off his belt as a threat, to which the neighbors beg the kids, "Please get off the shed!"
Ferrell referenced the famed 1995 sketch while promoting season 51 ofSNLwhen he repeatedly screamed, "Get off the damn stage!" in a teaser.
"Spartan Cheerleaders"
Another one of Ferrell's most memorable earlier roles was overly excited high school wannabe cheerleader Craig Buchanan in the 1997 season 23 cold open sketch "Spartan Cheerleaders at Tryouts."
Ferrell played Craig alongside fellow hopeful cheerleader Arianna (Cheri Oteri) as they do every strange and gravity-defying moves to make their high school cheer team. Their cheer phrases and choreography get wackier every second as they try to prove themselves.
The skit became an instant classic, and Ferrell and Oteri reprised their roles several times — including during his 2012 hosting gig.
"Mark Jensen's Family Christmas"
In addition to his dozens of regularSNLseason appearances, Ferrell has also become known for his roles in the holiday specials.
During the season 26 Christmas special in December 2000, Ferrell went all out as fictional singer Mark Jensen in "Mark Jensen's Family Christmas." In the skit, Jensen is putting on a live Christmas special in front of a joyful choir behind him.
However, Jensen isn't just singing on a stage — he's actually rotating on a circular platform for several minutes. While belting out "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year," Jensen starts to feel ill from the motion and subsequently gets sick all over the stage, while refusing to end the show.
"The Love-ahs with Barbara and Dave"
Two Love-ahs like no-othah!
Ferrell andRachel Dratchtransformed into Roger and Virginia Klarvin — an expressive college professor couple who can't keep their hands off each other.
They debuted their characters in aseason 26 episodewithKatie Holmesin 2001 and later reprised their roles in "Love-ahs" skits over the next several years alongside Fallon and other guest hosts Walken,Drew BarrymoreandWinona Ryder.
While the sketch — which was created by Dratch after taking inspiration from one of her former professors — became a staple for both Ferrell and Dratch, it also helped launch Fallon's career, since he famouslycouldn't stop laughing during nearly all of his appearances.
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Robert Goulet
Ferrell introduced his exaggerated impersonation of famed entertainer Robert Goulet for season 26 in 2000. For his memorable impression, Ferrell often acted inebriated or over-the-top while performing and interrupting himself to tell random stories.
He portrayed Goulet, who approved of the sketch ahead of his 2007 death, in several episodes — including the 2001 "The Robert Goulet Christmas Special" sketch.
In 2025,Ferrell reprised the role once againfor theSNL 50th Anniversary SpecialalongsideKristen Wiigand other stars for a joint "The Lawrence Welk Show" skit.
"Celebrity Jeopardy!"
Another person whom Ferrell had fun impersonating wasJeopardyhostAlex TrebekinCelebrity Jeopardyskits. The skit was fairly self-explanatory, as Ferrell portrayed Trebek while asking simple questions to struggling celebrities.
The sketch frequently ran throughout Ferrell's time as a cast member from 1995 to 2002 and often featured that week's celebrity host as one of the contestants. In addition to the rotating contestants,Darrell Hammondalmost always appeared as Trebek's enemy, a fictional version of the lateSean Connery.
Ferrell helmed the podium when he returned to host in 2005, 2009 and theshow's 40th anniversary specialin February 2015. Trebek, whodied in 2020, even made a cameo alongside Ferrell in 2002.
James Lipton
Ferrell also became known for his parody ofJames Liptonhosting his famed showInside the Actors Studio. In his Lipton impression, Ferrell stared down his celebrity guests while asking them intense and pretentious questions.
The sketch became an instant hit, and Ferrell hosted the fictionalInside the Actors Studioas Lipton several times while he was a cast member. Among other notable moments, Ferrell famously coined the catchphrase "scrumtrulescent," which he used to describe something too marvelous to comprehend.
Lipton, whodied in 2020, befriended Ferrell as a result of the sketch and told CNN in 2012 that he "love[d]" the impersonation and found it "flattering," perThe Hollywood Reporter.
“Strategery”
Of all of Ferrell's characters and impersonations, heportrayed former President Bushthe most.
Ferrell made his debut as Bush in season 25 and went on to appear in dozens of sketches as the president until his departure. Ferrell returned as Bush as recently as season 43 in 2018.
His legendary impression even landed him a 2009 show on Broadway,You're Welcome America: A Final Night with George W. Bush.
While Ferrell had no shortage of laugh out loud moments as the former president, one of the more memorable skits had an effect on Bush for years. During a2000 debate sketch, Ferrell famously made up the word "strategery."
Bush's daughter,Jenna Bush Hager, later revealed that herdad was convinced for years that he was the personwho made the blunder.
"Someone else wrote that,” Ferrell said during a 2022 appearance on theTodayshow, while Bush Hager confirmed that her dad had no idea it wasn't real until recently. “Lorne Michaels told my dad, ‘You never said that,’ and he said, ‘What? I spent all those years [thinking I’d said it].' "
Ferrell quipped, "Oh, I knew all along. I’m sorry, Mr. President.”
"Dissing Your Dog"
While Ferrell had several recurring characters over the years, he also had a handful of one-hit-wonder skits.
In December 2001, Ferrell appeared in a pre-taped segment as "unhinged dog trainer," Dale Sturtevant, for "Dissing Your Dog."
While promoting his services in a commercial, Sturtevant shows off his unique skill set — which includes verbally mocking the sweet pups with sarcastic insults and humiliating remarks.
"Short Shorts for the USA"
Have shorts ever been the same since Ferrell's 2001 sketch, "Short Shorts for the USA"?
In the season 27 episode, Ferrell shows up late to an office meeting as dedicated employee Dale. However, Dale is wearing a questionable outfit — a U.S.A. crop top and patriotic flag briefs.
Dale joins the meeting as if it's a normal day, but his colleagues are grossed out by the NSFW outfit. When asked why "those shorts [are] so short," Dale famously asks the question, "Why are long pants long? Why are bushes bushy?"
By the end of the sketch, his rousing patriotic speech convinces the rest of his colleagues that he's in the right — up until his shorts rip.
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Will Ferrell made a name for himself when he was a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1995 to 2002 NEED TO KNOW ...
