These Chicago Comedy Alums Are Headed To 'SNL'

By Stephen Gossett in Arts & Entertainment on Sep 27, 2017 3:32PM

Chris Redd / Facebook

It looks like the great Chicago-to-SNL comedy pipeline remains reliable as ever. Saturday Night Live announced on Tuesday their latest crop of Not Ready for Primetime Players, and Chicago comedy hounds will recognize a couple of familiar faces among the lineup: Chicago native Chris Redd and Luke Null.

Redd is certainly the most well-known of anyone in the new crop. He co-stars on Netflix's Disjointed and delivered a memorable turn as rapper Hunter the Hungry in Lonely Island's 2016 pop mockumentary Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping. Before those high-profile gigs, Redd cut his comic chops here in his hometown with iO, The Annoyance and The Second City. He also co-wrote the Second City-meets-Hubbard Street Dance mashup The Art of Falling—which we loved.

Ohio native Null also developed his skills here in Chicago, where he wrote and performed at iO and The Annoyance. He's apparently best known for his musical-comedy stylings, but you can sample some of his non-song-based work below.

Gary Richardson (iO, The Annoyance) and Steven Castillo (iO) also joined as writers, according to the Tribune.

The new season of SNL premieres this weekend with host Ryan Gosling and musical guest Jay-Z, who have each done quality work despite their lack of direct Chicago ties.

And if you still can't get enough Chicago-SNL synergy after Saturday, remember that the original prop- and costume-packed exhibit "Saturday Night Live: The Experience" goes live from Chicago next month at the Museum of Broadcast Communications.