<P> The cast were often contracted from anywhere between five and six years to the show , but starting with the 1999 -- 2000 season , new hires were tied to a rewritten contract that allowed NBC to take a cast member in at least their second year and put them in an NBC sitcom . Cast are given the option of rejecting the first two sitcom offers but must accept the third offer , with the sitcom contract length dictated by NBC and potentially lasting up to six years . The move drew criticism from talent agents and managers who believed that a cast member could be locked into a contract with NBC for twelve years ; six on SNL and then six on a sitcom . The contract also optioned the cast member for three feature films produced by SNL Films , a company owned by NBC , Paramount Pictures , and Michaels . The new contracts were reportedly developed after many previously unknown cast , such as Myers and Sandler , gained fame on SNL only to leave and make money for other studios . In a 2010 interview , Wiig was reported to be contracted to SNL for a total of seven years . The contracts also contain a network option which allows NBC to remove a cast member at any time . In the first season of the show , cast were paid $750 per episode , rising to $2,000 by season two , and $4,000 by season four . By the late 1990s , new cast members received a salary between $5,000 and $5,500 per episode , increasing to $6,000 in the second year and up to $12,500 for a cast member in their fifth year . Performers could earn an additional $1,500 per episode for writing a sketch which made it to air . In 2001 , Ferrell became the highest paid cast member , being paid $350,000 per season ( approximately $17,500 per episode ) . In 2014 , Sasheer Zamata was added as a cast member in mid-season after criticism of the show 's lack of an African - American woman . </P>
<P> The cast were often contracted from anywhere between five and six years to the show , but starting with the 1999 -- 2000 season , new hires were tied to a rewritten contract that allowed NBC to take a cast member in at least their second year and put them in an NBC sitcom . Cast are given the option of rejecting the first two sitcom offers but must accept the third offer , with the sitcom contract length dictated by NBC and potentially lasting up to six years . The move drew criticism from talent agents and managers who believed that a cast member could be locked into a contract with NBC for twelve years ; six on SNL and then six on a sitcom . The contract also optioned the cast member for three feature films produced by SNL Films , a company owned by NBC , Paramount Pictures , and Michaels . The new contracts were reportedly developed after many previously unknown cast , such as Myers and Sandler , gained fame on SNL only to leave and make money for other studios . In a 2010 interview , Wiig was reported to be contracted to SNL for a total of seven years . The contracts also contain a network option which allows NBC to remove a cast member at any time . In the first season of the show , cast were paid $750 per episode , rising to $2,000 by season two , and $4,000 by season four . By the late 1990s , new cast members received a salary between $5,000 and $5,500 per episode , increasing to $6,000 in the second year and up to $12,500 for a cast member in their fifth year . Performers could earn an additional $1,500 per episode for writing a sketch which made it to air . In 2001 , Ferrell became the highest paid cast member , being paid $350,000 per season ( approximately $17,500 per episode ) . In 2014 , Sasheer Zamata was added as a cast member in mid-season after criticism of the show 's lack of an African - American woman . </P>
who is the highest paid snl cast member
who is the highest paid snl cast member
Ferrell
Ferrell