Hilarious and Strong: The Women of SNL

Written by Akeana Rootes, 1075 KZL Intern

Over the years women have proved that they are much more than just a pretty face and a housewife. Years of progress have started to be eliminated in the last couple of years, mostly by men who will never understand what it is like to be a woman. But women are not backing down.

In fact, the women of SNL have pushed the political conversations as they satisfy the male gaze. More importantly they are showing women of all ages that fighting for equality should be top priority. The women of SNL are marginalized, and male hosts dominate, which is absurd considering that recently SNL has gained an increase in attention for moments attributed to its
female cast members.

There have been 894 hosts in the show’s 50 years, but roughly 30% of its hosts have been women. Even though SNL has minimized the appearance of women at center stage, many female-dominated skits have gone viral. For instance, during SNL’s 50th anniversary special, the writers brought back Bronx Beat with Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph’s characters which represent the stereotypical middle aged women who arguably get a little too excited about rocking sweaters in the fall, among other things. This skit returned because it is timeless since many of us have heard a strong New Yorkers accent (and have always laughed) and we all know someone or might be the one who can be ecstatic about the most normal things (and once again, we can’t help but laugh). Many other skits throughout the years, like Debbie Downer, have returned for the anniversary special and newer skits involving women have also gone viral while gaining attention from a younger audience. The notable one that has taken Tik Tok by storm was the Domingo skit that was posted on the app by SNL on Oct. 13, 2024. This video received 107 million views and 11.7 million likes. Clearly, women have been huge contributors to SNL’s success, and they deserve more host opportunities and screen time.

Even though stars like Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter have drawn in younger viewers, SNL still doesn’t appeal to the audience it wants to, which is Gen Z. Young adults don’t believe that they have the time to watch live television, they believe the skits are too long and there’s a disconnect. People who watch now are typically 30 to 44 years old, especially since a lot of the concepts and references are from their time. The SNL 50th anniversary episode that aired on Feb. 16, 2025, was certainly geared towards Millennials because this special show took a trip down memory lane and had many references that this generation would know very well, especially if they were fans of the show over the years.

Women from multiple generations were included in SNL’s 5oth anniversary tribute. Many skits that had people raving were women-led ones that had important messaging, if you looked hard enough. For instance, Molly Shannon reclaimed her role as Sally O’Malley, the strong confident 50-year old woman with the can-do attitude. This role demonstrates to women that the sky's the limit no matter your age. She represents how women should be confident in their own skin, even when others try to get them to fit the status quo or partake in the typical role of women their age.

There are so many more examples of SNL skits that showcase the power women hold and the continuous fight for the right to protect their bodies and speak out against men who try to silence their opinions and views.

SNL’s 50th anniversary can be streamed on various platforms. Keep a lookout for the women of SNL during this tribute, and I’m sure you can’t help but gain confidence and smile. The female stars on SNL are the anecdotes and the blueprint for women all over the world because they go against the status quo and showcase how brilliant and resilient women can be.