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Every SNL Star Who Plays A Character On Mr. Mayor

NBC's "Mr. Mayor" follows Ted Danson's Neil Bremer, a wealthy businessman who runs for mayor of Los Angeles solely as a ploy to impress his teenage daughter. But when he actually wins, he suddenly has to figure out how to do the job, much to the chagrin of his staff. Holly Hunter co-stars as Arpi Meskimen, his fired-up deputy major attempting to make the most out of the joke of an office.

The show was created by Tina Fey and Robert Carlock, the duo behind other television hits like "30 Rock," "Girls5Eva," and "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt." Apart from these projects, while Carlock served as a producer on the final four seasons of "Friends," Fey is most known for her work with "Saturday Night Live," where she was a writer and performer for a decade from 1996 to 2006, and continues to return as host or to make a brief guest appearance. 

Considering the sway these two have in the television industry, "Mr. Mayor" has been able to attract a few big comedic names during its first two seasons. Among both guest stars and series regulars, three "Saturday Night Live" alum have made appearances — so far.

Bobby Moynihan stars as Jayden Kwapis

The most notable "Saturday Night Live" face on "Mr. Mayor" belongs to Bobby Moynihan, not for being the most famous but because of his status as a series regular. Moynihan plays Jayden Kwapis, the mayor's director of communications, and has appeared in every episode of the show since the pilot in January 2021. 

During his run on "Saturday Night Live" from 2008 to 2017, Moynihan embodied fan-favorite characters such as Drunk Uncle, Ass Dan, and Anthony Crispino. While he was not on the show at the same time as "Mr. Mayor" creator Tina Fey, five of Fey's six current hosting gigs were during seasons in which Moynihan was in the cast. 

One of the duo's most popular performances together is "Meet Your Second Wife" from the 41st season, where Amy Poehler and Fey host a game show that allows three male contestants (one of whom is Moynihan, another will appear later in this list) to meet their future second wives. The hilarious sketch currently has over 33 million views on YouTube.

Rachel Dratch guested as Ms. Adams

Rachel Dratch has been on the television comedy scene for the better part of two decades. She was a performer on "Saturday Night Live" at the exact same time as "Mr. Mayor" creator Tina Fey from 1999 to 2006. One of her most popular characters was Debbie Downer, a woman who found a way to work depressing subjects into any situation. 

Dratch also worked alongside Fey on "30 Rock," where she played a slew of characters throughout the run of the series (via YouTube). She also made a single episode guest appearance on another of Fey's shows "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" in 2017 (via IMDb). 

On "Mr. Mayor," Dratch has appeared in three episodes as "Ms. Adams," the principal of Orly Bremer's (Kyla Kenedy) school (via IMDb). It's a small role that so far has only appeared in Season 1, but based on Dratch's working relationship with Fey, we might see more of her as the show continues.

Taran Killam played Taryn Digiacomo in the holiday special

Ahead of the premiere of Season 2 of "Mr. Mayor," a holiday special was released on December 15, 2021 (via IMDb). Making a guest appearance was Taran Killam, a "Saturday Night Live" alum. Killam plays Taryn Digiacomo, who sings the original Christmas song about Los Angeles that Bobby Moynihan's Jayden has composed. 

Taran Killam's characters on "Saturday Night Live" included Jedediah Atkinson, an 1860s newspaper critic that appeared on Weekend Update, and Jonathan Cavanaugh-san in the recurring sketch "J-Pop American Fun Time Now!" Killam was not on the show during Tina Fey's run, but did appear in many of the episodes that Fey hosted, including performing alongside both Fey and Moynihan in the "Meet Your Second Wife" sketch in 2015.

Outside of "Saturday Night Live" work, Killam also had a role in the best picture Oscar winner "12 Years A Slave" and wrote, directed, and starred in the Arnold Schwarzenegger film "Killing Gunther" in 2017 (via IMDb).