In 2022, eight cast members from Saturday Night Live left the show to pursue other ventures. Concerns 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’ abilities to move on, and in order 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 latest members to leave the show. Known for his celebrity impersonations like Nick Cannon and Offset, Redd knocks each character out of the park. While fans may be lamenting his departure, PEOPLE reports that Redd has an HBO special set to release later this year as well as a feature film entitled Cyber Monday in the works. In honor of Redd’s time on Saturday Night Live, here’s a ranking of his best characters.
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9 Nick Cannon
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Nickelodeon host Nick Cannon has been a staple on the network since the early-2000s. He is as tied to Millennials’ experience with TV as Britney Spears is to pop music. When comedian John Mulaney hosted SNL, a Millennial himself, one of the sketches mocked Nickelodeon shows in other countries. With Redd portraying Cannon and Alex Moffatt portraying Marc Summers, the sketch is as funny as it is wild. Redd’s portrayal of Cannon is spot-on. In particular, Redd masters Cannon’s speech tempo.
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8 Jordan Peele
Mocking the game shows and their hosts, like Jeopardy and Alex Trebek, is a staple for Saturday Night Live. Yet, what made these sketches hilarious was not just Will Ferrell’s imitation of Trebek, but SNL hosts and cast members’ imitations of celebrity contestants. With Kenan Thompson as host Steve Harvey, the Celebrity Family Feud sketch, where Redd plays Nope director Jordan Peele, is a particular highlight. Redd’s portrayal of Peele is reminiscent of Norm McDonald’s imitation of Burt Reynolds.
7 Jaleel White
When the reboot of Fresh Prince of Bel Air was announced, SNL did their own sketch to announce the Urkel reboot. Though it’s completely fictional, it pokes fun at modern reboots of 1990s comedy shows needing 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 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 imitating celebrities auditioning for various roles in the famed saga is peak comedy. Redd doing Snipes’ audition begins with a joke about tax evasion and ends with him reading the line, looking slightly away from the camera.
4 Friendos Rap Trio
Another digital short starring Redd and Thompson as fictional rappers adds comedian Donald Glover to the trio that is Friendos. The Friendos Music Video is about the group attending therapy to work through their issues. Dr. Angela, portrayed by Cecily Strong, encourages the group to use “I feel” statements when addressing emotional issues. The problem is that, each time Redd brings up an emotional issue, Thompson yells out, “LAMBO!” Rapper A$AP Rocky notably makes a cameo in the sketch.
3 Stedman Graham
During The Weekend Update, Redd portrays Stedman Graham, Oprah’s long-time partner, alongside Leslie Jones, who portrays Oprah. Redd often appeared on the segment as himself with hosts Colin Jost and Michael Che. He would explain certain concepts that are either whitewashed or comment on big movie moments and what they mean to the Black community. Though, in this particular segment, he is imitating Graham’s unwavering support for Oprah. Jost even says that Oprah is very powerful, following her announcement to run for President, to which Redd as Graham laughs and responds, “You don’t even know!” This portrayal of someone who is not technically in the public eye, compared to his partner anyway, is exactly what people would expect.
2 The Booty Kings
When Andy Samberg first joined SNL, he introduced audiences to Digital Shorts. Samberg and the musical guest would write a rap or song about something innocuous, like clubbing, and poke fun at it. After Samberg’s exit, Digital Shorts stayed around with a similar format. Redd is in several of the new shorts. In the Permission Digital Short, he portrays one part of the fictional rapper duo, The Booty Kings, with Thomspon while Davidson portrays fictional rapper Uncle Butt. Samberg’s Digital Shorts were sometimes controversial, so with new cast members came a new perspective to the musical numbers. Redd, Thompson, and Davidson’s Permission is about being in the club and asking for consent. Rappers Lil Wayne and Future make cameos.
1 Eric Adams
In a cold open, Redd portrays newly elected Mayor of New York City, Eric Adams. During an imitation of the first press conference from the mayor, it seems more like a party than a serious address. Ariana Debose portrays City Hall Spokesperson Emily Hernandez, who refers to Adams as the friskiest uncle at the BBQ, setting the tone for the un-seriousness of the address. He explains that NYC’s biggest problem is that the city suffers from a lack of swagger. A running joke through the sketch, making it all the more hilarious, is his experience (or lack thereof). First, he says he’s been eating clean for 60 years, quickly followed by being a police officer for 70 years. The press conference ends with Debose as Hernandez slowly stepping back into frame clapping and suggesting to not invite the COVID-19 virus into NYC.
