Don Novello debuted a new look when his iconic priest character gave himself a "promotion" in 1985. Who needs a conclave when a guy can just declare himself the pope? In the early seasons of Saturday Night Live, Father Guido Sarducci was a regular fixture, most often showing up on Weekend Update or in cold opens. The colorful priest and gossip columnist even hosted the show twice in the '80s, despite the fact that he is not a real person.
How to Watch Watch Saturday Night Live Saturdays at 11:30/10:30c on NBC and Peacock, streaming next day on Peacock. Sarducci is a fictional character, created by comedian and SNL cast member and writer Don Novello back in 1973. Novello, who is now 82 years old, is still playing him even in 2025.
He's in high demand as the Vatican prepares to elect a new pope, though despite his best efforts, Sarducci probably won't get the gig. In one of his classic appearances from Season 11 in 1985, he took a moment on Update to explain how he had declared himself "Pope Maurice I" after he kept being denied a promotion to Monsignor. In order to get back at his bosses, he quit his job and started his own church.
Of which he is, of course, the pope. But that's not all! RELATED: Walton Goggins and Scarlett Johansson Will Host SNL's Final Season 50 Episodes Dennis Miller and Don Novello during Weekend Update on Saturday Night Live Season 11, Episode 3 on November 23, 1985.
Photo: Al Levine/NBC Father Guido Sarducci on what it means to be the pope on SNL In Sarducci's church, all men are pope, and by that, he means that all mankind are pope. Men, women: All pope! Everybody gets to choose their own pope name.
He's even selling papal outfits for all his popes, including hats, capes, cummerbunds, long skirts, mini skirts, pantsuits and more. "You could wear it to restaurants and everything," he explained. "They say no pantsuits allowed, you say 'I'm the pope, I can wear anything I want.'"
RELATED: SNL's "Olympia Restaurant" Was Inspired By a Classic Chicago Tavern. Maybe. Father Guido Sarducci's first SNL appearance was in 1978, in a Season 3 episode hosted by Richard Dreyfuss.
He last appeared in Season 21 in 1995, but he's since risen outside of SNL. He showed up in the 1995 movie Casper as a priest trying to rid a haunted house of ghosts, and has made multiple appearances on sitcoms like Married… with Children and Blossom. Father Sarducci portrayer Don Novello was once detained by the Vatican police Novello also voiced the character of Vinny Santorini in the movie Atlantis: The Lost Empire, using a very similar accent and speech pattern to the famous priest.
In 1981, Novello was detained by the Vatican police for impersonating a priest when he went to do a photoshoot for Time magazine. Sarducci was never in the running to be the successor to the late Pope Francis, but anyone hoping to join Pope Maurice I's People's Catholic Church can go back in time and send a self-addressed envelope to Maurice at 30 Rockefeller Plaza with their chosen pope name and $250 for a pope outfit. A steal, honestly.
All episodes of Saturday Night Live are available to stream on Peacock.
