Catherine O’Hara Once Joined and Quit ‘SNL’ in the Span of a Week, Here's Why

Catherine O'Hara, who sadly died at age 71 on Friday, January 30, was one of the most accomplished and celebrated comedic actresses, having appeared in iconic films and shows like Home Alone, Beetlejuice, Best in Show, Schitt’s Creek, and The Studio. And while she was known for sketch comedy as part of Second City TV, she was not known for being on Saturday Night Live. That's because O'Hara actually got a job to be on SNL, only to quit after a week before filming a single episode. 

Speaking to People in 2024, O'Hara explained that she was cast for SNL's sixth season in 1980. It wasn't her first time in the cast of a sketch comedy series. O'Hara, who is Canadian, had appeared on Canada's SCTV, but she couldn't rely on that show coming back with any sort of regularity.

“Our producer would get a deal with a network, and we’d have a show for a season or two, and then that deal would go away. There’d be a break, then we’d do the show again,” she told People, explaining that her SNL opportunity came during one such break. "I got asked to be on Saturday Night Live. And of course I said yes. Who doesn’t want to do that?”

However, almost as soon as she'd taken the gig at 30 Rock, SCTV was renewed for another season. O'Hara opted to return to that show rather than stick around SNL. 

“Basically I said, ‘Oh, sorry, I gotta go be with my [comedy] family,’” she recalled. 

O'Hara later admitted that she was "stupid" for not waiting a little bit longer to see if SCTV would come back before making another commitment. “Yeah, not cool to take a job and leave it," she said.

Luckily for SNL, they had another comedy actress ready to replace her after she left. Robin Duke, who would be on SNL from 1981 until 1984, joined instead. As it turned out, Duke was O'Hara's high school best friend, and she had also appeared on SCTV but was more than happy to take the SNL gig. 

"It all worked out the way it was supposed to,” O’Hara said.

O'Hara Did Appear on Saturday Night Live Eventually

Even though O'Hara ditched SNL after only a week, there was seemingly no bad blood. She would make her way to Studio 8H a number of times. In a 1988 episode, O'Hara made a guest appearance in a skit titled "Laurie Has a Story."

In 1991, a few months after the premiere of Home Alone, O'Hara made her hosting debut during a Season 16 episode of the show. R.E.M. was the musical guest. She also hosted again in 1992, a month before Home Alone2 came out. This time, the musical guest was the band 10,000 Maniacs.

O'Hara died on Friday at 71 years old. She leaves behind an incomparable legacy in comedy, and a career that included 2 Primetime Emmys, a Golden Globe, and two Actor Awards (formerly Screen Actors Guild Awards).