Live" creator Lorne Michaels has donated his career archive to the Harry Ransom Center cultural archive at the University of Texas.

Wayans is one of many funny people looking back at the weekly late-night staple's place in comedy history in the Peacock docuseries SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night. Recalling his time on season 11 in the fourth episode, “Season 11: The Weird Year," Wayans said he didn't feel a lot of nerves about auditioning or making the cast — at first.

On April 24, 1976, Lorne Michaels, the creator and producer of the late-night NBC comedy program “Saturday Night” – it had not yet changed its name to “ Saturday Night Live ” – appeared on camera in hopes of luring the Beatles to reunite on the program.

"Everybody here is so talented and they don't want to be my friend," the comedian recalled telling the "Saturday Night Live" creator after his first season.

Damon Wayans recalls his controversial SNL sketch and firing in Peacock's docuseries 'SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night.'

Damon Wayans is opening up on the circumstances surrounding his firing from “Saturday Night Live” in 1986, admitting he “purposely” got himself canned.

In the 1980s, Damon Wayans was an up-and-coming comedian who landed a coveted spot as a cast member on Saturday Night Live. He appeared in just 11 episodes from 1985 to 1986 and was fired after an off-script moment during the live broadcast. When looking back on the moment, Wayans explained that it all happened as he planned.

The comedian looks back on "purposely" jeopardizing his position due to frustrations with creative direction in a docuseries on the sketch comedy.

Damon Wayans has revealed how he “purposely” got himself fired from “Saturday Night Live” by going off script. Wayans was a cast member for Season 11 of the sketch comedy series, which has been deemed “the weird year,

In episode 12 of the season, Wayans was in a sketch with Randy Quaid, where the pair played police officers. Despite rehearsing the character as discussed, Wayans decided to improvise during the live show and played the role as an effeminate gay stereotype.

Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts will present the 26th Mark Twain Prize for American Humor to Conan O’Brien on March 23, 2025, in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall. The Prize, which is named to honor one of the world’s greatest humorists,