Wigs on display in the SNL hair room.
Iconic sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live just hit the big 5-0, marking half a century of wigs so legendary they deserve their own Emmy.
Over the decades, SNL’s wig game has evolved alongside its cast, but one thing has remained the same: lightning-fast hair transformations amidst live TV chaos.
In the show’s early days, the 1970s cast largely relied on their natural hair, but there were still some unforgettable wig moments; most notably, Gilda Radner’s Roseanne Roseannadanna and her signature frizz bomb.
The iconic Gilda Radner, part of the original SNL cast in the 70s. Her character Roseanne Roseannadanna was famous for her frizzy hair; Emma Stone pulled on a wig in 2015 to pay tribute.
By the 1980s and 1990s, wigs became an essential comedy tool. Eddie Murphy’s Buckwheat and Mike Myers’ Wayne (as in World) proved that the right hair could make a character.
By the 2000s, the wig department was in full force, crafting iconic looks for Fred Armisen as Prince, Maya Rudolph as Beyoncé and Kate McKinnon’s eerily accurate takes on Hillary Clinton, Justin Bieber and Ellen DeGeneres.
A very small selection of Maya Rudolph's wigs.
Kate McKinnon wore lots of wigs during her time on the cast, including this look and character described by the hair team as "charming butch".
One of SNL’s most prolific wig-wearers was, fittingly, Kristen Wiig – the queen of absurdist comedy and hair moments. From Gilly’s tight curls to Target Lady’s bowl cut, Dooneese’s extremely high hairline and Karina’s perfectly tousled waves in The Californians, her wigs were as delightfully ridiculous as her characters.
Kristen Wiig by name, wig by nature. Just a few of her iconic hair and recurring character moments: The Californians, Gilly, Target lady and Dooneese.
Today SNL’s hair game is elite, thanks to its Emmy-winning hair department, led by Jodi Mancuso and her team of 21 sorcery-level stylists.
According to Vogue, an average episode of SNL features around 80 wigs, totalling 1600 wigs per season. Some are repurposed for new looks, while wigs belonging to iconic characters are archived – because at SNL, hair is history.
SNL's hair room aka wig heaven.
Alongside the regular cast, the team has crafted wigs for countless hosts, including recent hair highlights: Ariana Grande’s copper bowl cut as Italian castrato Antonio, Timothée Chalamet and Boygenius’ sleep paralysis Troye Sivan and Ryan Gosling’s terrifyingly accurate ‘real-life’ Beavis.
Sometimes, wigs become the focus of the sketch, like Jonah Hill's wigs for pugs, and Bill Hader's Nelson's Baby Toupees.
When the hair makes the character: Ryan Gosling as Beavis and Ariana Grande as a young boy castrated to preserve his high voice.
Troye Sivan's tousled hair, as worn by Timothée Chalamet and Boygenius.
Wigs as a key prop, for a classic SNL commercial parody in 2006, 'Nelson's Baby Toupees'.
Wigs for pugs!
With a dedicated wig room bursting with lace fronts, extensions, and sheer comedic brilliance, SNL’s hair department has spent five decades proving that the right wig isn’t just an accessory – it’s the punchline.
Mike Myers as the big-haired, sequin-adorned character Linda Richman in the early 2000s.
Comedian Bill Hader's most famous character, a NYC club kid with signature side-swept and highlighted hair (a wig), Ed Hardy shirt and nonsensical takes on nightlife.
Political impersonations have become a mainstay of modern day SNL - including political figures' very specific hair.
