The reason Julia Roberts has never hosted ‘Saturday Night Live’: “I was asked to do it”
Hosting Saturday Night Live is on the bucket list of many celebrities who grew up watching Lorne Michaels’ sketch comedy showcase every weekend. To these people, the idea of mixing it up with the SNL cast in increasingly bizarre and hilarious ways sounds like the most fun they could have with their clothes on. But, to other A-listers such as Julia Roberts, the prospect of stepping on that hallowed stage provokes a very different reaction.
Over the years, a handful of famous faces have almost made SNL their second home, including Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin, and John Goodman, who have hosted a staggering 17, 16, and 13 times, respectively. Other stars who have always been happy to return to Studio 8H in New York City’s 30 Rockefeller Plaza for more hosting hijinks are Tom Hanks (ten times), Christopher Walken (seven times), Scarlett Johansson (seven times), and Drew Barrymore (six times).
However, throughout its prestigious history, SNL has also been turned down by a host of hugely famous icons who had no desire to host an episode. Julia Roberts is arguably the biggest name to have said “No thanks” to Michaels, and it wasn’t because she had personal beef with him or an axe to grind against the show. In fact, she has spent much of her career marvelling at how consistently smart, topical, and hilarious SNL has always been. Instead, Roberts’ reasoning was simple: she was afraid.
“It always really intimidated me how funny and clever that show is,” the Pretty Woman star told Extra in 2017. “So, when I was asked to do it long, long ago, I always said, ‘No,’ because I was too afraid. Too afraid to blow it.”
As hard as it is to picture one of the most successful women in the world being too nervous to commit to something, Roberts was genuinely intimidated at the prospect of hosting SNL. The idea of remembering her monologue, taking part in sketches with the cast, and doing it all in front of a live audience with no safety net was too much for her, and she’s not alone.
In the past, other stars such as Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, and Orlando Bloom confessed to turning down SNL host duties because they were terrified of falling flat on their faces in front of that live audience. Evans once told Entertainment Tonight, “I’ve avoided hosting SNL like the plague for years now just because I’m so scared,” while Ruffalo admitted his dyslexia made him anxious about using a teleprompter, and ultimately, the gig “scared the living shit out of me.” From Bloom’s perspective, he’s come around to the idea as he’s become less insecure about his abilities, and would host “in a heartbeat” if he were ever asked again. However, the more years pass, the less likely that second invitation seems to be.
As for Roberts, she hasn’t had a Bloom-style turnaround, and the notion of hosting still probably brings her out in hives. Having said that, there is one scenario in which she could maybe, just maybe, see herself agreeing to appear on SNL. “I mean, I would do it with Alec,” she said in 2017, referring to the most consummate celebrity host in the show’s history, “if we could be comedy partners just doing skits. Wouldn’t that be fun?”
Unfortunately for anyone who dreams of seeing Roberts’ luminous smile on the SNL stage, though, that double act with Baldwin hasn’t materialised in the eight years since she floated the idea. To make matters worse, given what’s happened with the Rust star’s personal and professional life since then, the odds are now stacked even further against it ever coming to pass.
