If you’re a fan of smart, quick-witted comedy, chances are you’ve seen Tim Bagley lighting up the screen. Whether it was his scene-stealing moments on Will & Grace, quirky guest spots on Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm, or his more recent work on Somebody Somewhere, Bagley has always brought an undeniable charm and precision to his performances. But what many fans didn’t know—until now—is that he almost made it to Saturday Night Live. Almost.
Bagley recently sat down for an eye-opening interview on SiriusXM’s The Julia Cunningham Show, where the 67-year-old actor peeled back the curtain on the entertainment industry of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. His revelation? Despite being a standout performer with The Groundlings, one of comedy’s most prestigious training grounds, he was never even allowed to audition for SNL. Why? Because he was openly gay.
“I was out as a gay man,” Bagley said, “and people knew that they would not hire openly gay people.”
Let that sink in.
Back in 1989, Tim Bagley was turning heads at The Groundlings—the very same sketch comedy troupe that helped launch the careers of SNL alums like Will Ferrell, Kristen Wiig, and Phil Hartman. But while his peers were getting called in to audition, Bagley’s phone never rang. And the reason, according to him, was simple: being openly gay was a dealbreaker.
He didn’t mince words when talking about SNL head honcho Lorne Michaels and the late Hollywood manager Bernie Brillstein.
“They had kind of a thing where they did not hire gay people, so I never got to audition. All my friends did. I was always kind of a standout at the Groundlings, but I was out.”
For Bagley, being out wasn’t just a personal truth—it was a career risk in a business that had no protective “guardrails” for LGBTQ+ performers at the time. He said it was easy for people to pass over you if you didn’t fit a certain mold. Nobody was looking to diversify their cast. Nobody was being held accountable for exclusion.
The Industry’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Cast” Policy
Bagley’s story isn’t isolated. Back in 2018, comedian James Adomian shared a similar experience in an interview with The Daily Beast. He auditioned several times in the early 2000s but said being openly gay likely worked against him.
“It certainly didn’t help that I was openly gay,” Adomian said. “I think that Lorne Michaels is afraid of America’s dads.”
It’s a punchline with a sting. The idea that an industry titan could let perceived audience discomfort dictate hiring decisions speaks volumes about the institutional barriers LGBTQ+ performers faced—and still sometimes face.
But let’s pivot for a second. Because while Bagley’s story brings some justified heat, it also charts how far Saturday Night Live has come.
A (Slow) March Toward Representation
Despite the shadow cast over its earlier seasons, SNL has eventually made efforts to be more inclusive. Bagley even acknowledged that shift:
“It’s taken a long time, but the SNL machine has kind of changed or shifted, and I know there are people that have come out since.”
While many think of Kate McKinnon as the show’s first openly gay cast member, the real trailblazer was Terry Sweeney. He joined the show in 1985 during Season 11, when Lorne Michaels returned as executive producer. Sweeney's presence, however, was an exception—not the beginning of a wave.
It wasn’t until the 2010s that SNL really started to diversify its cast with openly LGBTQ+ comedians. McKinnon—who joined in 2012—was the first openly lesbian cast member and quickly became a household name. Then came John Milhiser in 2013, and later talents like Punkie Johnson and Molly Kearney, the show’s first nonbinary cast member.
Enter Bowen Yang: A Game Changer
And then there’s Bowen Yang, who might just be the new face of SNL’s modern era. He joined the writing team in 2018 and was promoted to a cast member in Season 45. In doing so, he made history as the first Chinese American cast member and one of the very few openly gay stars in the show’s entire run.
Let’s not understate Yang’s impact.
He’s racked up four Emmy nominations, including a historic nod in 2021 as the first featured player to ever get nominated. He’s also become a fan favorite with his sharp impressions (hello, JD Vance and Fran Lebowitz), wild “Weekend Update” characters (remember the Iceberg That Sank the Titanic?), and digital sketches that go viral almost instantly.
Remember that skit where he plays a toxic straight dude who steals the host’s heart? It featured Sydney Sweeney in the first iteration and Scarlett Johansson in the sequel, “Bowen’s Still Straight.” It’s these types of bold, hilarious, genre-twisting sketches that show just how far the show has evolved—thanks, in no small part, to performers like Yang.
He’s not slowing down either. You’ll catch him next in Wicked: For Good, hitting theaters later this year.
The Bigger Picture: Progress, With Caveats
What Tim Bagley’s candidness shows is that while comedy has finally started embracing LGBTQ+ voices, the road to that point was rocky and full of missed opportunities. How many more Tim Bagleys were out there? Talented, charismatic performers who never got their shot because they dared to be authentic in a world that wasn’t ready?
It’s important to spotlight these stories, not to point fingers for the sake of drama, but to understand where we’ve come from—and make sure we don’t slide backward.
Yes, SNL deserves props for hiring and celebrating queer performers today. But let’s also not forget the ones who never got in the room.
Closing Thoughts
In a perfect world, Tim Bagley’s talent would have landed him on SNL decades ago. Instead, he carved out a career through other iconic roles and, in doing so, showed that you don’t need a late-night platform to make a mark. But the entertainment industry—especially the comedy scene—should take this moment to reflect.
Tim Bagley’s story reminds us that representation isn’t just about who gets hired—it’s about who never got the chance. And that’s something we all need to keep talking about.
Quick Takeaways:
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🛑 Bagley claims SNL wouldn’t even let him audition in 1989 due to being openly gay.
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🎭 Despite being a Groundlings standout, his sexuality was a career obstacle.
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🏳️🌈 SNL’s LGBTQ+ history includes Terry Sweeney, Kate McKinnon, Bowen Yang, and more.
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🌟 Bowen Yang has since become a breakout star with four Emmy noms and big-screen roles.
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⏳ Change is happening—but it’s taken far too long, and many were left behind.
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