There are many actors who have hosted sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live (SNL) through its 46 season on the air thus far, dating all the way back to 1975. And even some musicians, too.
In fact, some actors have hosted multiple times, with a handful of them becoming members of The Five-Timer’s Club, having hosted five or more times. A few, like Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin, have even hosted more than a dozen times. Yet there remains a number of actors who have never hosted the show, many of whom are surprising given their comedic talents and relevance in today’s television world.
10 Josh Gad
While Gadd did appear in a hilariously controversial virtual musical skit during SNL‘s last filmed-from-home season about letting kids drink during the pandemic (it was all in jest, of course) he has surprisingly never hosted the show.
Gad, who is known for his humor and jovial roles, seems totally game to do so as well, which makes it all the baffling that he hasn’t appeared yet. In a Tweet from December 2019, Gad alluded to the fact that he would totally be game for appearing in the opening political sketches as Florida politician Matt Gaetz, with whom he shares an uncanny resemblance.
9 Brad Pitt
Pitt is another celebrity to appear on SNL‘s virtual episodes in a short opening skit where he impersonated Dr. Anthony Fauci and provided both his comedic talents as well as his influential voice to plead viewers to listen to the real doctor.
But fans would be surprised to note that despite Pitt’s lengthy career in Hollywood and his proven comedic chops, he hasn’t yet hosted.
8 Susan Sarandon
Surandon is a big part of a musical digital short from the sketch comedy series, Motherlover, the follow-up to one of the most popular to date, D*** In A Box. She and Patricia Clarkson play the mothers of Justin Timberlake and Andy Samberg’s stereotypical ’90s boy bander characters.
In the mock music video, the guys sing a song about offering up their mothers to one another as a perfect Mother’s Day present. Sarandon has said that her son, who was 15 at the time, convinced her to participate in the short. While Sarandon became part of the SNL family after the mock music video, she still hasn’t actually hosted the show.
7 Kristen Bell
It seems crazy to think that Bell, who is an incredibly funny and talented actor who has been in the business for decades, hasn’t yet hosted the show. She’s an accomplished television and movie actor and has proven how funny she can be in various other appearances.
Interestingly, Bell has had a brush with SNL. She met Mike Schur, who created The Good Place, on the set of SNL where he was head writer when she was just 18, visiting a friend who worked in the set design department. And while she admired his work for years, she later discovered that he did as well when he called her to audition for the lead role.
6 Mindy Kaling
Kaling is not only a fiercely talented actor but also writer, having created (and starred in) successful TV series and movies. And while she has never hosted SNL, that might not be because she wasn’t invited to do so.
Kaling revealed that she was invited to audition for SNL while filming the second season of The Office, and while that was her dream job, she was tied to her contract. She auditioned anyway, with the approval of the Office showrunner Greg Daniels, but discovered that they wanted her as a writer with the potential to graduate to cast over time. It didn’t work out but given that Kaling’s career has been on the rise since, it all worked out for the best. But with The Office ending years ago, it’s a wonder she hasn’t at least fulfilled the childhood dream by hosting one episode.
5 Sandra Bullock
A rom-com and action star queen of the ’90s, Bullock is a versatile actor who can just about do it all. And she seems like the perfect type to do an amazing job as host on SNL. Yet she has never done it.
She has done funny sketches with former SNL cast member Jimmy Fallon on his late-night talk shows, demonstrating that she has so much potential to be super funny on the show. Her films like The Proposal and Miss Congeniality show that she has great comedic timing as well. So, what has taken so long to get her on board?
4 Keanu Reeves
The reboot of the Bill & Ted‘s franchise would have been a perfect time for the Canadian actor and action star to host the show. Known as one of the nicest guys in Hollywood, he mostly plays angry, complex, badass characters nowadays. But he can also be really, really funny, as he proved in Bill & Ted Face the Music and in his cameo role in Always Be My Maybe.
Imagine Reeves doing a Bill & Ted parody on SNL? Or even doing a parody of Wayne’s World? If Reeves were to be on tap to host, the episode would no doubt rake in huge viewership numbers.
3 Chris Evans
Many fans joke that Evans is the only remaining A-listing Chris to never host SNL. Chris Pine has hosted, as has Chris Hemsworth and Chris Pratt.
Evans has had ties to the show – years ago, he publicly dated Jenny Slate, who was once a cast member on the show. She only appeared on one season and her contract wasn’t renewed, so perhaps that soured him from the show? Nonetheless, it would be nice to see Chris join the other Chris’ in hosting at least once.
2 Will Smith
Smith has done funny dance sketches with Jimmy Fallon on his late-night talk shows, but don’t confuse those with SNL, as Smith has never actually hosted the show. Despite getting his start in comedy on the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Smith has never hosted.
One would think he might have done so back in the ’90s, at the height of his sitcom fame. But he has gone from comedy to dramatic movie roles, to producing and more without ever stepping onto the SNL host stage.
1 Allison Janney
Every role Janney touches seems to turn to gold, literally: she has won or been nominated for multiple Emmys for roles in series like Mom and The West Wing. And she won an Oscar for portraying Lavona Golden, the mother of former Olympic skater Tonya Harding in the loosely biographical film I, Tonya. All of her roles are serious with comedic undertones.
With so many decades in the business and a resume that proves her to be one of the generation’s greatest television comedic talents, why hasn’t she yet lent them to SNL?
About The Author
