'SNL' legends say comedy has become bigger, 'snarkier' and more political

Ahead of SNL's 50th anniversary special, Sunday, the three spoke to Fox News Digital about how the comedy landscape, particularly the stand-up comedy scene, has evolved in the era of social media and divisive politics - marveling at how comedians have exploded in popularity in recent years and developed a freer form and more biting style.

"When I started comedy, it was totally different. And it was a totally different time and generation, and it was not as much short attention span. I can look back at some of the sketches on SNL, and they're a lot longer than they are now because of the short attention span," Nealon told Fox, adding, "I think also comedy may have gotten a little more snarkier."

Nealon, whose stint on "SNL" from 1986 through 1995 made him one of the longest performing cast members in the show's history, chalked this change up to the influence of social media. He said it has made comedy "much more accessible to people."

"And people want little snippets. People want more and more and more, as quickly as possible. It's like a buffet," he said. 

The standup comic also noted how social media has propelled comics' careers. "I think without social media, these comics wouldn't be known. They wouldn't be selling out arenas." 

Modern day standup comics like Shane Gillis and Nate Bargatze have been smashing records on their recent global tours. 

Lovitz echoed Nealon's sentiments, telling Fox News Digital he believes "standup comedy is bigger than ever."

"Steve Martin was the first guy to play, like, arenas and stadiums, and then years later, it was Andrew Dice Clay. And then years after that, it was Dane Cook. There's only one guy," he said.

For example, the post-election installment of "SNL" averaged just 4.4 million total viewers, losing more than half of the 9.2 million viewers it's post-election show received in 2020, according to data from Nielsen Research."For me, it's like, [I] just miss the shows - it was just more comedy," Lovitz said of the late-night programs back when he was younger. "They were comedy shows. They weren't comedy shows for a year. They were comedy shows for 30 years."

"I think part of it is because there are so many options. You know, it's like there's so much content. If you do watch, you just watch little clips. Do you watch the whole show like it used to be? You know, the show would come out, and you discussed the show for the whole week."