Live from New York
Nearly half a century apart, yet united by their comedic brilliance, University of Dayton alumni Don Novello ’64 and Molly Kearney ’12 have made America laugh from one of television’s most iconic stages — Saturday Night Live.
In the 1970s, Novello emerged, bringing a new brand of comedy to Studio 8H in Rockefeller Plaza during SNL’s groundbreaking early years.
More than four decades later, in 2019, Kearney stepped into the spotlight, becoming the first nonbinary cast member to bring their own kind of funny to the show.
These Flyers share with us tales from 50 years of comedy that continues to keep America up late and laughing.
DON NOVELLO
Hometown: Lorain, Ohio
Grad year: 1964
Major at UD: Economics
Years at SNL: 1977–1980, 1985–1986
Comedic influences: George Carlin, Pat Paulson and Jimmy Durante
Were you funny as a child? I was not a good student, but I think I was funny. I graduated high school 101 out of 150 people in my class. I remember telling my father, I just missed the top two-thirds by one. He wasn’t impressed.
Did you grow up in the Church? Every Sunday, yeah. It was an Italian parish. My dad was an altar boy at the church years before. I was raised Catholic, but I didn’t go to Catholic school.
How did you come to attend UD? I didn’t want to go to college. I had a cousin who went to UD, and I knew a friend of my brother’s, who went to UD. I’d never been to the campus, and I arrived in January and it was freezing. It turned out I was living on the West Campus. It was just terrible. It was an old tuberculosis hospital 9 miles from the main campus … and there were buses that would go from there to classes.
We had to take ROTC, so the first semester I was wearing an Army uniform to class two days a week. If you lived in Founders Hall, you go back to your room and change. But because we were living on the West Campus, I had to wear an Army uniform all day — there wasn’t time to go back between classes. I can’t believe I’m still upset about it!
Were any UD professors particularly influential? Yes, Sandy King, a history professor. He was one of the nicest things to happen to me at UD. But he gave me a D. I thought I was going to flunk out of college. So, I went to see him and he said to me, “How old are you?” He knows I’m 18, and says, “I didn’t feel like studying when I was 18 either.” Then he motions for me to leave. Just leave. When I got my grades, he had given me a C and I didn’t flunk out.
There have been rumors that your character, Father Guido Sarducci, was based on someone at UD. Yeah, no, the priest that I based Father Sarducci on was a Jesuit at Loyola University Chicago in Rome. I joined this kind of study abroad program through Loyola University Chicago, not Dayton. But he was a Jesuit from Malta, and he was a smoker and he always had a girl around. He ended up marrying a student, can you believe? We went during the Ecumenical Council and met the Pope. … and that’s where I really came up with all the Vatican stuff — while I was a student in Rome.
How did you become a writer? After UD, I went to a graduate school in Arizona, the American Institute for Foreign Trade. I got a job in advertising … but soon saw that all the people on the creative side were having all the fun. I got a job as a copywriter back in Cleveland. That’s how I started as a writer.
In 1972 I went to California and started performing, doing stand-up, just to get attention for my writing — it’s hard to get people to read stuff. I started performing as Father Guido Sarducci. Then I got on a TV show [The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour]. Just within a couple years after, I got Saturday Night Live.
Tell me about that call for SNL. I had written a book, The Lazlo Letters, and Lorne [Michaels, SNL creator] read it. I was friends with Al Franken and Tom Davis from the Comedy Store, and they were writers on the show and had recommended me. So that’s how I got hired — as a writer, though, not as a performer. I wrote the “Cheeseburger, Cheeseburger” sketch the second week I was at SNL.
Then you brought Father Sarducci to the show? I was doing him on the The Smothers Brothers but never pushed to perform. Chevy Chase was a writer (at SNL) but always pushed to perform. Halfway through the first season, I broke my hip in a hockey sketch. I was on crutches for a couple months. I think Lorne let me perform because I had broken it.
Any favorite sketches you wrote from SNL? I wrote a group of sketches about a dying mall. This was happening all over the country, where downtowns died because they built a mall. But then the malls started closing. The first one I wrote was about a store (in the mall) that only sold scotch tape, with Gilda Radner and John Belushi. Another one was with Bill Murray and Ricky Nelson; they played barbers. It opens with Nelson in the chair. You think he’s a customer and Bill Murray is cutting his hair and complaining about the new mall. But then he takes the sheet off, and you see that he’s the other barber and they’re giving each other haircuts.
SNL is 50 this year. What are the biggest differences you see in the show today? When I was there, there were just like six, seven cast members and there were like 10 writers, and now they just have so many people. How do you get attention? And even when it started with seven people, it was a competition. That’s why, when Chevy (Chase) broke out, he was the star because he was on “Weekend Update.”
What was the culture like on set? We were kind of the counterculture at the time. I mean, we were hippies and that was the audience we were writing for. It was so hot, that show. You’d go to lunch on Sunday and people at the next table would be talking about it.
It was really exciting to have a live show — to start on Monday, I’m thinking about writing something, and then you write it on Tuesday. Then on Saturday, it’s on the show for millions of people.
Why do you think humor is so important, especially today? I’m not good at philosophizing about humor. But, you have to have it. People always say nothing’s funny … but you can find humor anywhere.
What is your next project? I’ve been working on a photography book for over 30 years. I’ve been taking photos of those cheap white plastic chairs that are everywhere and the idea is, where do they come from and what do they want? It’s called Don’t Sit Down.
Molly Kearney '12
Hometown: North Olmsted, Ohio
Grad year: 2012-ish
Major at UD: Photography, fine arts, theater
Years on SNL: 2022–2024
Comedic influences: Kenan Thompson, Jimmy Fallon, Rachel Dratch
Were you funny as a child? I think I was a goofy weird kid, and I was fortunate enough that my parents were very open and let me and my brothers do whatever made us happy. When you’re around funny people, you want to be the funniest, and that always makes you better. I’d say my grandparents are probably the funniest, and it goes down from there.
Did you grow up in the Church? I grew up Catholic and had a very Catholic upbringing. I went to Magnificat High School in Rocky River, Ohio, an all-girls Catholic high school. I had a blast.
What did you study at UD? I majored in photography, and then fine arts, and then I kind of started doing stand-up when I was like 19. I started at The Hangar where the bowling alley is, every Wednesday. My junior year I found this program at Second City in Chicago, and I applied. It’s like study abroad, but you go to Chicago for the semester.
Name a professor who supported you. When I got back [to UD], I was like, I have to switch to theater so that I can continue to do stand-up. Darrell (Anderson) told me I could do a one-man show as my thesis: “Welcome to the Kearnival.” It was the only time I really was like, “I love college classes.” I loved that I could do this.
Where did you live? We had a triple bunk bed in VWK. Was it safe? We’ll never know if it truly was or not. I lived in Marycrest, then VWK, Gardens and then right at Lowes and Kiefaber by ArtStreet.
What year did you graduate? Oh, I didn’t graduate! Because I transferred and I did Second City, my credits were all messed up. When everyone graduated in 2012, I left but didn’t graduate. I went back to Cleveland and my mom was like, I don’t care if you want to be a comedian, I support you, but I need you to go finish your degree. So, I went back when I was 24, lived on campus right behind Tim’s and (I think) finished. I would have graduated in 2015.
I moved to Chicago in 2016 and did real boot camp stand-up. Like, went to open mics every night, shows every night, multiple times a night and then got Comedy Central’s Up Next. From that, I got an agent and got A League of Their Own (TV series), moved to LA and did Mighty Ducks: Game Changers. And then got SNL.
Tell me about that call for SNL. It was an unbelievable feeling. Every dive bar and every terrible show with two people in the audience really paid off. It was one of the best feelings of my life. I finally got to show my parents that all this hard work I put in paid off. It was just a family win.
There was tons of press about you being the first nonbinary cast member. How were you feeling? I felt mixed emotions. I was happy to be there for all the young kids who want to see themselves up there and be somebody for a kid growing up confused. I felt like I was put on blast a little bit, looking back. But that’s what the industry does. SNL is known to be a very cis, white, straight show, so I’m proud of myself for getting as far as I did.
Any favorite sketches you wrote from SNL? Oh yes, the one with Aubrey Plaza (“Morning Announcements”). That was probably one of my favorite sketches because I wrote it with my two buddies. I had to run the sketch, which was scary to do my first season. That was a big moment for me.
I played a lot of bald men. I really liked doing “Weekend Update,” those were awesome.
But honestly, some of my favorite memories were playing random side characters that wore the craziest costumes where there’s not a lot at stake. I can just be goofy and wear a crazy wig and have a one-liner that gets a laugh.
I was lucky that I was able to be written as women and men. In the beginning, a lot of the writers were a little skittish. Like, “Well, we don’t want to make Molly feel like they’re a man.” But I said, I’ll play a man or woman. I’ll play a dog; I don’t care. I just want to have fun. I really am grateful for that.
SNL is 50 this year. What is the culture like today? I feel like not a lot has changed. There’s still carpeting on the walls, and there’s still, “Watch your head, Farley!” written on the ceiling. The building is like a museum. Most of the people on the crew have worked there for over 20 or 30 years. Maybe the snacks are different? The drinking and drugs are probably the same or less. I know the schedule is exactly the same, it’s just as strict. I’m pretty sure the nights are still late and people still sleep in the office, and parties still go on until 10 in the morning. Dayton taught me how to party but also how to take care of myself.
Why do you think humor is so important, especially today? You can always find humor in the darkest moments of your life. Humor is like a cozy hug. You need it to come up for air in times of real darkness.
How would you describe yourself as a comedian and as a writer? I think I’m a softie. I want everybody to feel welcome when I am in a space, so I think I bring that to my comedy. I never want anyone to feel left out, or bad, or not understand a joke.
Who were your comedic influences? Kenan Thompson was my king. Still is. When I got to work with him, it was one of the craziest moments of my life. He’s got the biggest heart.
What is your next project? I filmed the pilot of a show called DMV. It’s based on the East Hollywood DMV. I play the manager, Barb. I get to work alongside some of my favorite people, Tim Meadows being one of them. We’ll find out if it gets picked up soon. Cross your fingers!
A version of this article appears in print in the Spring 2025 University of Dayton Magazine, Page 44. EXPLORE THE ISSUE — MORE ONLINE