Nora Dunn, Dennis Miller, and featured player A. Whitney Brown returned as cast members. Michaels went back to his original tactic of assembling a strong ensemble of relative unknowns, led by Dana Carvey, Phil Hartman, Jan Hooks, Victoria Jackson, and Kevin Nealon. The first show of the 1986–1987 season opened with Madonna, host of the previous season opener, telling the audience that the entire 1985–1986 season had been a "horrible, horrible dream". With the new cast, SNL gained renewed popularity. However, the 1987–1988 season was cut short by a writers strike. Gilda Radner had also been penciled in to host the season finale in the spring, but died in May 1989 after her cancer returned. Steve Martin, Radner's close friend, was scheduled to host SNL that night. Instead of his planned monologue, he presented a sketch from the 1970s featuring himself and Radner dancing. Notable events Dana Carvey's impression of George H. W. Bush is widely remembered, and Hartman's send-up of President Ronald Reagan kickstarted the most fruitful and successful period of political parody on SNL. Nora Dunn made headlines in 1990 when she, along with original musical guest Sinéad O'Connor, boycotted an episode hosted by comedian Andrew Dice Clay because they found his misogynistic humor offensive. Cast member Jon Lovitz discussed Dunn's boycott of the show in detail during an episode of “The ABCs of SNL” with director Kevin Smith: After this incident, Dunn was fired from the show. Season breakdown 1985–1986 season Cast Joan Cusack Robert Downey, Jr. Nora Dunn Anthony Michael Hall Jon Lovitz Dennis Miller Randy Quaid Terry Sweeney Danitra Vance Featuring A. Whitney Brown (debut: March 25, 1986) Al Franken (return: May 24, 1986) Don Novello Dan Vitale (final: February 8, 1986) Damon Wayans (final: March 15, 1986) Notes Damon Wayans was fired on March 15, 1986. He disliked how the show treated him, and developed a "straight" character intentionally so that Lorne Michaels would fire him. Terry Sweeney is the first openly homosexual male cast member. Sweeney is also the first openly gay actor ever to appear on an American television show, and the second of two SNL writers from Jean Doumanian's 1980–1981 season to be hired as a cast member in a later season. 1986–1987 season Cast Dana Carvey Nora Dunn Phil Hartman Jan Hooks Victoria Jackson Jon Lovitz Dennis Miller Featuring A. Whitney Brown Kevin Nealon 1987–1988 season Cast Dana Carvey Nora