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    Al Franken: SNL Star to U.S. Senator

    When "Saturday Night Live" premiered in 1975, they got a little help from this funny guy. As an early writer, Franken helped establish a foundation of satirical comedy and helped net SNL a few of their first Emmys. In his two stints with the show, he helped establish notable characters like Stuart Smalley before departing in protest of Norm MacDonald hosting Weekend Update over him. It was sad to see him go because he was good enough, he was smart enough, and doggone it, people liked him!

    However, it seemed like he was headed towards politics since the ‘70s, especially after he self-promoted the “Al Franken Decade” on the show in the ‘80s, but he didn’t do it right away. He hosted a radio show to counter the conservative ones and wrote a few New York Times bestselling books critical of right-wing politics before getting elected to office as a U.S. Senator for Minnesota.