The six weirdest and worst ‘SNL’ hosts of all time
Saturday Night Live, or simply SNL to the seasoned fan, remains one of America’s most-loved late-night television shows, even almost half a century since its inception. Created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol, the bizarre sketch comedy and variety show has played host to some of the most iconic comedians of all time, including Jim Carrey, Steve Martin, Robin Williams, Will Ferrell and many more.
Drawing heat for countless controversial sketches, SNL usually sticks pretty close to the line of taste, lampooning modern politics and pop culture with sharp comedy and contemporary wit. As with most topical shows, however, the cast of SNL has dramatically changed over time, often being true to the comedians and performers who are at the forefront of the industry at any given period, with the current crop of cast members being Marcello Hernandez, Molly Kearney, Michael Longfellow and Devon Walker among others.
Over the show’s 47-year history, SNL has attracted a good amount of surprising hosts who have come to help the comedy series thrive, with political figures, Olympic athletes, superstar musicians and more taking to the stage, leading to varying degrees of success.
Rounding up the weirdest and worst to ever host the show, take a look at our list of six performers SNL won’t be invited back any time soon.
The worst SNL hosts of all time:
Lance Armstrong (2005)
One of the many athletes SNL has invited the host the show was Lance Armstrong, joining an exclusive collection of sportspeople, which includes Michael Phelps, LeBron James, and Peyton Manning. The now-disgraced cyclist was at the very top of his game when he hosted the show back in 2005, making headlines by beating cancer and returning to the very sport that made him famous before he was condemned for taking illegal performance-enhancing drugs.
With that being said, he was a notoriously arrogant athlete whose ego was inflated even further when he was asked to host the show. It seemed bad then, with the cyclist joking about those who had tried to rightly besmirch his name, and seems even worse now, considering he cheated for so many years in the sport.
Adrien Brody (2003)
It’s worth considering, before we go into the astonishing actions of Adrien Brody, that the world was far different back at the dawn of the new millennium, being nowhere near as tolerant as society is today. Still, what on earth was actor Adrien Brody thinking when he introduced Sean Paul as the musical guest while speaking in an exaggerated Jamaican accent and wearing fake dreadlocks?
Invited to the show shortly after his win for Best Actor at the Oscars for The Pianist, his actions have since become a notorious moment in the show’s history. Though not only was Brody known for this segment, but he was allegedly a pest behind the scenes missing cues during the live broadcast to keep the spotlight on him, it all led to him being embarrassingly banned from the show.
Paris Hilton (2005)
Paris Hilton, the socialite, fashion icon and Simple Life star, seems to have been in and around pop culture ever since the new millennium, always having an influence, even when she’s not in the limelight. When Hilton appeared on SNL in 2005, however, she was not given a welcome reception by fans after delivering a wooden performance in every sketch that exposed her lack of comedic timing and poor acting range.
She was also allegedly a bit of a nuisance behind the scenes, refusing to engage with the actors and keep up a friendly appearance. Just how bad was she? Reflecting on her time with Hilton, comedian Tina Fey told Howard Stern, “She’s a piece of shit”.
Ronda Rousey (2016)
We’re back to the consistently bad practice of recruiting athletes to host SNL, with the UFC star Ronda Rousey being one of the most recent figures on our list. At one time back in the mid-2010s, Rousey was a household name, being a hopeful Hollywood star who had already made headlines in the UFC and WWE. But, if her performance on SNL was anything to go by, she didn’t have the ability to make it in the industry.
Simply ineffective as the host, in hindsight, the choice to cast the athlete is truly bizarre and may have even led to her eventual industry downfall, with several planned projects with the athlete falling through after her SNL appearance.
Steven Seagal (1991)
Yes, there was once a period of time when Steven Seagal was an undisputed action hero, appearing in Above the Law in 1988, Under Siege in 1992 and On Deadly Ground in 1994. During this time, in 1991, Seagal took to hosting SNL, producing a performance that SNL’s executive producer Lorne Michaels said in 2014 was the worst in the history of the iconic show.
So, why exactly was he so bad? Apparently, the answer is rather personal, with Seagal having a massive ego, which meant that he took things far too seriously and even refused to follow the script that was prepared for him.
Donald Trump (2015)
Sealing off our list is, without question, the most divisive and provocative figure of the 21st century, the 45th US President, Donald Trump. The Republican Presidential nominee at the time, rumours that Trump would appear on the show were met with rage from liberals, with the key figure of modern American politics yet to truly reveal his true corrupt colours. Regardless, the ‘businessman’ hosted the show in 2015 with narcissistic arrogance.
Of course, the decision to choose Trump as host looks stupid in hindsight, with SNL cast member Taran Killam calling the decision “embarrassing and shameful”. The event does indeed demonstrate how the Presidential candidate wasn’t taken seriously, swiping the title of American President from under the noses of the US public.
