The first time I stepped into Saturday Night Live’s Studio 8H in 30 Rockefeller Plaza was a whirlwind into the inner workings of the legendary sketch comedy show. Sure, it was the show I knew from watching at home, but it was mind-blowing to witness the precise choreography of the spotlight rotating from the host’s monologue on the homebase stage to the musical performance on the music stage, along with the “Weekend Update” desk and sketch sets popping up out of nowhere. Perhaps most impressive was seeing the show’s creator, Lorne Michaels, nonchalantly watching over it all, occasionally cracking a slight smile from the corner of his lips.

On that February day in 2022, my casual appreciation for the show turned into a full-on obsession, actually seeing it live from New York, fascinated by every tiny detail that has to come together to make the late-night show happen live for the last 50 years.

To behold pop-culture moments created before my eyes was such a spectacular experience that I had to experience it again—19 times, in fact. Clearly, I’m not the only one who feels this way, as its wide range of fans has made SNL tickets one of the hottest commodities in New York City. After all, they can’t be bought.

Here’s your complete guide on how to score your own SNL tickets, as well as seats to NBC’s other shows filmed at Rockefeller Center, including late-night favorites The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Late Night with Seth Meyers, and daytime talk show The Kelly Clarkson Show.

SNL Ticket Lottery: How It Works

What is the Saturday Night Live Lottery?

The primary way SNL tickets are distributed is through its lottery, which accepts entries annually during the month of August. Nothing is guaranteed, but a set number of tickets is distributed randomly to winners via email. They can be for any time and date during the show’s season, which usually starts in late September or early October and runs through May. I’ve heard of lottery winners being alerted a few weeks ahead of time, as well as others being told just a few days before their shows.

How to Enter the SNL Ticket Lottery

For Saturday Night Live’s 51st year in the 2025 to 2026 season, fans must send an email to [email protected] between midnight ET on August 1, 2025, and 11:59 p.m. ET on August 31, 2025. The message should contain the entrant’s first and last name, as well as why you should be selected to join the SNL audience. Note that each person can only send one email, or their entry may be invalidated. Then it’s just a waiting game to see if a lucky message hits your inbox.

How to Increase Your Chances of Winning an SNL Ticket

There are rumors among frequent audience members that the content of your message truly matters… That said, in more than two decades, I have yet to win a lottery ticket, even when I waxed poetic about John Mulaney in my email last year and he ended up hosting in November. But I did run into a businessman from Texas who said he had won twice within three years, so luck is clearly at play.

How to Get SNL Standby Tickets

While the cards have never been stacked in my favor for the SNL ticket lottery, the 19 times I have ended up with a seat in Saturday Night Live’s studio have all been through the famous standby line. For my first show, I camped out for 12 hours on the icy cold sidewalk of 49th Street when lows dipped into the 20s. But it was well worth it when I ended up scoring a front-row seat for Mulaney’s Five-Timers Club episode on my birthday weekend.

These days, the standby tickets process isn’t quite as rigorous since the “camping out” part is limited to five hours, 7 p.m. to midnight on Fridays. But that also means it can be more competitive. It’s actually a three-step process over three days: 1. Getting a standby reservation number online Thursday morning; 2. Lining up in person outside of 30 Rockefeller Plaza on Friday night, and 3. Lining up inside The Shop at NBC Studios on Saturday night.

All along the way, there’s no guarantee you’ll get in. You won’t even know for sure until you’re actually sitting in a seat minutes before showtime.

How to Request a Standby Number on Thursday Morning

Step one of the SNL standby line process is to get a digital reservation number for your spot in line. Every Thursday at 10 a.m. during a show week, click on the blue link under “Saturday Night Live” on the NBC Tickets and Studio Tour page. You will see two tiles appear: one for the Dress Rehearsal on Saturday at 8 p.m. and the other for the Live show, of course, on Saturday at 11:30 p.m.

Click on one of those and you’ll be taken to a form to fill out your first and last name and email address. You’ll also select how many standby tickets you’d like. If you make it through, you’ll receive an email confirmation that your request was received.

At some point during the day on Thursday (it can take anywhere from a couple of hours to the full business day), you’ll receive another message with your number, which is determined by the order in which the reservations were received. That is the order in which you’ll be lining up in person on Friday night. Note that duplicate reservations are not allowed, so it will go by your last submission.

Here’s the thing: Demand is high and supply is low, which means even if you think you clicked on the link exactly when the clock struck 10, there’s a chance all the spots are taken. Folks have been known to study the exact timing and placements of their mouse to score numbers as close to the front as possible; spots tend to be snatched up in the first 15 seconds — or less.

But that’s no reason to lose hope. There is another popular lore that first-timers always have the best luck. More than once, I’ve found those ahead of me had beginner’s luck and got single-digit spots. Also, just because you didn’t get a number, that doesn’t mean you can’t join the back of the line on Friday night. After all, not everyone who got a reservation will show up.

When and Where to Line Up

Once you’ve decided you want to chance it, it’s time for the most physically demanding — but arguably most exciting — part of the process, the actual standby line. While I thought this was going to be a one-and-done experience for me, what has drawn me back is the community fostered in line, a true hodgepodge of New Yorkers and visitors from all over the globe, ranging from college students to retirees to families with teenagers (the minimum age is 16).

Those with standby reservation numbers must check in with an NBC Page outside on 49th Street near the NBC marquee between 6 and 7 p.m. on the Friday before a show day. There’s no advantage to arriving early, but if you show up even one second late, you could forfeit your spot. So leave ample time to get there, especially around the holidays when locals and visitors alike make their way to Rockefeller Center and the Christmas Tree. Right at 7 p.m., the Pages will come through and check your ID and confirm your place in line. (I’ve seen people miss the cut-off multiple times and end up at the back of the line.)

What to Expect in the Friday Night Line

The standby cards will be handed out around 12:01 E.T. , so now the five-hour wait begins. Security guards and fellow standby line folks ensure that there are no “line-sitters.” That said, reasonable breaks are allowed, whether it’s to pick up a take-away dinner (perhaps from an Under 30 Rock vendor like Naya or Daily Provisions), or use the restrooms on the Rink Level (make sure you go one last time before 11 p.m., when they close). My personal tip: Also grab plenty of candy from Lil Sweet Treat before it closes at 8 p.m.

Some pass the time by reading or streaming movies and TV shows, while others play games, chat with friends old and new, or catch up on work (that’s me — and the free Rockefeller Center WiFi works great!). On cold nights, sometimes soup is served that we’ve been told is a gift from Michaels himself. I’ve also been there during weeks when Bowen Yang and Kenan Thompson have sent us pizza!

But the real excitement tends to start up around 9 p.m. when the SNL cast members and writers will sometimes start to leave the office. Their cars pick them up right in front of the line, and many have been known to chat up the fans while they’re waiting.

At midnight, your IDs are checked again, and standby cards are distributed with your number printed on them, according to the order of folks still in line. One tradition: Take a picture of your card in front of the marquee, since you will have to turn in the standby card if you get in.

How the Saturday Night Line Works

Finally, it’s Saturday night. Look at the card to find out the cut-off time to arrive at The Shop at NBC Studios and check in with the NBC Page. You’ll be guided to your spot in the back of the Shop. After a speech by the security team — that’s so iconic to regular linegoers that quotes have been printed on t-shirts — groups are led in. First, there’s the airport-like security, then a stairwell, followed by a circular lobby, and then an elevator to the ninth floor. If all goes well, the final step is being welcomed into the studio. There’s never a guarantee you’ll make it to the next stage. Every step forward, the anticipation grows, as Pages are counting the number of people versus empty seats.

Tips for Getting into SNL

When it comes down to it, getting into Saturday Night Live is both about doing your homework to understand the process as well as a numbers game. The most important piece of advice is to heed all the advice and follow the directions exactly. Don’t enter your name more than once in the Thursday reservation line, and leave plenty of time for your commute so you don’t miss the cut-off times. More than anything, a positive and playful attitude helps. After all, this is ultimately all about comedy and having a good time.

Should I Choose the Dress Rehearsal or Live Show?

One of the most common questions is whether to choose the dress rehearsal or the live show. Personally, I’m a proponent of the dress rehearsal because you become a part of the process of how SNL is made. Dress is run just like the live show, but with more sketches (usually 30 minutes longer than the live 90-minute show, but I have been in there as long as 2 hours and 20 minutes, too). The audience’s laughs and reactions determine what gets cut and how they reorder the sketches for the live show.

A major reason I keep going back to dress rehearsals is that it’s such a fun game to guess which sketches will make the cut. The stranger I happened to be queued behind at my first show has grown into a dear friend. Not only do we run home after the dress rehearsal and text our predictions of what’s going to air and in what order, but he also introduced me to the Saturday Night Network podcast, on which I’m now a panelist. And in a full-circle moment, it turns out that the cast members listen to the podcast. When I was in the audience of the finale episode of Season 50 in May, some of the cast members spotted me and waved before and after the show. Truly a welcoming community all around.

How to Get Tickets for Other NBC Shows

While SNL is no doubt the most storied production at Rockefeller Center, it’s by far not the only household name. Also in the house are a pair of late-night shows hosted by SNL alumni, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Late Night with Seth Meyers. In the fall of 2023, The Kelly Clarkson Show moved from Los Angeles to 30 Rock. The good news is: The process for all three is simpler than SNL.

How to Get The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Tickets

Tickets for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon can be reserved by going to tonightshowtix.com, which will redirect to a page by 1iota, a company specializing in free tickets for fans. A calendar will pop up with available show dates and times. Simply click the “Request Tickets” button to be added to the waiting list. If a ticket becomes available, you’ll receive an email.

Some dates may be marked “Registration Closed,” while others may say “Join Waitlist.” Stay on top of when tickets will be released by following @FallonTix on X. If you don’t get a reservation, you can also try The Tonight Show standby process, with a limited number of cards being handed out from The Shop at NBC Studios between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. on show days.

How to Get Late Night with Seth Meyers Tickets

The process for Late Night with Seth Meyers is similar to The Tonight Show, except that the reservations need to be accessed directly through 1iota.com. Limited standby cards are also handed out on show days at The Shop at NBC Studios, starting at 8 a.m., but ending an hour earlier at 2 p.m.

If reservations are booked, there is still a chance. Just a few weeks ago, when I learned one of my Broadway favorites, Cole Escola, was going to be on Late Night, I joined the waitlist two days before the show and got a ticket over the weekend.

If timing permits, Meyers will spend time with the audience, chatting them up, as well as answering audience questions during a break — hands-down the most intimate of all the late-night show audience experiences I’ve been to, coast-to-coast.

How to Get The Kelly Clarkson Show Tickets

As the newest talk show to arrive at Rockefeller Center in New York City, I have yet to experience the original American Idol’s talk show. While it was also through 1iota.com last season, the show is currently on summer hiatus. According to the NBC site, new ticket instructions will be posted soon for fall shows.

NBC Studio Tapings: FAQs

Do you need a valid photo ID?

All audience members, both the person who registered as well as their guests, need to present valid photo IDs, which are typically checked multiple times throughout the check-in process of every show.

Is there an age limit to attend a taping?

Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and The Late Show with Seth Meyers have a strict policy that all audience members must be at least 16 years of age. The Kelly Clarkson Show has a strict policy that all audience members must be at least 18 years of age. The policy remains, whether or not they’re with a parent or guardian, with no exceptions. The date of birth is checked on the photo IDs.

Can you bring your phone?

While you can keep your phone with you during the tapings, it must be powered off before entering the studio. Anyone seen using their devices may be escorted out and not allowed back in.

What happens if you miss check-in?

The answer is simple: Don’t miss check-in. Demand is so high for all of these shows that someone else who was on time will be thrilled to scoop up your spot. Basically, if you miss check-in times at any point in the process, you forfeit your spot.

Can you buy tickets to these tapings?

All tickets are free. SNL tickets are only distributed through the show’s system above, while The Tonight Show and Late Night are through 1iota.com. Beware of any other sources claiming they offer tickets.

Will this process be in place throughout the entire season?

With the nature of television production, changes are natural. There were a couple of weeks last year when SNL’s Thursday reservations were by e-mail instead of through the link on the website. Each show also reserves the right to change the process and policies at any point. To stay on top of the latest, visit the NBC Tickets and Studio Tour page.