Ben Stiller quit 'Saturday Night Live' because he "wasn't a great live performer"
The 59-year-old actor joined the cast of the long-running TV comedy show in 1989, at the age of 23, but Ben quit the programme after just four episodes, realising he wasn't suited to the format
10 February 2025
He told The Hollywood Reporter: "I just knew that I wasn't a great live performer."
Ben used to feel anxious before the show and he ultimately realised that he was more suited to "making movies".
The 'Zoolander' star recalled: "It got me nervous. I get stressed out even thinking about it, and making movies is the opposite of that. You get to do it over and over again."
'Saturday Night Live' is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and the show has provided a platform for some of Hollywood's biggest names - including Ben, Will Ferrell, Eddie Murphy and Chevy Chase - over the years.
Despite this, Tracy Morgan recently revealed that he felt like he was being "culturally isolated" after he joined 'Saturday Night Live'.
The 56-year-old comedian joined the show's cast in 1996, but Tracy initially struggled to adjust.
He told 'SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night': "I wanted to show them my world, how funny it was. But the first three years, I felt like I was being culturally isolated sometimes.
"I'm coming from a world of blacks. I'm an inner city kid. To be on the whitest show in America, I felt by myself. I felt like they weren't getting it."
However, Tracy's outlook changed following a conversation with Lorne Michaels, the show's creator.
The comedian explained: "Lorne Michaels had that talk with me. He said, 'Tracy, I hired you because you're funny, not because you're black. So just do your thing.' And that's when I started doing my thing."
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