Highly regarded, albeit reclusive comedy writer John Swartzwelder (shown above in animated form, with orange shirt) started his television career on the infamous 1985-86 season of "Saturday Night Live." Swartzwelder, known for writing the most episodes of "The Simpsons" (59, plus "The Simpsons Movie"), worked on the animated sitcom from 1989 to 2003 and helped give the irreverent Fox comedy its tone. But that was after his time on "SNL."
In 2021, Swartzwelder told The New Yorker he interviewed with then-showrunners Al Franken and Tom Davis, and then met with Lorne Michaels — his first season back after his hiatus. "The first words Lorne said to me were 'How old are you?'" Swartzwelder said. "I answered, truthfully, 'Thirty-six.' Lorne looked stunned..." This was the season with the show's youngest cast member in history, Anthony Michael Hall, who was 17, and his buddy Robert Downey Jr., who was 20. "I quickly added, 'But I feel younger.' And Lorne said, 'No, no, that's all right. You can be thirty-six," Swartzwelder continued. "I was a middle-aged rookie on a youth-oriented show. I think Lorne's concern was legitimate."
Swartzwelder enjoyed his time on "SNL," contributing sketches like "Time Machine Trivia Game" and "Those Unlucky Andersons." As the veteran writer recalled, "The all-night writing sessions were a fun challenge, and the office politics were the best. And I only had to work eighteen weeks that year." But when his contract was up, he wasn't asked back. He joked to The New Yorker that the experience was similar to being fired, but with no yelling involved.
