# Liz Patrick
**Liz Patrick** is an American television director who has directed *Saturday Night Live* since 2021, becoming only the fifth studio director in the show's history and winning three Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Directing in the Variety categories. Before *SNL*, she directed *The Ellen DeGeneres Show* for 13 seasons and began her career at MTV directing live programming such as *Total Request Live*.[1](https://awardsradar.com/2024/08/17/saturday-night-live-director-liz-patrick/) • [2](https://www.bu.edu/articles/2022/how-bu-alum-became-newest-snl-director/?msg=fail&shared=email)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Current role | Director of *Saturday Night Live* from fall 2021; the fifth director in the show's history, after Dave Wilson, Paul Miller, Beth McCarthy-Miller, and Don Roy King[1](https://awardsradar.com/2024/08/17/saturday-night-live-director-liz-patrick/) |
| Primetime Emmys | 3 wins from 5 nominations: wins in 2023 and 2024 for *Saturday Night Live* and in 2025 for *SNL50: The Anniversary Special*; nominations in 2022 and 2026[3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/liz-patrick) |
| DGA Awards | Two-time winner for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Variety/Talk/News/Sports – Regularly Scheduled Programming, for the 2022 episode "Jack Harlow" and the 2023 episode "Pedro Pascal/Coldplay" (shared with Michael Mancini)[4](https://www.dga.org/Events/2024/July2024/FOWC-Liz-Patrick-0524) |
| *The Ellen DeGeneres Show* | Director for 13 seasons, nearly 2,200 episodes, with nine Emmy Awards as a director and producer[2](https://www.bu.edu/articles/2022/how-bu-alum-became-newest-snl-director/?msg=fail&shared=email) |
| Early career | Started at MTV as a production assistant, working up to directing *Total Request Live*, awards shows, and red carpet specials[1](https://awardsradar.com/2024/08/17/saturday-night-live-director-liz-patrick/) • [5](https://www.moviemaker.com/snl-behind-the-scenes-team/) |
| Education | Boston University (CGS'91, COM'93), film and television program; four-year varsity softball player[2](https://www.bu.edu/articles/2022/how-bu-alum-became-newest-snl-director/?msg=fail&shared=email) |
## Taking over Saturday Night Live
Patrick joined *Saturday Night Live* during the second half of season 47 in fall 2021, replacing the retiring Don Roy King, who had directed the show since 2001.[1](https://awardsradar.com/2024/08/17/saturday-night-live-director-liz-patrick/) The handover was deliberately gradual. She shadowed King for two full episodes, then began directing a few sketches per show, taking over music and [Weekend Update](https://www.edgepedia.org/weekend-update) in stages; by the end of November and beginning of December 2021 she was directing the show completely, with King remaining as a consultant.[1](https://awardsradar.com/2024/08/17/saturday-night-live-director-liz-patrick/) • [4](https://www.dga.org/Events/2024/July2024/FOWC-Liz-Patrick-0524) In interviews she has said that the format held no surprises for her, describing *SNL* as "everything I've done before, just in a supersized show," with the main difference being the time constraint of live weekly production.[1](https://awardsradar.com/2024/08/17/saturday-night-live-director-liz-patrick/)
Her first full season brought an Emmy nomination for the episode hosted by [Billie Eilish](https://www.edgepedia.org/billie-eilish), and in her second season she won the award for the episode co-hosted by [Steve Martin](https://www.edgepedia.org/steve-martin) and [Martin Short](https://www.edgepedia.org/martin-short).[3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/liz-patrick) • [6](https://awardsradar.com/2023/08/15/interview-snl-director-liz-patrick/) She describes her approach as collaborative, pitching ideas with the show's writers and adjusting sketches as they change overnight or during dress rehearsal and commercial breaks.[1](https://awardsradar.com/2024/08/17/saturday-night-live-director-liz-patrick/) • [6](https://awardsradar.com/2023/08/15/interview-snl-director-liz-patrick/)
## SNL50: The Anniversary Special
The largest project of her tenure was *SNL50: The Anniversary Special*, a three-hour live primetime special broadcast on February 16, 2025, closing the show's 50th-season celebration.[7](https://apnews.com/article/128066674aef3c89daff4d070ffe2e1c) • [8](https://awardsfocus.com/awards/snl50-director-liz-patrick-and-production-designer-keith-raywood-on-live-tv-chaos-creative-legacy-and-family-vibes/) In preparation, Patrick watched the show's 25th and 40th anniversary specials, both of which predated her arrival at *SNL* in 2021.[9](https://www.motionpictures.org/2025/08/inside-snls-most-challenging-episode-ever-director-liz-patrick-on-the-50th-anniversary-special/) The special won seven [Primetime Emmy Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/primetime-emmy-awards), including Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special for Patrick, which was her third Emmy overall.[7](https://apnews.com/article/128066674aef3c89daff4d070ffe2e1c) • [3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/liz-patrick) She has described the season that followed it as, in some respects, harder rather than easier, with a rebuilt cast of new and second-year performers.[10](https://www.thewrap.com/industry-news/awards/saturday-night-live-director-season-51-interview/)
## Career before SNL
Patrick began her career at MTV, starting as a production assistant and working up to directing *Total Request Live*, awards shows, red carpet specials, and a [New Year's Eve](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-years-eve) special.[1](https://awardsradar.com/2024/08/17/saturday-night-live-director-liz-patrick/) • [5](https://www.moviemaker.com/snl-behind-the-scenes-team/) She has cited Beth McCarthy-Miller, a senior director at MTV when she started, as an early model of what the career could become.[1](https://awardsradar.com/2024/08/17/saturday-night-live-director-liz-patrick/) She later directed *The Ellen DeGeneres Show* for 13 seasons, winning nine [Emmy Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/emmy-awards) for her work on the show as a director and producer.[2](https://www.bu.edu/articles/2022/how-bu-alum-became-newest-snl-director/?msg=fail&shared=email)
Her credits beyond those two programs include episodes of *[Ellen's Game of Games](https://www.edgepedia.org/ellens-game-of-games)*, *Heads Up!*, *Repeat After Me*, *Wolf Watch*, *Guy Court*, *Wild 'N Out*, *The Real World*, and *Total Request Live*, plus specials such as *Michael Bublé's Christmas in the City*, *Wanda Sykes: What Happened... Ms. Sykes?*, the MTV Fandom Awards, the MTV New Year's Bash 2011, the 2010 VH1 Do Something Awards, and the New Now Next Awards.[4](https://www.dga.org/Events/2024/July2024/FOWC-Liz-Patrick-0524)
## Recognition
Patrick's Primetime Emmy record stands at five nominations and three wins, all in the Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series and Variety Special categories, for *Saturday Night Live* and *SNL50: The Anniversary Special*.[3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/liz-patrick) She is a two-time winner of the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Variety/Talk/News/Sports for regularly scheduled programming, for the "Jack Harlow" episode of 2022 and the "Pedro Pascal/Coldplay" episode of 2023, the latter shared with Michael Mancini.[4](https://www.dga.org/Events/2024/July2024/FOWC-Liz-Patrick-0524) She has also received [Daytime Emmy Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/daytime-emmy-awards) for her work on *The Ellen DeGeneres Show*.[6](https://awardsradar.com/2023/08/15/interview-snl-director-liz-patrick/)
## References
1. [Interview: 'Saturday Night Live' Director Liz Patrick Discusses This Season's Most Talked About Episode, Awards Radar](https://awardsradar.com/2024/08/17/saturday-night-live-director-liz-patrick/)
2. [Saturday Night Live's New Director Talks Sketch Comedy, MTV, and Ellen DeGeneres, Bostonia (Boston University)](https://www.bu.edu/articles/2022/how-bu-alum-became-newest-snl-director/?msg=fail&shared=email)
3. [Liz Patrick, Emmy Awards and Nominations, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/liz-patrick)
4. [In Conversation with SNL Director Liz Patrick, Directors Guild of America](https://www.dga.org/Events/2024/July2024/FOWC-Liz-Patrick-0524)
5. [The Behind the Scenes SNL Stars Who Get Us to 'Live From New York, It's Saturday Night', MovieMaker](https://www.moviemaker.com/snl-behind-the-scenes-team/)
6. [Interview: 'SNL' Director Liz Patrick On Her Emmy-Nominated Holiday Episode, Awards Radar](https://awardsradar.com/2023/08/15/interview-snl-director-liz-patrick/)
7. ['SNL' wins big for season 50 at the Creative Arts Emmys, Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/128066674aef3c89daff4d070ffe2e1c)
8. [SNL50: Director Liz Patrick and Production Designer Keith Raywood on Live TV Chaos, Awards Focus](https://awardsfocus.com/awards/snl50-director-liz-patrick-and-production-designer-keith-raywood-on-live-tv-chaos-creative-legacy-and-family-vibes/)
9. [Inside SNL's Most Challenging Episode Ever: Director Liz Patrick on the 50th Anniversary Special, The Credits](https://www.motionpictures.org/2025/08/inside-snls-most-challenging-episode-ever-director-liz-patrick-on-the-50th-anniversary-special/)
10. ['Saturday Night Live' Didn't Get Easier After 'SNL50,' Director Says, TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/industry-news/awards/saturday-night-live-director-season-51-interview/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Film and television directors › Directors of the United States and Canada › Television directors › Documentary, reality, and variety television directors*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license