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<ul class="summary-list"><li>A former "<keyword id="12063261" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="saturday-night-live" source="Orion">Saturday Night Live</keyword>" staffer said <keyword id="14030666" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="horatio-sanz" source="Orion">Horatio Sanz</keyword> asked to touch her breasts at a party in the 1999-2000 season.</li><li>The alleged incident took place at an "SNL" after-after party when the former staffer was an intern.</li></ul>One night in the late 1990s or early 2000s, a "Saturday Night Live" intern attended a party for "SNL" at a fellow staffer's apartment.It was at these after-after-parties — which didn't typically start until the official after-party wrapped around 3 a.m. — where the cast and crew really let loose, according to several people who attended.At one point that night, Horatio Sanz, a cast member who was in his 30s at the time, put on a leather glove and started joking that it covered a fake hand. The former intern said that when she left the apartment's living area and went into a bedroom, Sanz followed her, closed the door, and asked whether he could touch her breasts with his gloved hand."I have a fake hand under this glove," she recalled Sanz saying. "I'm so self-conscious about it — the only way I'll know if it feels real is if I can touch your boob."The former intern told Insider she was "shocked" and didn't know how to react. She said she tried to laugh off Sanz's comment and went back to the party.Another person at the party that night remembered the former intern telling her about the encounter with Sanz. The partygoer also recalled Sanz doing the same thing with other young women in the living room. "He kept saying: 'Must touch boobies. Must touch boobies,'" she said. "That was kind of the shtick."<div type="image" title="Horatio Sanz during Justin Timberlake Hosts Saturday Night Live - After Party - October 12, 2003" height="1599" width="2133" msid="91798731" hostid="261"></div>The incident stuck with the former intern. "You look back and realize, I wasn't one of the people at the party having fun with my friends," she said. "I was a joke. I was an expendable girl that was just around to take that kind of abuse."The early aughts were boom years for "Saturday Night Live." Emerging from the "<a href="https://nymag.com/arts/tv/features/47548/">deep spiritual funk</a>" of the '90s, the show saw renewed critical acclaim and soaring viewership, all of which was cause for celebration. As one writer put it to The New York Times in 2001: "<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/18/style/saturday-night-s-sunday-morning.html">The ratings are up</a>. So the party's hot again." The "SNL" after-parties — and the rowdy after-after-parties — became known as much for their debauchery as for their celebrity guests. A similar high-flying mood pervaded the show's 30 Rock offices, where writing sessions regularly lasted late into the night.But for the young women who worked on the show — the interns and NBC pages who had fought for their coveted positions — this environment could be treacherous. It was in this same time period that Sanz allegedly sexually assaulted a 17-year-old fan. In August the fan, who is now in her 30s, filed a lawsuit against Sanz, NBC, and "SNL."The accuser, who attended "SNL" tapings and after-parties from 2000 to 2002, said Sanz kissed one of her cheeks and put his hands on her waist the first time they met in person, when she was 15. The next year, she says, he began sending her sexually explicit online messages and repeatedly asked for photos of her. The woman told <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/horatio-sanzs-sexual-assault-accuser-speaks-out-he-abused-me-all-over-snl">The Daily Beast</a> that while Sanz is the focus of her lawsuit, "he didn't abuse me in a vacuum; he abused me all over 'Saturday Night Live.'" Sanz didn't respond to a request for comment from Insider. His attorney, Andrew Brettler, previously denied the accusations, <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2021/08/12/horatio-sanz-sued-sexual-assault-snl-nbc-underage-fan-grooming-sex/">telling TMZ</a> that Sanz's team "will vigorously contest these totally meritless claims."<h2><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/saturday-night-live-sexism-horatio-sanz-lawsuit-2022-5">You can read our full story here: Young female 'SNL' staffers say they were treated like 'a joke,' with sexual advances, babysitting requests, and an unsolicited nude photo </a></h2>

A former 'SNL' intern says Horatio Sanz tried to touch her breasts in the early 2000s

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Horatio Sanz on November 23 settled a sexual assault lawsuit, filed by a former "SNL" fan.</li><li>"Jane Doe" accused Sanz of grooming her from age 15 and sexually assaulting her at a party in 2002.</li></ul>Horatio Sanz settled a <a href="https://www.insider.com/snl-horatio-sanz-accused-grooming-sexually-assaulting-underage-fan-lawsuit-2021-8">lawsuit</a> last week filed by an anonymous woman who accused the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/saturday-night-live-sexism-horatio-sanz-lawsuit-2022-5">"Saturday Night Live"</a> alum of grooming her for sexual abuse starting when she was a 15-year-old fan.The woman — identified in court documents as "Jane Doe" — said in her lawsuit that Sanz started grooming her after meeting her through an "SNL" fan website. Doe alleged the grooming culminated in Sanz sexually assaulting her at an "SNL" after party in May 2002, in front of multiple cast members.Sanz denied the allegations when Doe first filed the lawsuit in August 2021.According to a November 23 court filing in New York Supreme Court, the parties agreed that the lawsuit should be "dismissed with prejudice," meaning that Doe can't file the same lawsuit again in the same court. It also stipulates that costs and attorneys' fees aren't being paid by one party to another party.The filing was signed by attorneys representing Sanz, Doe, and NBCUniversal, which was named as a co-defendant in the case.Doe was represented by Susan K. Crumiller of the feminist law firm Crumiller P.C. Jacob Eidinger, a spokesperson for the firm confirmed to Insider on Monday that "the parties have resolved their dispute and have moved on." Details of the settlement were not shared.Steve Silverberg, an attorney for Sanz, declined to comment when reached by Insider on Monday. Attorneys for NBC did not immediately return Insider's request for comment on Monday.<div type="image" title="Horatio Sanz" height="1321" width="2000" msid="95836460" hostid="261"></div>Earlier this year, Doe announced her intention to file a <a href="https://www.insider.com/civil-suit-alleges-horatio-sanz-abused-teenager-snl-cast-knew-2022-8">second amended complaint</a>, which went into further detail about the abuse Doe alleges she endured at the hands of Sanz. In her lawsuit, she accused Sanz of sexual harassment, sexual assault and battery, and violating the NYC Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Act. She also accused NBC of negligent infliction of emotional distress; negligence; and negligent hiring, supervision, and retention.<h2>Doe accused Sanz of sexually abusing her at an 'SNL' after party in 2002</h2>Doe said Sanz started grooming her after meeting her in person for the first time in January 2000, when Doe was 15 years old.Over the next two years, she said they got closer as she made regular trips to New York City to watch airings of "SNL" and attend after parties, where she says she was served alcohol underage. She said they also began messaging online, and Doe alleged Sanz repeatedly asked her to send him sexualized pictures of herself.The most jarring incident detailed by Doe in the suit focuses on an "SNL" after party held in May 2002, when Doe was 17 years old.It was there that Doe says Sanz made out with her on a couch in the middle of the apartment, rubbing her vagina over her clothing, while she was "very drunk." Doe said she repeatedly asked Sanz to stop, to no avail."In a moment that felt like her worst nightmare, Jane glanced up to see that the majority of the SNL cast was gawking at her," the lawsuit read."Suddenly Sanz grabbed Jane's breasts and lifted them out of her shirt from behind, exposing them to all of the party attendees, but for his hands," the lawsuit added.Doe said that Sanz continued to try and sexually abuse her in a taxi to Penn Station, where she eventually caught a train back to her home in Pennsylvania.Immediately after the incident, Doe said she stopped updating her fan website. She says the sexual abuse she suffered caused her to experience "shame" and "depression" and to engage in "self harm" and take "dissociative drugs."She said she was hospitalized in 2005 "as a direct and proximate result of the ongoing intense shame and damage Plaintiff suffered due to the sexual conduct by Sanz."After a chance encounter in 2019, Doe said Sanz texted her to apologize about his behavior toward her as a teen."It was a fucking big mistake. I'm very sorry. If you want to metoo me you have every right. Just believe I'm not like that anymore," she said he texted her.

Horatio Sanz settles lawsuit from woman who accused the 'Saturday Night Live' alum of sexually abusing her when she was a teen

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A lawsuit was filed against former "<keyword id="280516" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="SNL">SNL</keyword>" cast member <keyword id="1801219" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Horatio-Sanz">Horatio Sanz</keyword> in New York Thursday. </li><li>An unnamed woman accused Sanz of grooming and sexually assaulting her when she was a teen in the 2000s.</li><li>Sanz's attorney denied the accusations, saying the woman had demanded $7.5 million for her silence. </li></ul>The comedian Horatio Sanz has been accused of grooming and sexually assaulting an underage fan while he was cast member on "<keyword id="31081" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Saturday-Night-Live">Saturday Night Live</keyword>" in the early 2000s, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday in New York. <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/21041291-horatio-sanz" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The lawsuit</a>, obtained by <a href="https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/horatio-sanz-lawsuit-groped-teen-fan-1235040848/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Variety</a>, detailed the accusations of an anonymous woman from Pennsylvania, referred to as Jane Doe, who said she first met Sanz in 2000 after posting on "SNL" fan sites.Jane Doe said Sanz proceeded to groom her during multiple visits to the "SNL" studio and afterparties, and through communications on AOL Instant Messenger.According to the lawsuit, the abuse culminated in Sanz digitally penetrating her against her will at two "SNL" parties in May 2002, when she was 17.Sanz did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.But he has denied the accusations in a statement released through his attorney, Andrew Brettler. He told <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2021/08/12/horatio-sanz-sued-sexual-assault-snl-nbc-underage-fan-grooming-sex/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TMZ</a> that the woman's claims were "categorically false" and "ludicrous.""Before filing this lawsuit anonymously, she demanded $7.5 million in exchange for her silence. We, of course, refused and will vigorously contest these totally meritless claims."The suit also named NBCUniversal and SNL Studios as defendants in the lawsuit. NBCUniversal did not immediately return Insider's request for comment.Here's a summary of the claims in the lawsuit: <ul><li>Jane Doe started posting on "SNL" fan sites in 1999, when she was 14.</li><li>In January 2000, Sanz and fellow "SNL" cast member Jimmy Fallon emailed Jane Doe, then 15, from an NBC email account. </li><li>Jane Doe met with Sanz in person after an airing of SNL in October 2000, during which he was "flirtatious and physically affectionate." </li><li>On May 12, 2001, Jane Doe, then 16, attended her first "SNL" afterparty, where Sanz drank with her even though he "should have been aware she was underage," the lawsuit said. </li><li>At another "SNL" party the following week, Sanz had Jane Doe sit on his lap, and later "leered at her" as they watched the sunrise from the roof, according to the lawsuit. </li><li>The two started talking over AOL Instant Messenger on August 23, 2001. According to the lawsuit, Sanz steered these conversations to sex, encouraged her to take "revealing" photos of herself, and then called her "slutty."</li><li>The lawsuit also included multiple incidents where Fallon witnessed Jane Doe drinking underage, including one "SNL" party where she told Fallon she was in high school and the two discussed her upcoming SAT exam. Insider contacted Fallon for comment, via NBCUniversal, but did not immediately receive a response.</li><li>At two "SNL"parties on May 11-12, 2002, the lawsuit said Sanz kissed 17-year-old Jane Doe, groped her breasts, groped her buttocks, and digitally penetrated her genitals forcibly and without her consent. </li><li>For the remainder of high school, Jane Doe became "depressed" and "ashamed" and "regularly self-medicated with dissociative drugs," per the lawsuit. Sanz continued to IM Jane Doe in college, and became "increasingly emotionally abusive and controlling," the lawsuit said. </li><li>Jane Doe was hospitalized in 2005 "as a direct and proximate result of the ongoing intense shame and damage" of Sanz's "sexual conduct."</li><li>In 2019, Jane Doe ran into Sanz in New York, where he "admitted to engaging in frequent 'cybersex' with her and further admitted and bragged" about "masturbated during their conversations when she was underage," the lawsuit said.</li><li>In text messages in November 2019, Sanz said he was "very sorry" for manipulating her, and said: "If you want to metoo me you have every right," per the lawsuit. </li></ul>

Former 'SNL' star Horatio Sanz has been accused of grooming and sexually assaulting a 17-year-old fan

<ul class="summary-list"><li>New details have emerged about <a href="https://www.insider.com/snl-horatio-sanz-accused-grooming-sexually-assaulting-underage-fan-lawsuit-2021-8">allegations made last year</a> that Horatio Sanz groomed and assaulted a teenage fan in the early 2000s.</li><li>The <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/22187118-sanz-proposed-amended-complaint-filed?responsive=1&amp;title=1">civil suit</a>, filed Tuesday with the NY Supreme Court, alleges Sanz publicly abused the 17-year-old at an "SNL" cast party.</li></ul>New details have emerged of alleged sexual abuse of a teenager by former "Saturday Night Live" star Horatio Sanz in a complaint filed Tuesday with the New York Supreme Court.In addition to allegations that Sanz groomed and later assaulted the minor, <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/22187118-sanz-proposed-amended-complaint-filed?responsive=1&amp;title=1">the civil suit</a> viewed by Insider also alleges that other "SNL" cast and crew members witnessed and enabled the abuse but did nothing to stop it.Though the abuse occurred more than 20 years ago and has since passed the statute of limitations — which would ordinarily mean no legal action could be taken — the filing was made possible due to an amendment to New York City's <a href="https://u6004713.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=OpnCOdA5zgNgIDIO8bVWBag8qQ6uIvJEJt81NIT-2FZZuryf129CIOG5hIDd3RPZQQVPQlDzu406J2AiHUL3OiOnAff1FKMJHZd3JnhgiYbs9bgL2v9KKfvvtrGy6nK1JG04pcSvzARJo2j-2BoN-2FRWXUDum1zaAfwAGHJLmb0VhY88-3DrWKo_o9GEpO0MophECF55QwbjxEdb2hXEn01DrKFW6495ELu1HP-2Bp7QjYRIVnhOPss7GF9vtm-2FTI4WeJ2w-2FizbzGxOyrVQkRV-2FcnHYs8lUjvbbA-2FN3aoiDG3wW9m-2FARaprb8274U5RLxi0-2F9EypuaCgQzv93XXgLgAfSEpnXwaZMcctxoCqSE3u7JJJKofCk0-2BLnSRyie30cuitN-2FUtVXit6jfpUEtJEg9X3mAheGXKRE4IfwD8QI9MBph5WutACDqxhJjthrPthy1tReBWfqfYbzvvOsmNtT2W1EeBvnRB2HuFgtQFZ0K10rQoz7XQD9Kev9WSwL5wTvPwAvnEXQsb9G7Xr7r6lPfClJMv-2Fmc0-2FnNzaRUsjxrx-2FyS6526k30Ffh7ruqhOVikxPsQ0vm5DdOktN6NPTuczbDGNNzNXGJ79jrwSU6HLYg3YJhjcCVZSyPIkZyllMAbwJJNRpSqI8VM-2F0HPCf-2FAMKtrycVWKq4oUr8UbXdUHm0trEBTDXup1aQh" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gender Motivated Violence Act (GMVA).</a> The law allows victims of gender-based violence to file civil suits against their abusers and the recent amendment creates a two-year "lookback window" for expired civil claims, similar to New York's <a href="https://u6004713.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=OpnCOdA5zgNgIDIO8bVWBYJo8gWH3ln2Qq6ThZWUyf-2Fj4liARh8TtNQEFram7EOhSY3ylla16dfLAq8WO-2BdpQhul1Uv-2FZJhCUr70maOMDZbFarUQ1ZBnyRNvJuI4Lx1jAZMXHeH6roV-2FLRchyVYxvnZ6bAvftBYmicU2rhBUqDB73usMcD-2BecLiIbBoSgmKgCemK_o9GEpO0MophECF55QwbjxEdb2hXEn01DrKFW6495ELu1HP-2Bp7QjYRIVnhOPss7GF9vtm-2FTI4WeJ2w-2FizbzGxOyrVQkRV-2FcnHYs8lUjvbbA-2FN3aoiDG3wW9m-2FARaprb8274U5RLxi0-2F9EypuaCgQzv93XXgLgAfSEpnXwaZMcctxoCqSE3u7JJJKofCk0-2BLnSRyie30cuitN-2FUtVXit6jfpUEtJEg9X3mAheGXKRE4IfwD8QI9MBph5WutACDqxhJjthrPthy1tReBWfqfYbzvvOsmNtT2W1EeBvnRB2HuFgtQFZ0K10rQoz7XQD9Kev9yHZpMTnmmucv-2F5SsF04dIiIrigmm1pzlCF6Mxl4HVlTHmfImSRNgJpNdn6mL8WTQQUEYViXQ-2FfkzDcD7Mm6Guf1P2Rm7HvOQ9IvdtKk1YGAhtB96hRia5Wig12VlLpAJaSNNY35eSyVcieSDPa2vEzhuTLAyOTbMcv2LM0t7899-2BDIAHllXmEMl6TmV-2B3GaB" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Child Victims Act</a>. The claims made in Doe's <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/22187118-sanz-proposed-amended-complaint-filed?responsive=1&amp;title=1">suit</a> will be revived when the lookback window opens on March 1, 2023.The suit, an amendment to an <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/21041291-horatio-sanz">earlier complaint</a> filed last year, alleges that then-15-year-old Jane Doe used an online message board and fan site she created to gain the attention of the "SNL" cast, as well as creator Lorne Michaels, in the early 2000s. The teenager — at the time a superfan of the comedy variety show who had aspirations of joining its cast — attended tapings of "SNL" several times with friends and family before being introduced to Jimmy Fallon and Sanz, who were stars of the show at the time. Fallon and Sanz repeatedly commented on Doe's fansite and recognized her at tapings, the <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/22187118-sanz-proposed-amended-complaint-filed?responsive=1&amp;title=1">filing</a> said, and the pair began inviting her to cast parties held at 30 Rockefeller Plaza.Over the course of several years, according to the <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/22187118-sanz-proposed-amended-complaint-filed?responsive=1&amp;title=1">filing</a>, Sanz allegedly flattered Doe with compliments via online messages, gave her long-stemmed red roses as gifts, and supplied her with alcohol. Through the course of the inappropriate courtship, the <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/22187118-sanz-proposed-amended-complaint-filed?responsive=1&amp;title=1">filing</a> alleges Fallon, Morgan, and Michaels were aware both that she was underage and of Sanz's behavior toward her.At one party, the <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/22187118-sanz-proposed-amended-complaint-filed?responsive=1&amp;title=1">suit</a> alleges, Doe was visibly drunk and "cast member Horatio Sanz groped Jane's breasts and buttocks and rubbed her vagina, in full view of party onlookers, continuing the assault even as she implored him to stop." After the public assault, according to the <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/22187118-sanz-proposed-amended-complaint-filed?responsive=1&amp;title=1">suit</a>, Jane "not only felt sexually humiliated and degraded, but her lifelong career aspirations of working at 'SNL' ground to a halt – as the entire 'SNL' cast watched and her idols, Tina Fey and Rachel Dratch, laughed at her."Instead of removing the minor from the party where drugs and alcohol were being served, the <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/22187118-sanz-proposed-amended-complaint-filed?responsive=1&amp;title=1">suit</a> alleges NBC staff approached Sanz and asked "Are you fucking serious?" as their only intervention. Sanz later left the party with Doe and, in a taxi ride to Penn Station, penetrated her with his fingers and clumsily attempted to remove her clothes without her consent. Doe is alleged to have texted a friend that she was relieved she had been wearing pantyhose underneath her pants that night — which she had done to appear thinner — because she felt Sanz "would have raped her" had he been able to undress her."NBC, [Lorne] Michaels, [Jimmy] Fallon, and [Tracy] Morgan enabled Sanz's crimes of sexual assault and battery," the <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/22187118-sanz-proposed-amended-complaint-filed?responsive=1&amp;title=1">filing</a> read.Representatives for Michaels, Fallon, Morgan, Fey, and Dratch did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.An NBC spokesperson told Insider: "Regardless of Jane Doe's changing narratives, NBC intends to renew its motion to dismiss," but did not respond to questions about what "changing narratives" was referring to. Sanz "groomed, abused, and molested Jane on numerous occasions," the <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/22187118-sanz-proposed-amended-complaint-filed?responsive=1&amp;title=1">filing</a> said, including instructing her on how to masturbate, discussing her performing oral sex on men, and playing out fantasy situations, including that "the two of them would have sex while he sucked the blood out of little cuts he had made in her skin."In a 2019 text message detailed in the <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/22187118-sanz-proposed-amended-complaint-filed?responsive=1&amp;title=1">filing</a>, Sanz acknowledged Doe was 16 at the time of their first sexual encounter and apologized for his behavior. "I wasn't really thinking," the <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/22187118-sanz-proposed-amended-complaint-filed?responsive=1&amp;title=1">filing</a> said Sanz wrote to Doe. "But I really didn't do that with others. It was a fucking big mistake. I'm very sorry. If you want to metoo me you have every right. Just believe me I'm not like that anymore."The accusation of sexual violence is not the only one levied against Sanz this year. Earlier this year, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/snl-intern-horatio-sanz-asked-touch-breasts-saturday-night-live-party-2022-5">a former intern told Insider Sanz tried to grope her breasts</a> in the early 2000s during a party attended by staffers.Other former staff members have alleged the environment on the "SNL" set had a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/saturday-night-live-sexism-horatio-sanz-lawsuit-2022-5">pervasive environment of sexual harassment</a> — including one staffer who alleged a producer told her to put Listerine strips in her vagina and another who alleged a colleague showed her nude photos of himself without her consent."Sanz and his enablers lured Jane into their celebrity world and made her feel like a cool kid for drinking and partying with a bunch of famous grown-ups," Susan Crumiller, attorney for Jane Doe, said <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/22187119-8-23-22-jimmy-fallon-lorne-michaels-tracy-morgan-to-be-added-to-child-sex-abuse-lawsuit-against-horatio-sanz-and-nbc?responsive=1&amp;title=1">in a statement</a> released with the lawsuit <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/22187118-sanz-proposed-amended-complaint-filed?responsive=1&amp;title=1">filing</a>. "Instead, they destroyed her life. Jane has spent the past two decades struggling with the repercussions of what they did to her; now it's their turn. We look forward to holding NBC, Sanz, and everyone else who enabled this disgusting behavior accountable when the GMVA lookback window opens in March."Representatives for Sanz did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment, but he has denied the accusations since they were first publicized. In a statement released through his attorney, Sanz told <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2021/08/12/horatio-sanz-sued-sexual-assault-snl-nbc-underage-fan-grooming-sex/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TMZ</a> last year that the woman's claims were "categorically false" and "ludicrous."

New details emerge of alleged grooming and sexual assault of a 17-year-old by former 'SNL' star Horatio Sanz in a civil lawsuit that also alleges Jimmy Fallon, Tracy Morgan and Lorne Michaels enabled the abuse and did nothing

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Harvey Weinstein's Los Angeles trial on criminal rape charges is entering it's fourth week.</li><li>So far, several accusers have testified and Weinstein's lawyers have grilled their recollections.</li></ul>Four weeks into Harvey Weinstein's trial in Los Angeles, his lawyers have been mounting an aggressive defense of the disgraced mogul – but some moments of bravado have fallen flat.In his ongoing LA trial, his second on rape charges, Weinstein has been charged with 11 counts of sexual assault stemming from allegations by five different women who accused the former producer of sexually abusing them between 2004 and 2013. Since opening arguments three weeks ago, his lawyers have adhered to a more brash playbook — at times eliciting emotional reactions from the accusers and stunned looks from the gallery. On day one, October 24, Weinstein attorney Mark Werksman set the tone, claiming that the women accusing Weinstein of sexual assault had actually engaged in transactional sex with his client, and that Weinstein was the real victim. Werksman didn't respond to Insider's request for comment. "An asteroid called the #MeToo movement hit earth with such ferocity that everything changed overnight," Werksman said during opening arguments. "And Mr. Weinstein became the epicenter of the #MeToo movement."<h2>Weinstein's appearance is mocked on day one to prove a point</h2>Weinstein is already <a href="https://www.insider.com/harvey-weinstein-sentenced-23-years-prison-rape-sexual-assault-conviction-2020-3">serving a 23-year sentence in a New York prison</a> following his New York trial but faces an additional life sentence if convicted on all charges in Los Angeles. He has denied the charges in Los Angeles and pleaded not guilty."You'll learn that in Hollywood, sex was a commodity," Weinstein attorney Mark Werksman said during opening arguments in October. "It was the casting couch. Everyone did it. He did it. They did it. Because each wanted something from another."In a particularly brazen moment, Werksman urged jurors to take stock of Weinstein to prove his point about Weinstein providing access in Hollywood."Now look at him. He's not Brad Pitt or George Clooney. Do you think those beautiful women had sex with him because he's hot?" Werksman said during opening arguments. "No. They did it because he was powerful."Susan Crumiller, the founding attorney of law firm Crumiller PC, which currently represents a woman accusing <a href="https://www.insider.com/civil-suit-alleges-horatio-sanz-abused-teenager-snl-cast-knew-2022-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">former Saturday Night Live cast member Horatio Sanz</a> of sexual assault, criticized the defense's tactics."Weinstein's serial sexual predation wasn't like an asteroid or the weather," Crumiller told Insider. "These were choices he made. I understand his longing for the days when he could continue to abuse women with impunity — but those days are over."<h2>Jennifer Siebel Newsom is called a 'Bimbo'</h2>Werksman had argued in the trial that two of the accusers were lying and that the other three engaged in consensual encounters with Weinstein for access. Weinstein's attorneys <a href="https://www.insider.com/harvey-weinstein-attorney-suggests-jennifer-newsom-siebel-is-a-bimbo-2022-10">had a more specific barb</a> for documentary filmmaker Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the wife of California Governor Gavin Newsom and one of the charging witnesses in the case who alleged that Weinstein raped her in 2005.During opening arguments, Werksman posed the hypothetical that if Siebel Newsom "doesn't characterize herself as a victim of rape, then she is just another bimbo who slept with Harvey Weinstein to get ahead in Hollywood." The day of Werksman's statement, Attorney Elizabeth Fegan, who represents Siebel Newsom and other accusers in the trial, told Insider that Weinstein and his counsel are "once again resorting to their despicable, desperate, dishonest attack-the-victim playbook." Crumiller told Insider the defense's comments "will absolutely backfire.""Is Mark Werksman stuck in the 1950s?" Crumiller told Insider in an emailed statement. "Juries are smarter today than to think that women voluntarily have sex with disgusting men to advance their careers or that it's okay to call a sexual assault survivor — or any woman — a 'bimbo.'" <h2>A bold courtroom demonstration</h2>Last week, during Jane Doe 2's testimony, she testified that as an up-and-coming actress in 2013, Weinstein groped her and masturbated in front of her at the Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills during a meeting where she was told that they would review her script.She told the court that she said "no" multiple times during the encounter."I was scared of Harvey Weinstein — that he would hurt me, or send someone to hurt me, or ruin my career, or make my life hell," she said during her testimony.Weinstein attorney Alan Jackson grilled her recollection during cross-examination, calling into question whether Weinstein could strip naked as fast as she described.Jackson removed his suit jacket <a href="https://www.insider.com/harvey-weinstein-attorney-accuser-jacket-court-2022-11">in a bold courtroom demonstration</a> and stated, "I'm just going to take my jacket off, I'm not going to go any further." "Please don't," Jane Doe 2 replied, as members of the gallery glanced around during the tense moment."I think it's extremely inappropriate and could easily be retriggering," Crumiller said. "I don't want to watch lawyers stripping in the courtroom, especially in a sexual assault case."Jackson didn't respond to Insider's request for comment.<h2>An accuser's story is compared to the US economy</h2>When Jane Doe 3, a masseuse, took the stand, a combative cross-examination ensued by Werksman.<a href="https://www.insider.com/harvey-weinstein-accuser-confided-in-mel-gibson-about-alleged-assault-2022-11">Jane Doe 3 testified</a> that she worked as a massage therapist who catered to celebrity clients, and attended an appointment in a hotel room with Weinstein in 2010.She told the court that 40 minutes into the massage, Weinstein abruptly stopped her, saying he was done. And when she went to the bathroom to wash her hands, she said that Weinstein barged in naked and began masturbating, rejecting her pleas for him to stop. Weinstein groped her breasts underneath her bra, she testified. Werksman claimed that Jane Doe 3's story had changed over meetings with the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office and authorities between 2016 and 2020."Your story is like the US economy, with an 8% inflation rate," Werksman said, a comment Judge Lisa Lench struck for being argumentative. He questioned why she remained on talking terms with Weinstein after the incident, seeing him again and discussing a potential naked massage book with staff from his publishing company."You didn't want to kill the book deal and tell Weinstein, 'Bad boy, no more massages,' right?" Werksman said, sharing emails between Jane Doe 2 and a representative from Miramax Books, who had led Jane Doe 2 to Weinstein's hotel room and asked her how it went."You could have said 'your boss just ejaculated on my shoes.' but you didn't," Werksman said."I was scared," Jane Doe 2 replied.

Harvey Weinstein's defense is 'stuck in the 1950s' with brash courtroom antics like suggesting Gov. Newsom's wife could be a 'bimbo' and goading an accuser with a suit jacket, expert says

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="11928261" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="prince-andrew" source="Orion">Prince Andrew</keyword> hired a lawyer who has represented Armie Hammer to defend him against a sexual abuse lawsuit.</li><li>The attorney argued in a virtual hearing Monday that the Duke of York hasn't been effectively served with a lawsuit from <keyword id="11957148" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="jeffrey-epstein" source="Orion">Jeffrey Epstein</keyword> accuser <keyword id="8402177" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="virginia-giuffre" source="Orion">Virginia Giuffre</keyword>.</li><li>He claimed a "secret settlement agreement" frees Prince Andrew of liability in the lawsuit.</li></ul>Prince Andrew is now challenging a sexual abuse lawsuit from a Jeffrey Epstein accuser with the help of a Hollywood lawyer.<a href="https://www.insider.com/lawsuit-against-prince-andrew-shows-map-accusers-epstein-plane-flights-2021-8">Virginia Roberts Giuffre </a>alleged in a lawsuit filed last month in federal court in New York that the royal sexually abused her in the early 2000s at Epstein's New York City mansion, when she was 17.Prince Andrew, who has repeatedly denied Giuffre's allegations and said he <a href="https://www.insider.com/prince-andrew-pizza-express-alibi-virginia-giuffre-allegation-2019-11">doesn't recall ever meeting he</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/prince-andrew-pizza-express-alibi-virginia-giuffre-allegation-2019-11">r</a>, didn't appear Monday at a virtual hearing.His attorney Andrew Brettler, who has defended actor <a href="https://www.insider.com/armie-hammer-cannibal-dms-controversy-explained">Armie Hammer</a> and former "Saturday Night Live" star <a href="https://www.insider.com/saturday-night-live-writers-dated-superstars-actors-snl">Horatio Sanz </a>against sexual assault allegations, told Judge Lewis A. Kaplan that Giuffre had not effectively served his client with the lawsuit, which he referred to as "baseless, non-viable, and possibly unlawful."Brettler initially asked that a UK court be given time to weigh in on whether Prince Andrew was properly served with the lawsuit. Kaplan said he believed that was unnecessary, and that he would authorize additional means to serve the Duke of York with the lawsuit if Giuffre requested it.Kaplan gave her attorney, David Boies, a week to file a request that the court authorize a different manner to serve Prince Andrew, who is reportedly <a href="https://www.insider.com/prince-andrew-with-queen-found-out-virginia-giuffre-suing-report-2021-8">staying at Balmoral Castle</a> in Scotland, with the lawsuit. <div type="image" title="prince andrew" height="1333" width="2000" msid="86186357" hostid="261"></div><h2>A 'secret settlement'</h2>At the virtual hearing, Brettler asked that Giuffre's attorneys provide him with a copy of a "secret settlement agreement" that he argued would protect his client from liability. He said that the document, which remains under seal, has already protected other individuals accused of similar conduct.Boies said that was a mischaracterization of what happened with the document, and argued that Prince Andrew doesn't have a right to make discovery requests while he's still contesting that he's been served with the lawsuit.While the contents of the settlement agreement are unknown, Kaplan noted that its unsealing is currently being litigated in front of Judge Loretta A. Preska in the Southern District of New York. Court documents show Alan Dershowitz, a Harvard law professor who Giuffre previously sued and accused of sexual abuse, wrote to Preska last week asking that a 2009 settlement between Giuffre and Epstein be unsealed. Dershowitz wrote that the settlement prompted Giuffre to drop a battery claim against him last month, and suggested it would be relevant in the lawsuit against Prince Andrew as well. Kaplan told Brettler that he believed it would be most orderly to let Preska handle the issue of whether the settlement be unsealed, while he works on the issue of whether or not Prince Andrew has been served. "If there is a document out there that would provide your client with an affirmative defense to the claim made in this action, or help you out in England, or both, you'd like to see it sooner or later," he said. "I understand that." The next hearing in the lawsuit is slated for October 13, and attorneys are expected to appear in person, Kaplan said.

Prince Andrew disputes lawsuit from Jeffrey Epstein accuser, lawyers up with attorney who defended Armie Hammer

<ul class="summary-list"><li>"<keyword id="12063261" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="saturday-night-live" source="Orion">Saturday Night Live</keyword>" cast members and hosts play a variety of roles in the <keyword id="11940446" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="comedy" source="Orion">comedy</keyword> sketch series. </li><li>They rarely break character on the show, but it can be contagious when they do. </li><li>Below are 13 times "SNL" cast members and hosts have struggled to contain their laughter. </li></ul>Regardless of how long "<a href="https://www.insider.com/category/saturday-night-live">Saturday Night Live</a>" cast members have been on the show or how much hosts rehearse leading up to their appearances, no one can control what happens on live television. While many "SNL" stars and <keyword id="6355064" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="celebrity" source="Orion">celebrity</keyword> guests are well-practiced at maintaining their composure during absurd sketches on the long-running NBC series, some of them still slip up and break character from time to time. Here are 13 hysterical moments on "SNL" that made either a cast member or host crack up.<h2><keyword id="12229893" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="kate-mckinnon" source="Orion">Kate McKinnon</keyword> broke down and said she was 'obviously not' OK during a 'Weekend Update' segment </h2>After President Donald Trump <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-tested-for-covid-19-hope-hicks-tests-positive-2020-10">tested positive for COVID-19</a> in 2020, <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/kate-mckinnon">McKinnon</a> appeared as "Dr. Wayne Wenowdis" - complete with a gray wig, white coat, and tie - on a "Weekend Update" segment with <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/colin-jost">Colin Jost</a>. The "SNL" cast member weighed in on Trump's diagnosis before she insisted on taking Jost's blood pressure, cracking up as she squeaked the machine.The head writer eventually asked McKinnon if she was OK, and she responded: "Obviously, I'm not."Then, she dropped Wenowdis' voice and directly addressed the audience."It's such a crazy time and this is something I started doing to cope," McKinnon said. "I have a lot of wigs and mustaches at my disposal, and it's refreshing to play a character who 'know this.'"<h2>An on-set mishap caused Aidy Bryant to crack up during a political sketch</h2>The "SNL" cast member wasn't supposed to be the person making the audience laugh while playing the host of a political talk show called "Inside the Beltway" in 2019.However, she lost her composure when they flashed back to a former clip of a crew member erroneously entering the stage during a live sketch. <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/aidy-bryant">Bryant</a> later called it the "worst break of my lifetime" on an episode of "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1-DNEYxeK4&amp;t=170s170s">The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon</a>."She said that fellow cast members <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/cecily-strong">Cecily Strong</a> and <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/kenan-thompson">Kenan Thompson</a> knew she was already "struggling" with the closing line during rehearsals, which only made them laugh harder.<h2><keyword id="12129051" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="adele" source="Orion">Adele</keyword> couldn't keep it together during a sketch about the 'Tourism Board of Africa'</h2>During her "SNL" hosting debut in 2020, <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/adele">the "Rolling in the Deep" singer</a> pretended to be a divorcée raving about her time in Africa.Flanked by cast members McKinnon and Heidi Gardner, who both stayed in character during the sketch, Adele burst into laughter while gushing about the "tribesmen" and the "lush, dangling foliage."While it was entertaining to watch the singer crack up throughout the scene, many people <a href="https://www.insider.com/snl-adele-laughing-breaking-character-controversial-africa-sketch-fan-reactions-2020-10#:~:text=Adele%20broke%20character%20during%20a,the%20%22tribesmen%22%20in%20Africa">criticized the "SNL" writers</a> for "fetishizing" African men in the sketch. <h2>Rachel Dratch's role as 'Debbie Downer' caused an entire table to erupt with laughter </h2>Debbie Downer (Dratch) was a recurring "SNL" character that had an unfortunate habit of bringing up depressing topics in inappropriate settings. In a 2004 sketch about Debbie, she joined her family on a trip to Disney World. As her relatives - played by <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/jimmy-fallon">Jimmy Fallon</a>, <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/amy-poehler">Amy Poehler</a>, <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/fred-armisen">Fred Armisen</a>, host <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/lindsay-lohan">Lindsay Lohan</a>, and Horatio Sanz - expressed their excitement about the vacation, Debby chimed into each conversation with grim facts about subjects like mad cow disease, train explosions, and infertility. Dratch's deadpan delivery caused everyone at the table, including her, to break.<h2>Vanessa Bayer couldn't help but giggle in the middle of a sketch called 'New Girlfriend'</h2>When Michael (<a href="https://www.insider.com/category/jason-sudeikis">Jason Sudeikis</a>) introduced his snobby girlfriend Regine (Armisen) to his friends, he made the rest of the party uncomfortable by constantly touching her. Bayer, who rarely breaks character, played one of Michael's friends at the gathering. In the middle of the sketch, she unsuccessfully tried to suppress a laugh at the over-the-top antics going on between Armisen and Sudeikis.<h2>'SNL' duo Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph caused Bill Hader to break character</h2>In a 2012 game of "Super Showcase" on "SNL," Hader took on the role of the show's host and guided the contestant (Bayer) through the game. <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/kristen-wiig">Wiig</a> and <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/maya-rudolph">Rudolph</a> were the models that presented the prizes the contestant didn't win. As the comedy duo touted the goods - which included luggage, golf clubs, and a lifetime supply of frozen chicken - both Wiig and Hader struggled to stay in character.<h2>Hader also lost his composure during another sketch with Wiig called 'The Californians'</h2>The 2012 sketch was part of a recurring soap opera-style saga making fun of Californians' fixation on driving directions.When Stuart (Armisen) walks in on his partner Karina (Wiig) with Devin (Hader), he tells him to "get back on San Vicente, take it to the 10, then switch over to the 405 North, and let it dump you into Mulholland where you belong."Wiig kept a straight face, but Hader failed to stifle his laughter. <h2>Ryan Gosling had to cover his mouth during a sketch about alien abduction</h2>Strong, McKinnon, and <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/ryan-gosling">Gosling</a>, who hosted the "SNL" episode in 2015, played three "small town buds" that recently returned from an alien abduction. The trio answered several questions administered by two National Security Agency officers.Strong called her interaction with extraterrestrial beings "beautiful," and Gosling reiterated her sentiments, remarking that it was "amazing."McKinnon, however, said it was "a little different" for her. As the "SNL" cast member described peeing in a metal bowl and having her "knockers" batted by a line of aliens, Gosling smirked.It wasn't until McKinnon said that the abduction wasn't her "worst Wednesday night" that the actor's body shook with laughter. <h2>Larry David had a hard time reciting his lines toward the end of a sketch called 'New Wife'</h2>The "Curb Your Enthusiasm" comedian is no stranger to being in the middle of humorous situations, so it's rare that he breaks character.He did, however, lose his composure while hosting "SNL" in 2017.David pretended to be a man named Vincent who was introducing his friends - Beck Bennett, McKinnon, and Chris Redd - to his new wife, a performer played by Strong. After McKinnon asks David if everything is alright, he started cracking up as he attempted to make his way through the rest of the dialogue. <h2>After one of the cats on set acted up, Tiffany Haddish's instincts took over</h2>Haddish, who hosted "SNL" in 2017, joined McKinnon in a sketch called "Whiskers R We," which focused on a Fall Cat Giveaway. They played characters named Claudia and Barbara, respectively.Early on, the pair struggled to control their laughter as Haddish wrestled to keep a pair of kittens inside a bin.Then, in the middle of the sketch, McKinnon lifted up a hairless cat and remarked that people "wouldn't have to worry about shedding."Shortly after, Haddish joked that the feline "shaved everything off for a gay circuit party," and the animal pounced at her. The host instinctively raised a fist to the cat and then turned to the camera, frowning at the audience. <h2>All four actors in 'The Love-ahs' broke character</h2>A 2001 sketch called "The Love-ahs" proved to be a test for some of the most experienced "SNL" comedians. Set in the Welshly Arms Hotel hot tub, the scene focused on Roger (Will Ferrell) and Virginia Klarvin (Dratch), a loved-up couple.They struck up a conversation with a man named Dave (Jimmy Fallon) and tried to set him up with their friend Barbara (Drew Barrymore).As Roger and Virginia described their sexual escapades, all four of the actors found themselves succumbing to their laughter. <h2>Dave Chappelle and Pete Davidson had to pause to keep from laughing during a sketch</h2>In a sketch about Aunt Jemima, Uncle Ben, the "Allstate guy," and Count Chocula defending their jobs, numerous comedians <a href="https://www.insider.com/snl-aunt-jemima-uncle-ben-sketch-dave-chappelle-2020-11">struggled to stifle their laughter</a>. The segment began when Alec Baldwin fires Aunt Jemima (Maya Rudolph), who replied, "But I'm Aunt Jemima!" Rudolph paused to regain her composure amid the audience's enthusiastic response. Rudolph's Jemima suggested that they fire Uncle Ben (Kenan Thompson) too. "If I'm going down, you're coming with me," she told him. The attention then turns to the "Allstate guy," played by the evening's host, Chappelle. He slammed his hands on the desk to argue for his job but had to turn away from the camera as he broke character. Chappelle's "Allstate guy" proceeded to call out Count Chocula (Davidson) for keeping his job, leading Davidson to spit out his fangs and promptly shove the mouthpiece back in.<h2>Julia Sweeney said the cameraperson had to cut her out of a sketch because she was laughing too much</h2>Sweeney and Phil Hartman played parents that hire a motivational speaker to convince their children not to do drugs in a 1993 "SNL" sketch called "Matt Foley: Van Down By The River."As the speaker, Matt Foley (Chris Farley), began his impassioned monologue, the frame switched between Sweeney and Hartman and the two children, portrayed by David Spade and Christina Applegate. It turns out that there's a reason the camera steered clear of Sweeney at certain parts of the sketch. "They had to cut around me because I was laughing. Because it was like I had the best seat in the house for the funniest friggin' thing that was happening on the planet," she said during a "Women of 'SNL'" panel according to <a href="https://ew.com/tv/snl-julia-sweeney-chris-farley-sketch/">Entertainment Weekly</a>, adding, "Spade was laughing too, but they were mad at me."Sweeney continued, "They had to change camera angles and that's terrible. That is terrible. I just feel awful about it actually."

13 'SNL' sketches that were so hysterical they caused cast members and hosts to break character

<div class="parbase section entrytext">
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisGethard" target="_blank"></a></div></div></div>Chris Gethard - a comedian, writer, and host of "<a href="http://thechrisgethardshow.com/" target="_blank">The Chris Gethard Show</a>" - wrote a great piece for Vulture on "<a href="http://www.vulture.com/2014/08/what-it-was-like-to-do-improv-with-robin-williams.html" target="_blank">What It Was Like To Do Surprise Improv With Robin Williams</a>."<a href="http://www.vulture.com/2014/08/what-it-was-like-to-do-improv-with-robin-williams.html" target="_blank"></a>
In his first-person essay, Gethard tells the story of when Williams showed up to the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in New York City, unannounced, and asked to perform in the "<a href="http://www.ucbtheatre.com/shows/view/741" target="_blank">Asssscat</a>" improv all-star show. 
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div>When Williams took the stage, Gethard writes, the crowd literally went wild. More so than they probably would have for any other living comedian:
"He comes onstage and I get to introduce him, and the crowd goes apeshit. This is a show that Amy Poehler does regularly, that Jason Sudeikis and Bobby Moynihan and Seth Meyers and Rachel Dratch and Horatio Sanz and so many other stars of current comedies do. And the crowd loves them. But the crowd loves seeing Robin Williams, passionately, with a connection that goes back to their childhoods...
Billy Crystal? I bet they'd be happy, but maybe a little confused. Chevy Chase? I did the same show a few times with him and the crowd was respectful, but not thrilled. With Robin Williams, they are beyond thrilled. To a crowd that loves improv, Robin Williams is like Chuck Berry. For a lot of them he is a little dated, or a guy their parents liked, or someone that they've heard the legend of but maybe never knew at his best - but when you listen to his solos and his spirit and his energy, there is no denying that he is rock and f------ roll."
</div>
<div class="parbase section entrytext">
When Williams performed, Gethard says the comedy vet took to the stage "like the Tasmanian Devil" with his "let the dog off the leash" philosophy.
But off stage, Williams was much more reserved.
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div>
"At the intermission, we are in the green room, everyone jabbering a mile a minute because there is so much energy in the theater that night. Except for Robin Williams," writes Gethard. "He is standing quietly against a wall, a look of discomfort etched on his face."
"Onstage, you couldn't take your eyes off him. He was relentless. It was impossible to not feel his impact," Gethard continues. "Offstage, he is Boo Radley - hugging the corner, hidden, uncomfortable."
Gethard says that much of Williams' uncomfortableness was due to a cooler full of beers backstage, taunting the then sober actor.
<div class="parbase section entrytext">
"And I understand that all the rumors I ever heard about his demons and struggles are true ... And I realize, comedy is his drug now," Gethard concludes. "Making other people feel better is his way of feeling better."
Read the rest of Gethard's story on Vulture <a href="http://www.vulture.com/2014/08/what-it-was-like-to-do-improv-with-robin-williams.html" target="_blank">here &gt;</a>
</div>
</div>

An Insightful Story About Doing Improv With Robin Williams At The Upright Citizens Brigade 

<div class="image-container float_right" style="width:480px"><div class="image">Christopher Polk/GettyPast and present "SNL" cast members discuss what it's like to audition for <keyword id="727224" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Lorne-Michaels">Lorne Michaels</keyword>.</div></div>Lorne Michaels has seen thousands of comedians perform during his nearly 38 years as "<keyword id="31081" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Saturday-Night-Live">Saturday Night Live</keyword>" creator and executive producer.
But only a lucky few make it from the stage of local <keyword id="6359193" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Comedy">comedy</keyword> clubs to the coveted "SNL" cast member gig.
The New York Times' <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/25/arts/television/the-god-of-snl-will-see-you-now.html?src=twr&amp;_r=1&amp;smid=tw-share&amp;" target="_blank">Dave Itzkoff interviewed 22 past and present cast members</a> who discussed the show's famously nerve-wracking audition process.
The main point of anxiety? 
<h2>Lorne Michaels doesn't laugh during auditions.</h2>
Jimmy Fallon: In makeup, they go, “Hey, Jimmy, some advice: Lorne Michaels doesn’t laugh when you audition. So don’t let that throw you.” Then the audio guy, he goes, “Hey, little advice — Lorne doesn’t like to laugh.” I’m like, “O.K.” Then Marci [Klein, a longtime “SNL” producer] comes out: “Jimmy, they’re ready for you. But hey, a little advice for you. If Lorne doesn’t laugh, be cool.” I’m like, what is this guy’s problem? He’s doing a comedy show. Why does he not like to laugh?
Andy Samberg: The only person I for sure knew was laughing was Tina [Fey, then the “SNL” head writer], which, outside of Lorne, is the best thing you could hear.
Cheri Oteri: I felt good because I heard Lorne laugh a little bit. I saw him out of the corner of my eye, laughing his very subtle, subtle laughter. Almost regal laughter.
Will Ferrell: I did a sketch where I was a guy, alone in my office, who in between taking calls would play with cat toys. There’s a point where I’m rolling around on the ground, in complete silence, playing with cat toys. And I’m thinking: Oh, it’s over.
<h2>Not everyone who eventually made it onto the show nailed it on the first audition:</h2>
Molly Shannon: I heard that Lorne Michaels was looking at tapes. I used my waitressing money and made a tape of my characters. I was on a pay phone across from an El Pollo Loco, and I found out that he had passed on it. I was crying. I was devastated.
Rachel Dratch: I didn’t get it that year [of her first audition]. They hired Horatio [Sanz], Jimmy [Fallon] and Chris Parnell, and they said: <a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnyti.ms%2F17Maxkl&amp;text=%E2%80%9CWe%E2%80%99re+not+taking+any+women+this+year.%E2%80%9D+What+SNL+told+the+%40TheRealDratch+after+her+first+audition">“We’re not taking any women this year. But maybe next year.”</a> I was at peace with it.
Taran Killam: I leave the stage, and Lorne gets up from his seat and shakes my hand and says, “Thank you for coming.” And I was like: That’s it. Goodbye. No more. I didn’t have to wait long before I got a phone call which said, “They want to fly you back out in two weeks to audition again.” And I’m like: What? I gave you all of my A material. Can’t they just hire me from that? The second audition, Lorne didn’t get up to shake my hand. We got a call: It’s not going to happen this season, but it’s not never. 
<h2>But these comedians got the greenlight straight off the bat:</h2>
Seth Meyers: They flew me all the way back to New York to meet with Lorne. I realized later that he was doing a final personality vet. <a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnyti.ms%2F14lc7uQ&amp;text=What+%40SethMeyers+thought+when+Lorne+Michaels+asked+him%2C+%22Do+you+think+you+can+live+in+New+York%3F%E2%80%9D">He said, “Do you think you can live in New York?” And I thought, “Does anyone blow it at this stage?”</a> Does anybody get this far in the process, and then is like, “It’s definitely New York? Well, if you guys can’t be flexible on that, I’m not sure if I can be flexible on that.”
Bill Hader: I knew I had been hired, and I knew that Andy [Samberg] had been hired. Then I get on the plane with him, and I’m acting like: “Hey, can you believe this? We’re going to be on ‘SNL.’ ” And Andy was like, “God, do you think it’s going to be both of us, or are they just going to pick one of us?” And I started to realize: “Oh, they haven’t told him yet. Do I tell him?” <a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnyti.ms%2F175w21k&amp;text=Why+Bill+Hader+had+an+awkward+plane+ride+with+Andy+Samberg+after+he+got+the+SNL+job">So I just sat there talking with him this whole plane ride, as he’s like, “What’s going on?” I knew, and it was awkward.</a>
To read all of the cast members' memories, check out the New York Times piece <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/25/arts/television/the-god-of-snl-will-see-you-now.html?src=twr&amp;_r=1&amp;smid=tw-share&amp;" target="_blank">here &gt;</a>

You Searched For "horatio sanz" and got 9 results

A former 'SNL' intern says Horatio Sanz tried to touch her breasts in the early 2000s

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Former 'SNL' star Horatio Sanz has been accused of grooming and sexually assaulting a 17-year-old fan

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