New SNL Writers on Season 47: ‘Please Don’t Destroy’ Makes Resounding Debut   - Hollywood Insider (2024)

Photo: New SNL

Saturday Night Live is in its 47th season this year, the long-running and highly successful late-night comedy show acting as a staple in the entertainment industry. The premiere episode, which aired earlier this month, teased a cast of new writers, who are to join SNL and redefine the new generation of actors and producers.

Ten new writers have been hired for this season, the team now including names like Mike DiCenzo, former Fallon writer, and Alex English, a performer from ‘That Damn Michael Che.’ Most notably, an internet sensation is known as ‘Please Don’t Destroy,’ made up of three talented writers and creators who have been blowing up recently.

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Star-Studded Cast of New Writers and Creators

The star-studded list doesn’t end there – the group includes alum from ‘A Little Late With Lilly Singh,’ ‘Archer,’ and ‘Last Week Tonight With John Oliver.’ Unfortunately, this meant a lot of writers from last year have left their helm, including Michael Koman, Alan Linic, Eli Coyote Mandel, Katie Rich, and Julio Torres (who is on the writer on the HBO series ‘Los Espookys.’) Bowen Yang, who was also a notable writer on the SNL cast, is now joining the show only as a cast member for their zany scripts and acts.

Iconic Helm Writers Remain On Our SNL Radar

Most fans are ecstatic to note though that the lead writers have remained untouched, maintaining the integrity of the show and its long-standing traditions and style of writing. Michael Che, Colin Jost, and Kent Sublette are still at the helm, as well as Neal Brennan and Dave McCary who were featured in the premiere end credits and will reprise their roles as guest writers for the late-night production.

‘Please Don’t Destroy:’ New Comedy Group

‘Please Don’t Destroy’ has caused the most excitement amongst fans who are excited to witness what history the new writers will make. Ben Marshall, Martin Herlihy, and John Higgins are the three who comprise the group and who made their debut in an old sketch on the show.

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The ‘Hard Seltzer’ sketch opens with Martin and John working in the SNL office in need of hard seltzer. John asks what kind Martin wants to which he casually replies, “Just a J.C. Penney.” John thinks he may be mistaken but upon picking up a can he sees the flavor is Men’s Jackets. Ben enters finally and shows off his strange seltzer variant, Jiffy Lube Seltzers – to John’s horror and amusem*nt.

They begin exposing a bunch of brands with their own hard seltzers, eliciting laughs with names like Verizon, Dr. Ricardi, and Exxon. John who has fallen into this hole of absurdity asks if the desk has its own brand to which the boys respond with an astounding yes. The hilarious skit closes with John enjoying a Desk hard seltzer with cheers to his friends.

Who Are Ben, John, and Martin?

The group of Ben, John, and Martin, “Please Don’t Destroy Us,’ is based in New York and formed when the boys met at NYU. In 2017, the three collaborated to form a group and have been working on many notable comedy outlets like ‘Comedy Central,’ ‘Universal,’ and even ‘Sony,’ to showcase their comedic talents and brilliant, fresh ideas. Besides their contributions to film and TV projects, they’ve completed projects like a one-hour comedy sketch at the New York Comedy Festival, Moontower Comedy Festival, and Lyric Hyperion in Los Angeles.

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Viral Success and Introduction to SNL Family

Perhaps the most helpful part of their youthful outtake and presence is the amount of fame and recognition they’ve garnered on social media. The three have filmed a ton of short but hilarious skills and videos for viral apps like Tik Tok and Instagram, whose accessibility and share-ability make them the perfect platforms to gain fans and likes.

Sometimes they even credit their new SNL fame to the virality factor of such apps, after one of their clips caught the attention of famous comedy contributors and names like Patton Oswalt and Heidi Gardner from SNL. The latter is an American actress, comedian, and writer, she’s a long-standing cast member on SNL and clearly had a knack for recognizing talent when it came to John, Martin, and Ben.

In an interview with Vulture, she said, “Watching them, they reminded me of when I was a teenager, and it was like the first time I saw [the sketch group] Stella or the first time I saw Jack Black. And I was just like, ‘Holy s–t. I could watch this all night long.’ I almost felt embarrassed of how much of a fan I quickly became.”

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COVID-19 Skit Reaches Over 1M Views On Tik Tok

Their most famous, which reached peak popularity on Tik Tok is a skit about the vaccine. Ben tells Martin and John he finally got the shot, the cheapest one at that, and says that it was the “Dumbrekka” vaccine. He claims it was only 300 dollars and then proceeds to list horrendous side effects. His friends are beyond concerned, but right before he passes out, Ben explains that “at least it wasn’t the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.”

Their impressive ability to spoof on often political or polarizing conversations in the news and media is right on brand for SNL and allowed them to fit right in with the rest of the cast and crew.

Their Roots in SNL

Martin Herlihy and John Higgins specifically have roots in SNL, with Martin being the son of actor Tom Herlihy who wrote for SNL from 1993 to 2019. John’s father, Steve Higgins also wrote for SNL since 1995 and now works as an announcer for ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.’

What To Look Forward To

With many new skits, ideas, and writers to look forward to, this season of SNL seems beyond promising. Make sure to catch the latest episodes as they air every Saturday night on NBC and look below for a comprehensive list of the new additions to the comedy show.

Full List of New SNL Writers

Mike DiCenzo

Billy Domineau

Alex English

Martin Herlihy

John Higgins

Vannessa Jackson

Tesha Kondrat

Ben Marshall

Jake Nordwind

Ben Silva

By Mireille Karadanaian

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New SNL Writers on Season 47: ‘Please Don’t Destroy’ Makes Resounding Debut   - Hollywood Insider (2024)

FAQs

Who are the writers of please don't destroy? ›

Please Don't Destroy is an American comedy group in New York City consisting of Ben Marshall, John Higgins, and Martin Herlihy, who began collaborating as students at New York University. The group was founded in 2017 and based on an act titled Please Don't Destroy My Farm.

Who are the do not destroy guys? ›

In tonight's SNL sketch centered on the trio known as Please Don't Destroy — John Higgins, Ben Marshall and Martin Herlihy — host Ramy Youssef stops by their writers' room at 10:16 p.m., proposing “A Night Out with Travis.”

Who are the current writers for SNL? ›

As of the 2022–23 season, Kent Sublette, Alison Gates, and Streeter Seidell are the show's co-head writers. Seth Meyers became a co-head writer in 2005, became the single head writer from 2008 to 2012, and then left in 2014.

Who are the parents of the please don't destroy guys? ›

In the end, the group (at least most of them) bond over their status as Nepo babies. John Higgins' father is Steve Higgins, longtime SNL writer and current announcer for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Martin Herlihy's father, Tim Herlihy, was also an SNL writer who co-wrote Happy Gilmore with Adam Sandler.

Is Ben Marshall a nepo baby? ›

The third member, Ben Marshall, is just a regular dude who befriended them at NYU (a second-gen nepo baby, ostensibly). In their time on the air, they've earned comparisons to The Lonely Island, three other white dudes who utilized the digital-short medium and became their own SNL spin-off franchise.

Is John Higgins related to Steve Higgins? ›

John Higgins's father, Tonight Show announcer Steve Higgins, was a longtime writer on SNL, as was Herlihy's dad, Tim Herlihy (he also wrote Happy Gilmore).

Who is the cast of please don't destroy on SNL? ›

Please Don't Destroy is Saturday Night Live's newest comedic treasure! The comedy trio includes Ben Marshall, John Higgins and Martin Herlihy, who write video sketches nearly every week for the late night comedy show, which are constantly going viral online. Keep reading to learn more about the three writers.

Who is the wealthiest SNL cast member? ›

20 Richest SNL Cast Members of All Time
  1. Lorne Michaels: $500 million. IMAGO / YAY Images.
  2. Adam Sandler: $440 million. IMAGO / Newscom World. ...
  3. Robert Downey Jr.: $300 million. ...
  4. Julia Louis-Dreyfus: $250 million. ...
  5. Dan Aykroyd: $250 million. ...
  6. Eddie Murphy: $200 million. ...
  7. Mike Myers: $200 million. ...
  8. Ben Stiller: $200 million. ...
Nov 18, 2023

What is the average salary of a writer in SNL? ›

The estimated total pay range for a Writer at Saturday Night Live is $44K–$83K per year, which includes base salary and additional pay. The average Writer base salary at Saturday Night Live is $59K per year.

How much do SNL writers get paid? ›

Unlike with cast members, it's not known exactly how much the writers on SNL bring in. According to some sources, they earn an average of $66,232 to $70,000 per year, with more experienced writers making $82,540 and more, but those numbers haven't been verified by any reputable sites.

What SNL writers are Nepo babies? ›

Meet the 'Saturday Night Live' Nepo Babies
  • The Elliotts. As far as we know, the Elliotts are the only family with three generations of SNL history. ...
  • The Herlihys. Even SNL superfans probably don't know Tim Herlihy. ...
  • The Higgins. ...
  • The Downeys. ...
  • The Belushis.
Jan 25, 2023

Are please don't destroy nepo baby? ›

Dakota Johnson and the Saturday Night Live comedy group Please Don't Destroy alike understand that they are so-called “nepo babies” — and weren't afraid to share their status during the Saturday, January 27, episode.

Who on SNL has famous parents? ›

Maya Rudolph Explains Why Having Famous Parents Didn't Boost Her Comedy Career: 'I Had to Get There Myself' Angel Saunders has been a writer at PEOPLE since 2023.

Where is Ben Marshall from? ›

Ben Marshall was born on May 1, 1995 in Savannah, Georgia, USA. He is a writer and actor, known for Please Don't Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain (2023), Saturday Night Live (1975) and New Car (2014).

Did the funniest boys on SNL just came out with a movie? ›

Now the boys get out of the little room and into the great big world in a new movie, Please Don't Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain, directed by SNL's Paul Briganti, and premiering today on Peaco*ck.

How long have the please don't destroy guys been friends? ›

Martin Herlihy, left, John Higgins and Ben Marshall have dropped their first feature film, “Please Don't Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain,” on Peaco*ck. So these three guys met at New York University in 2016.

What is treasure of foggy mountain rated? ›

It's not quite enough for a film. Rated R for crass language, sexual innuendo and comic violence.

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