Ben Stiller has shared the reason behind his decision to leave Saturday Night Live after appearing in only four episodes as a cast member in 1989.
“I just knew that I wasn’t a great live performer,” Stiller, 59, admitted in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published on Wednesday, February 5.
Stiller first caught the attention of SNL producer Lorne Michaels with a student film he created at UCLA, which was a parody of Martin Scorsese’s 1986 hit movie The Color of Money, starring Tom Cruise and Paul Newman. This led to him being added to the show’s cast midway through its 14th season as a featured player alongside Mike Myers.
As he reflected on his brief time at SNL ahead of the show’s 50th-anniversary celebration, the Night at the Museum actor recalled feeling uneasy about performing live.
“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,” said Stiller, whose parents were the celebrated comic actors Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara.
Bob Odenkirk, Stiller’s friend and occasional collaborator, was a writer on SNL at the time and remains deeply impressed by Stiller’s bold decision to leave the legendary comedy show.
“He was ballsy as hell to walk away from SNL and to be able to say with confidence about himself and his career, ‘This isn’t going to work for me. I have to leave here,’” Odenkirk, 62, noted.
Stiller’s gamble paid off when he landed his own sketch comedy show, The Ben Stiller Show, on Fox in 1992. The show became a significant platform for many rising alternative comedy stars of the 1990s, including Janeane Garofalo, Judd Apatow, and David Cross.
Ben Stiller (Photo: Wireimage)By the mid-1990s, Stiller transitioned into directing, working on films such as Reality Bites and The Cable Guy. His career as an actor skyrocketed with his breakthrough role in There’s Something About Mary, cementing his status as a comedy superstar.
Despite his short tenure on Saturday Night Live, Stiller has made multiple returns to the show over the years, hosting twice and making several cameo appearances. Most notably, he portrayed Michael Cohen, former lawyer to then-U.S. President Donald Trump.
In December 2024, reports emerged that Stiller was in discussions to revisit his hit Meet the Parents franchise with a new sequel, marking the fourth installment in the series.
His longtime co-stars Robert De Niro, Teri Polo, and Blythe Danner are expected to return, with Meet the Parents veteran writer John Hamburg penning the script for the untitled comedy.
On the personal front, Stiller has recently opened up about reconciling with his wife of 25 years, Christine Taylor, following a period of separation. The couple initially split in 2017 but found their way back together during the COVID-19 pandemic.
During a January 2025 appearance on The View, Stiller reflected on the effort both he and Taylor put into their relationship.
“In a relationship – we’ve been married for 25 years – you have to work at it. COVID happened, and we all got in a house together with our family. I’m grateful. I’m so grateful we’re back together,” he said.
The Emmy-nominated Severance executive producer also shared with The View hosts that he ultimately realized staying with Taylor was the best decision for their family.
“Now, every day that we’re together, we do not take for granted. I know I don’t,” Stiller expressed. “Because you know it could go away. That, to me, is the gift of our relationship—we have that awareness every day. I’m so happy that we’re back together.”
Saturday Night Live airs on NBC at 11:30 p.m. ET.