You remember that one guy? The one with the tattoos who seemed just a little bit too normal to be on late-night TV? That’s basically the legacy of Brooks Wheelan Saturday Night Live tenure in a nutshell. He was there, then he wasn’t. And honestly, the way he left was probably the most memorable thing about his entire run.
It’s actually a wild story.
Most people think getting fired from SNL is the ultimate career death sentence. Like, you're done. Go home. Pack up your wigs. But for Brooks, it was almost like a weird badge of honor. He didn't slink away into the shadows. Instead, he hopped on Twitter—back when we still called it that—and dropped one of the funniest "I lost my job" announcements in history.
"FIRED FROM NEW YORK IT’S SATURDAY NIGHT!"
Short. Punchy. Kind of legendary.
The Biomedical Engineer Who Accidentally Got Famous
Before he was getting "fired from New York," Brooks was actually a biomedical engineer. No, seriously. He was doing research on heart valves and eyes. You’ve gotta imagine him sitting in a lab, surrounded by sterile equipment, just thinking about dick jokes. That’s a hell of a pivot.
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He moved from Iowa to Los Angeles to do stand-up full-time, but he kept the day job for a while because, well, health insurance is nice. In 2013, he got hired as a writer for the show’s 39th season. But then, in a classic SNL "let's see what happens" move, they bumped him up to the cast just a week before the premiere.
Imagine that for a second. One day you're writing sketches for other people, and the next, you're standing on the same stage as Kenan Thompson. It’s a lot.
Why Brooks Wheelan Saturday Night Live Run Was So Weird
The 39th season was a total mess in terms of cast size. There were way too many people. You had the veterans like Seth Meyers and Bill Hader leaving or already gone, and Lorne Michaels decided to hire a massive crop of "featured players" to fill the void.
Brooks was fighting for airtime alongside guys like Beck Bennett and Kyle Mooney.
Because there were so many new faces, the show actually started making jokes about how nobody knew who the new people were. In one Celebrity Family Feud sketch, Brooks literally played himself. Kenan (as Steve Harvey) basically told him he didn't believe he was on the show.
Talk about meta.
He did manage to carve out a niche on Weekend Update, though. That’s where he really shined. Instead of doing a wacky character with a funny voice, he just went out as "Brooks Wheelan" and told stories from his actual life.
- The time he got a bunch of pointless tattoos (including a nautical star and a "seascape" on his side).
- The story about his friends putting butter down his pants while he was blacked out.
- The general vibe of an Iowa kid who was way out of his depth in Manhattan.
It was refreshing. It felt real. But SNL isn't always a place where "real" works. It’s a place for big, loud, broad characters.
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What Really Happened Behind the Scenes?
Look, being a stand-up comedian in a sketch world is tough. It’s a different muscle. Brooks has mentioned in interviews—like on the Entry Level podcast—that he wrote a ton of stuff that never made it to air. We’re talking a high failure rate.
He wasn't a "sketch" guy in the traditional sense. He didn't come up through the Groundlings or Second City. He was a storyteller.
When the season ended, the axe fell. Brooks, Noël Wells, and John Milhiser were all cut. It was a bloodbath.
A lot of people think he was bitter. And yeah, he’s admitted that getting fired sucks. Who wouldn't be mad? But he also seemed relieved. He immediately went on a tour called "The Brooks Wheelan Falls Back on Standup Comedy (Sorta) Tour."
Life After the 30 Rock Exit
If you think his career ended after 2014, you haven't been paying attention. He’s arguably doing better now than he was when he was stressed out in a writers' room at 4:00 AM.
- Voice Acting: He voiced Fred in Big Hero 6: The Series.
- Special Delivery: His debut album This Is Cool, Right? got massive critical acclaim.
- Podcast King: Entry Level is actually a great listen if you like hearing about terrible jobs.
- Alive in Alaska: His most recent special from late 2024 (and the deluxe version in 2025) shows he’s still one of the sharpest observational comics out there.
He joins a pretty elite "One-Season Wonder" club. We’re talking Sarah Silverman, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Rock (who lasted longer but was definitely underused), and Janeane Garofalo. Not a bad group to be in, honestly.
Why We Should Still Talk About Brooks Wheelan
The reason Brooks Wheelan Saturday Night Live history matters is because it’s a lesson in "the wrong fit." He wasn't bad; he just wasn't an SNL person.
The show rewards people who can disappear into a wig. Brooks is a guy who is at his best when he’s just being Brooks.
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If you're a fan of comedy, you should probably go back and watch his "Update" segments. They’re a masterclass in how to take a personal failure—like getting a tribal tattoo because you wanted to look like Anthony Kiedis—and turn it into gold.
It’s easy to look at a firing as a failure. But in this case, it was a course correction. It pushed him back to stand-up, which is where his voice actually belongs.
What You Should Do Next
If you’re feeling a deep dive into mid-2010s comedy, go find his "Butter Prank" set. It’s classic. Also, check out his latest special Alive in Alaska if you want to see what a decade of being "fired from New York" does to a man's comedic timing. It’s sharp, it’s weird, and it’s way more "Brooks" than anything he ever did in a sketch.
Check out his podcast Entry Level if you’ve ever had a job you hated. It'll make you feel better about your own 9-to-5.