Throughout the history of Saturday Night Live there have been plenty of iconic comedians to sit at the coveted Weekend Update desk. Chevy Chase, Norm Macdonald, Tina Fey and Bill Murray are just a few of the comics who’ve co-anchored the segment or handled it solo. Kevin Nealon took on that gig in the early ‘90s but was removed from the position just a few years later. Now, 22 years later, Nealon is revealing that he’s only recently learned exactly why he was removed from his post, and it’s honestly somewhat brutal.
From 1991 to 1994, Nealon anchored Weekend Update, welcoming iconic guest stars and, of course, poking fun at current events. Nealon would eventually be succeeded by the late Macdonald, a fact that was brought up during the former’s recent appearance on The Daily Beast’s Obsessed Podcast. During the interview (that’s since been posted to YouTube), Nealon revealed that thanks to some recent reading his done, he’s learned more about his Update removal and the inner workings of SNL in general:
I’m just finishing reading that book called Lorne. It’s about Lorne Michaels. And I’m learning what's happening behind the scenes that I didn’t know about. It says in the book that Don Ohlmeyer — who was the head of NBC at the time, who was in and out of rehab — didn't like me on Weekend Update. He also didn't like Norm Macdonald and fired him.
Apparently, the Happy GIlmore alum – who was on Saturday Night Live from 1986 to 1995 – was aware, at the time, that Don Ohlmeyer wasn’t all that pleased with his performance on the satirical news show. However, what he apparently wasn’t aware of was the very personal reason Ohlmeyer was less than impressed with him. Nealon further explained what he learned from reading SNL creator Lorne Michaels’ book:
I knew I got taken off of there because he wasn’t happy with me, but I didn’t know until I read the book that one of the reasons was he said I was ‘mushmouth.' He couldn’t understand some of the things I was saying. And for someone who, you know, is a partier like him, I think he knows what ‘mushmouth’ is about.
Being totally honest, “mushmouth” is a pretty cold assessment of Kevin Nealon’s tenure. Still, the network execs have the power to come in and ask that such creative changes be made. This may seem like a bummer, but Nealon actually has a positive outlook on the entire situation, and I understand why it’s not something he’s dwelling on too much:
That was fine, too, because it was a lot of work for me. I wasn't like Dennis Miller, who was fantastic at it. I was doing 'Weekend Update,' and I was writing sketches and characters and being in sketches. So it was hard to juggle the two, because I had to write a lot of the jokes on ‘Weekend Update.’
I can imagine a lot of working being necessary to ensure that Weekend Update goes off without a hitch. That’s one of the reasons I admire any comic who headlines the show week in and week out. Of course, it’s also worth mentioning that beyond the news segment aside, Nealon is still highly regarded for his tenure on SNL, as he played plenty of funny recurring characters and did some great impressions of politicians, too. And, with nine seasons under his belt, there was a time at which he was also the show’s longest-running cast member.
So even though his Update tenure ended unceremoniously, Kevin Nealon still has a lot to be proud of. Those who want to watch some of Nealon’s best material can stream classic Saturday Night Live episodes with a Peacock subscription. Also, catch new installments of the show, as they air on the titular night at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC amid the 2026 TV schedule.
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