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Seth Meyers Just Named His Top Five Favorite SNL Characters of All Time

The Late Night Host talked Saturday Night Live with Snoop Dogg and Andy Cohen on October 20's WWHL. 

By Christopher Rudolph

It was "legends only" on the October 20 episode of Watch What Happens Live! when Snoop Dogg, Seth Meyers, and Martha Stewart all swung by the Clubhouse.

How to Watch

Watch Saturday Night Live Saturdays at 11:30/10:30c on NBC and Peacock, streaming next day on Peacock.

Host Andy Cohen and his guests covered a variety of topics over the course of their conversation, including their first concerts (Vanilla Ice for Meyers), the last celebrity they texted (for Snoop Dogg, it was Ice T!) the 2024 Paris Olympics, Stewart's love for Moo Deng the baby hippo, and the 50th season of Saturday Night Live.

RELATED: Seth Meyers Shares a Hilarious "Favorite SNL Memory" About Nicolas Cage

A viewer asked whether Meyers, as a former long-running cast member and head writer on SNL, had plans to participate in the upcoming prime time special marking the occasion, which will air on Sunday, February 16.

"I just officially received my first reach-out from [creator Lorne Micheals] saying, 'would you be available in February, should we need a hand?," Meyers said. He is right down the hall hosting Late Night in Studio 8G, but you'll have to watch in 2025 to see which of the show's many alumni wind up in the special. 

Bill Hader as Stefon and Seth Meyers during "Weekend Update".

Seth Meyers' favorite Saturday Night Live character may not surprise you

During "Watch What Happens Five," the final segment of the episode, Cohen asked Meyers to rank his top 5 favorite SNL characters ever — which had the former cast member and head writer counting down some of the most iconic characters from the show's half-century on the air.

Number 5: Rachel Dratch's Debbie Downer

For the fifth spot, Meyers chose Debbie Downer. Making its debut Rachel Dratch's character literally coined the term "Debbie Downer" for someone who manages to be a bummer in any situation. 

RELATED: Debbie Downer: A History of Rachel Dratch’s Iconic SNL Character

Debbie Downer- Dress Rehearsal

Number 4: Eddie Murphy's Buckwheat

Meyers also highly rated Eddie Murphy's Buckwheat character, which he played as a cast member from 1980-1984.

"I know it pre-existed, but he made it his own," Meyers said of Murphy's take on the Little Rascals character (at this point Snoop Dogg chimed in with a rendition of Murphy's Buckwheat singing "Wookin' Pa Nub").

Buckwheat Jeans

Number 3: Kate McKinnon's Colleen Rafferty

Kate McKinnon's absurd "Close Encounters" alien abductee took third place. 

Kate McKinnon, Ryan Gosling, and Sarah Sherman during the "Close Encounter" Cold Open on Saturday Night Live Episode 1861, on April 13, 2024.

 

Number 2: Will Forte's MacGruber

Meyers' second favorite is Will Forte's MacGruber. The MacGyver-parodying protagonist was one of the most recent SNL characters to get their own feature film (not to mention a series on Peacock).

"I have an enduring love for MacGruber, a great film. Under 90 minutes, check it out," he told the audience, referring to the 2010 action-comedy starring Forte, Kristen Wiig, and Ryan Phillippe. 

"I just watched the movie for the first time. It blew my mind," said Cohen.

MacGruber: Coronavirus

Number 1: Bill Hader's Stefon

Meyers' all-time favorite SNL character ever should come as no surprise to fans: "My one true love: Stefon." The two did get married onscreen, after all.

Weekend Update: Stefon's Farewell

Watch What Happens Live! wasn't the first time Snoop Dogg and Meyers have shared the stage. During their appearance, the two reminisced about the time they starred in an SNL sketch together when The Voice Coach hosted on May 8, 2004.

"I had to rap in a sketch with you," Meyers told Snoop Dogg. "I played a rapper named Ivory, which makes sense."

"I need to look that up," said Cohen, as Meyers told him he probably shouldn't.

Watch Seth Meyers, Snoop Dogg, and Martha Stewart's WWHL hang session on Peacock now