Harry Styles, Jon Hamm, Emma Stone, Tom Hanks, and Charles Barkley (Screenshots/YouTube)Graphic: Natalie Peeples
First-time host Anya Taylor-Joy takes the Studio 8H stage tonight to close out Saturday Night Live’s 46th season. With this week’s AVQ&A, we take a look back at the hundreds of comedians, actors, athletes, politicians, and public figures who precede her:
Who is your all-time favorite SNL host?
Charles Barkley
I don’t care all that much about SNL, so my favorite hosts are the ones that break the format in some way—either because they’re really famous or because they’re just so out of their depth that the regular cast has no choice but to build the entire show around what they can do. I won’t say which of those categories he falls in, but Charles Barkley is easily my favorite example of that kind of show-devouring host, and it’s mostly because (for no reason in particular) he’s very good at playing characters who are completely baffled by whatever’s happening around them. You could say it seems very natural. [Sam Barsanti]
Wow, shit. Honestly did not know Timberlake was canceled. Guess I need to watch more movies. Wondered why only passing mention of him, he was beyond great on the show.No John Goodman or Scarlett Johansson either? Did I also miss something there?Johanssen absolutely killed the non-sequiter type skits (e.g. “ya gotta get mawble collums”) and you always knew it would be worth watching when Goodman hosted, and that was never really a given otherwise.
I know that John Mulaney has become to comedy what Harry Potter was to books, but there’s no arguing that the man just FITS on SNL. He only got on for the first time a few years ago (as a host at least), and he already feels like an institution there.
Mulaney is so good on SNL it almost feels like cheating. I also have to echo others that the most surprising guest has to be Garth Brooks, when he first hosted it was almost a guaranteed disaster and then we were all proven very wrong.
Mulaney’s first two episodes are phenomenally good work from him- the closest I can get to another host matching that level is Alec Baldwin’s first two episodes. He fits in perfectly and the full cast is used both times – you get so many classic sketches, some of the best of the ‘10s for SNL (Diner Lobster, Switcheroo, Cha Cha Slide) and many other worthy B-tier sketches.
Bill Hader has to be the best game show host in SNL history. He always managed to find an interesting character in what’s usually a totally thankless straight man role.
You know that was one of the first times I’d ever seen Bill (I had missed most of his SNL tenure and had not quite started Barry yet). I was really blown away by his performance, especially the specific moments where he would tear John down psychologically (the “I wouldn’t talk. I’d listen” moment is pure, pure joy). A year or so later I was able to go back and watch the first few versions of the sketch that he did as a cast member – he was fine, but his performance the last time around was riveting to watch – and so controlled. That was his last comedic cameo on the show up to now. I hope he returns, but if not, that’s a hell of a way to go.
I found Mulaney’s first stand-up on Netflix right before he got his short-lived show on FOX, and I’m still flabbergasted that he came back from that fiasco. Dude is a comedic genius, and I’ll watch anything he does. And Diner Lobster is something I swear I put on at least once a month, even if I don’t actually watch it, the vocals are enough to still make me laugh.
Favorite One-Time Host: Sylvester Stallone. Yes, Rocky hosted SNL, in 1997; and yes, he was surprisingly good. Favorite Surprisingly Game Host: Garth Brooks. He hosted twice and was also surprisingly good. I mean, the guy played a French whore in a game show sketch called “Old French Whore.” Favorite Recurring Host: Justin Timberlake. In some alternate timeline, he was an SNL cast member. Favorite Bad Host: Russell Crowe. Who thought this was a good idea?
He asked Norm, on behalf of his brother, to stop making Frank jokes. Norm compiled.Speaking of Norm and Stallone, the car sketch truly is a masterpiece.That’s also Tina Fey’s first episode on the writing staff.
Though, he got his own dig in at his brother: one sketch saw him by tickets for his wife to a Frank concert. She assumed it was Sinatra, but it was actually…Yep, you guessed it… Frank Stalone.
The show he hosted is solid from brining to end. The convention, rotating restaurant, a Sweeney sisters, Wonderful life lost scene, posing in the mirror, tj hooker. Plus Lone Justice. It might have been best episode ever.
I just watched it recently, and yeah I can’t think of any other episode of the show that hit as consistently as that one did.But that’s also probably the strongest all around era of the show. It’s got a great cast, brand new writing staff, Lorne had just returned and was essentially rebooting the show, and it hadn’t quite settled into it’s formula yet.The show’s had peaks since then, but I can’t think of another time where it felt liking everything came together the way it did for that 6 year period.
Gotta go with Eakin here. Tom Hanks. May not be the most original or compelling answer but he is consistently great. Which then kicks “best” into most surprising. For my money, Peyton Manning. I mean who in the hell thought he would be so damn winning
That was such a great promo. What makes it for me, though, is Kurt, who looks like a kid doing his best but still awkwardly posing for a Christmas picture.
He can’t act and he just doesn’t care and throws himself into every skit regardless of his abilities, even if it openly makes fun of him. He’s in it because he loves it and I love that kind of energy. I wouldn’t want it every week but when he shows up I know it’s at least going to be an interesting show.
his MAGA hat wearing old man who inexplicably gets on Keenan’s good side with seemingly reasonable answers during Black Jeopardy is one of the best sketches the show has ever done
it’s so good that it seems like all the other Black Jeopardy sketches prior to it were just setting up that this was the big payoff. But then they ruined that conceit by doing Black Jeopardy again after Hanks provided the perfect summit
Wasn’t Chadwick Boseman’s after Hanks’s? I can’t swear all the post-Hanks installments were amazing (Velvet Jones failed to impress me, for instance), but T’Challa on Black Jeopardy? GOLD. (or should I say “Vibranium”?)
To those who do not care about SNL, I totally get it. But I promise that there are some amazing hosts in the back catalog. Elliott Gould, Robin Williams, Candace Bergman, RICHARD PRYOR!!!!, John Goodman, and others are 100% worth checking out. Obviously, modern hosts like Melissa McCarthy, Zach Galifanakis, Steve Carell, Dave Chappelle, Drew Barrymore, Donald Glover, Maya Rudolph, John Mulaney, Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Peyton Manning, Jon Hamm, Eddie Murphy (who hosted when he was in the cast, but comes back with a strong episode) and others are great, as well.
This is only slightly related, but given Hamm’s drama AND comedy chops, as well as the fact that he looks, well, like Jon fucking Hamm… it still astounds me that he’s somehow still not a giant movie star. Like, superstar level movie star.
I want the answer to be: because he just doesn’t care. Get into some Marvel franchise then have to spend a year working out? Pff. No, rather just e.g. pop up unexpectedly in Toast of London (to which I honestly said out-loud, “hang-on, that’s the ACTUAL Jon Hamm!”).
Not really wasted, since for all its dramatic intensity Mad Men was often hilariously funny. Hamm absolutely kills in the show’s comedic moments, whether his character is crying like baby on command, plowing through an important pitch while drunk off his ass, deliberately tanking a client’s dumb idea by endorsing it with boobish eagerness, or screaming at his protégée, “THAT’S WHAT THE MONEY IS FOR!”
I was thinking the same thing. Him crying in the series finale is so fucking moving, and then to your point he can crack you up in multiple scenes to boot. I definitely have a man crush on the guy.
While I agree with most of these, here are my additional picks; Matt Damon, Melissa McCarthy, Justin Timberlake, Sarah Michele Gellar (search it out, its awesome), Alec Baldwin (before Trump).
I was trying to think of who I enjoyed more than Garth Brooks, and I came up blank, so that’s who I’m going with. Probably Charles Barkley & Jerry Seinfeld would be in the conversation though.
Gotta go with Christopher Walken. So many memorable sketches. The ‘Cowbell’ Guy, The Continental, The Census Guy…Everything he did was pure, strange comedy gold. Even his song and dance numbers in his opening monologues were a thing to behold.
I was disappointed to see the clip for Walken wasn’t the census sketch, but the centaur sketch isn’t bad either. And I remember the Blue Oyster Cult sketch going viral back in the early days of YouTube.
A dark horse candidate: Christopher Walken. He has comedic timing and he’s just so fucking weirdly wonderful in EVERY sketch that they end up being funny. And he gave the world “More cowbell!” which I don’t think anyone else could have done in the same way. I mean, John Goodman saying “more cowbell” is just John Goodman saying “more cowbell.”
Dwayne Johnson. Coco, Mr. Peepers, the quitting smoking ad, the goddamn evil robot contest. Super underrated at comedy & willing to throw himself into anything.
It’s weird to think that Johnson has been hosting for so long that he did a “Mr. Peepers” sketch. But of course, he was still WWE Superstar The Rock at that point.Plus his monologue not only features his fellow wrestlers, but is the first television appearance of one Mose SchruteKen TremendousMichael Schur.
I don’t know SNL well at all, but the one that really impressed me was Lady Gaga. Specifically because her range comes out of goddamn nowhere and she gives some great sketches while just blending into the cast; my favorite example is the acting camp.
One-timer: Strother Martin. Martin, a well-respected character actor, was mostly just asked to host because the cast, writers, and Lorne Michaels were all leaving at the end of the season, so Lorne was booking hosts based on their requests. Martin was clearly delighted to be there, adding a sense of fun to everything from a Cool Hand Luke parody to a piece about orchestra conductors having a meeting. He died a few months later, so this has an extra poignancy. Recurring: Buck Henry. Probably the most affable host of all time, willing to play anything, and play it well. He clicked with the original cast, so much so that he refused to ever host again after they left, thus preventing him from the diminishing returns of many other longtime hosts. For more modern years, I would probably go with John Malkovich as recurring host – he was never less than excellent. For one-timer, I’d go with Teri Hatcher – her episode is full of absolute bangers and is my very favorite thing she’s ever done.
I don’t think I’ve seen that Strother Martin episode, but absolutely Malkovich and Buck Henry. Save for Walken, Hanks and Steve Martin, there’s very little sense of history with this list.
The list is interesting to read through but I’m not why sure some of the writers on here who are longtime fans weren’t invited to participate. Yeah, I agree about lack of history, although I suppose that’s what you get when Lorne and NBC keep so much of the show under tight supervision.
“Yeah, I agree about lack of history, although I suppose that’s what you get when Lorne and NBC keep so much of the show under tight supervision.”Yeah, that is a fair point. Though I did not grow up during the full run of the series, during my teen years reruns from the 90s, 80s, and 70s were pretty ubiquitous on Comedy Central and E Network. Now, it’s not only extremely difficult to find streaming, but also most folks younger than me didn’t have that kind of passive, casual exposure to seasons from thirty or more years ago which comes from being a kid flipping through reruns on basic cable.
Hamm’s first SNL is maybe my all-time favorite episode. It’s got Hamm and Buble, it’s got the aliens taking over the sports show, and it’s got the incredible bit of Will Forte in a ridiculous commercial where he lives in your closet and sorts things for you (it was actually a repeat commercial bit), then the last sketch of the night is Jon Hamm and Will Forte in a bar, Hamm recognizes Forte from something, and he realizes he’s the dude from the closet commercials. It’s so weird that SNL doesn’t do more callback sketches like that, especially after Mr. Show proved how effective they are.
Seriously, dude’s amazing. And his musical performance is just a delight, he looks like he’s having so much fucking fun up there. I went from indifferent of him to endearing him thanks to SNL, what a guy.
Ben Affleck was a good host. Hosted multiple times. Seemed game for lots of stuff. They did an opening where they referenced him being another Alec Baldwin. then it came to an abrupt halt.
He carried a full eight minute sketch with his Keith Olbermann impression.When SNL puts a host front and center with that kind of showcase, you know they have confidence in him.
Lots of suckage going around in SNL for years. My favorite hosts are the ones who look like they are really into and actually put the effort into. Less cue card reading etc.But really, Chance the Rapper has owned his few skits. Halloween song, E-Sports Reporter..
Patrick Stewart was pretty good, Love Boat, the Next Generation was a fine sketch.Hamm is amazing, as is Baldwin. Hanks is always gold.The worst I ever saw was Wayne Gretzky.
Gretzky was kind of stiff but the writing and cast back then were excellent- check out Waikiki Hockey or the LA celebrities in the locker room sketch.Also, does anyone remember Neil Patrick Harris’ episode about 10 years ago- how was he never invited back? He was great.
Waikiki Hockey was indeed pretty great. Gretz was just a deer in the headlights though. The idea was good, and the material was funny.The celebrities in the Kings’ room is most memorable for me in that Dennis Miller played Bruce McNall….
Mine’s Garth Brooks if only because he was in possibly my favorite SNL sketch ever, “Who’s More Grizzled?”, which you damn near cannot find anywhere on the internet which I have to imagine is the only reason it is criminally left off of so many “Best of SNL” lists.Also the musical guest on his episode is Chris Gaines, so that’s a real piece of history.
Steve Martin, but I started watching in 1977. It’s hard to describe the impact of both Martin and the show back then. It was groundbreaking- you genuinely couldn’t believe this kind of humor was on television.
Interesting question. What little time I have invested in SNL I never really saw the host as very relevant to the over all success of a given episode. Some celebs with a lot of charisma have hosted shows with awful writing/planning and other hosts (whose inclusion might raise some eyebrows) ended up delivering a monologue for a show that did surprisingly well. I’m not a big fan of Kristin Stewart but, as I recall, her episode went well and then there was the famous ‘kitchen lesbian scene’.
ok i absolutely had to track down wtf that emma stone dancing to french music sketch was in its entirety, so for anyone else on that wavelength too: et voilà
You know who was a great host but was one and done? Martin Freeman. His ep didn’t have one bad sketch, and the cut for times that popped up after were equally good.
Maybe not all-time, but Jim Carrey is definitely in my top 10. Also, Tom Hanks’s Dean Martin in ‘The Global Warming Christmas Special’ in ‘89 (and his Dennis Miller from the same episode) is marvelous.And I’m a little wary of mentioning another past host’s name, but I will just say that his Christopher Walken in the Star Wars audition sketch was hysterical.
Does Eddie Murphy count? His 2019 gig was one of the best front to back episodes of SNL I’ve seen (or at least best in as long time). And the amazing thing to me was how great some of the “greatest hits” sketches were; but some of the new ones were even better.
Donald Glover was a great episode. Everyone remembers his performance of “This is America” but the skits were good, especially the Barbie IG and the Ras-P-Berry music video.
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John Goodman
How did you leave off Justin Timberlake?
And Alec Baldwin?
Hashtag cancelled.
Wow, shit. Honestly did not know Timberlake was canceled. Guess I need to watch more movies. Wondered why only passing mention of him, he was beyond great on the show.No John Goodman or Scarlett Johansson either? Did I also miss something there?Johanssen absolutely killed the non-sequiter type skits (e.g. “ya gotta get mawble collums”) and you always knew it would be worth watching when Goodman hosted, and that was never really a given otherwise.
Don’t you be cancellin’ my hashtags!!!
Don’t you be cancelling my hash browns!(seriously it’s like 7:15 and I would KILL for some hash browns right now)
Now I want some hash browns…
Possibly because he isn’t the favorite host of any of this small group of writers.
Soup, there it is!
I know that John Mulaney has become to comedy what Harry Potter was to books, but there’s no arguing that the man just FITS on SNL. He only got on for the first time a few years ago (as a host at least), and he already feels like an institution there.
Mulaney is so good on SNL it almost feels like cheating. I also have to echo others that the most surprising guest has to be Garth Brooks, when he first hosted it was almost a guaranteed disaster and then we were all proven very wrong.
Mulaney’s first two episodes are phenomenally good work from him- the closest I can get to another host matching that level is Alec Baldwin’s first two episodes. He fits in perfectly and the full cast is used both times – you get so many classic sketches, some of the best of the ‘10s for SNL (Diner Lobster, Switcheroo, Cha Cha Slide) and many other worthy B-tier sketches.
My favorite is Mulaney’s “What’s That Name?” with surprise game show host Bill Hader. A slam on the patriarchy that just kills.
Bill Hader has to be the best game show host in SNL history. He always managed to find an interesting character in what’s usually a totally thankless straight man role.
Bill always adds a certain menace to those roles which is invaluable.
You know that was one of the first times I’d ever seen Bill (I had missed most of his SNL tenure and had not quite started Barry yet). I was really blown away by his performance, especially the specific moments where he would tear John down psychologically (the “I wouldn’t talk. I’d listen” moment is pure, pure joy). A year or so later I was able to go back and watch the first few versions of the sketch that he did as a cast member – he was fine, but his performance the last time around was riveting to watch – and so controlled. That was his last comedic cameo on the show up to now. I hope he returns, but if not, that’s a hell of a way to go.
“I roll with a group of problematic bachelors and we call ourselves “The Squad””
I found Mulaney’s first stand-up on Netflix right before he got his short-lived show on FOX, and I’m still flabbergasted that he came back from that fiasco. Dude is a comedic genius, and I’ll watch anything he does. And Diner Lobster is something I swear I put on at least once a month, even if I don’t actually watch it, the vocals are enough to still make me laugh.
Favorite One-Time Host: Sylvester Stallone. Yes, Rocky hosted SNL, in 1997; and yes, he was surprisingly good. Favorite Surprisingly Game Host: Garth Brooks. He hosted twice and was also surprisingly good. I mean, the guy played a French whore in a game show sketch called “Old French Whore.” Favorite Recurring Host: Justin Timberlake. In some alternate timeline, he was an SNL cast member. Favorite Bad Host: Russell Crowe. Who thought this was a good idea?
Oh, wait, wait, actually,
no. It’s.. it’s a porn film. It’s “Rambone”. It’s “Rambone”. Alright, let’s clear out, everyone! Nothing
to see! You want this?
The best part was that he took the porno. Stallone was so game, able to make fun of himself. And, his brother Frank.
“He said ‘Stop Or My Mom Will Shoot’ SUCKED!”
He asked Norm, on behalf of his brother, to stop making Frank jokes. Norm compiled.Speaking of Norm and Stallone, the car sketch truly is a masterpiece.That’s also Tina Fey’s first episode on the writing staff.
Though, he got his own dig in at his brother: one sketch saw him by tickets for his wife to a Frank concert. She assumed it was Sinatra, but it was actually…Yep, you guessed it… Frank Stalone.
Shatner
The show he hosted is solid from brining to end. The convention, rotating restaurant, a Sweeney sisters, Wonderful life lost scene, posing in the mirror, tj hooker. Plus Lone Justice. It might have been best episode ever.
I just watched it recently, and yeah I can’t think of any other episode of the show that hit as consistently as that one did.But that’s also probably the strongest all around era of the show. It’s got a great cast, brand new writing staff, Lorne had just returned and was essentially rebooting the show, and it hadn’t quite settled into it’s formula yet.The show’s had peaks since then, but I can’t think of another time where it felt liking everything came together the way it did for that 6 year period.
Gotta go with Eakin here. Tom Hanks. May not be the most original or compelling answer but he is consistently great. Which then kicks “best” into most surprising. For my money, Peyton Manning. I mean who in the hell thought he would be so damn winning
Barkley’s an all-timer just for this
He looks like he bought the Variety Height Pack of white guys and is satisfied with his purchase
That was such a great promo. What makes it for me, though, is Kurt, who looks like a kid doing his best but still awkwardly posing for a Christmas picture.
so THAT’S why Krist became a republican?
This episode also had Barkley vs Barney the dinosaur, an all time classic skit and
He can’t act and he just doesn’t care and throws himself into every skit regardless of his abilities, even if it openly makes fun of him. He’s in it because he loves it and I love that kind of energy. I wouldn’t want it every week but when he shows up I know it’s at least going to be an interesting show.
With the exception of Hanks and Martin, this list is very, very young.
It’s the AV Club, not the AARP’s culture section.
his MAGA hat wearing old man who inexplicably gets on Keenan’s good side with seemingly reasonable answers during Black Jeopardy is one of the best sketches the show has ever done
it’s so good that it seems like all the other Black Jeopardy sketches prior to it were just setting up that this was the big payoff. But then they ruined that conceit by doing Black Jeopardy again after Hanks provided the perfect summit
Wasn’t Chadwick Boseman’s after Hanks’s? I can’t swear all the post-Hanks installments were amazing (Velvet Jones failed to impress me, for instance), but T’Challa on Black Jeopardy? GOLD. (or should I say “Vibranium”?)
I liked the idea of Velvet Jones on there but the timing in the sketch felt off.
To those who do not care about SNL, I totally get it. But I promise that there are some amazing hosts in the back catalog. Elliott Gould, Robin Williams, Candace Bergman, RICHARD PRYOR!!!!, John Goodman, and others are 100% worth checking out. Obviously, modern hosts like Melissa McCarthy, Zach Galifanakis, Steve Carell, Dave Chappelle, Drew Barrymore, Donald Glover, Maya Rudolph, John Mulaney, Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Peyton Manning, Jon Hamm, Eddie Murphy (who hosted when he was in the cast, but comes back with a strong episode) and others are great, as well.
Hamm is a comedic genius. He’s wasted on stuff like Mad Men.
Oh, yeah. His James Mason is pure art.
Apparently he was supposed to do Dean Martin in that sketch, like, moments before. Then just decided to switch it up to James Mason. Incredible.
This is only slightly related, but given Hamm’s drama AND comedy chops, as well as the fact that he looks, well, like Jon fucking Hamm… it still astounds me that he’s somehow still not a giant movie star. Like, superstar level movie star.
I want the answer to be: because he just doesn’t care. Get into some Marvel franchise then have to spend a year working out? Pff. No, rather just e.g. pop up unexpectedly in Toast of London (to which I honestly said out-loud, “hang-on, that’s the ACTUAL Jon Hamm!”).
“Your teeth look so perfect when you play the Mad Man!”
Not really wasted, since for all its dramatic intensity Mad Men was often hilariously funny. Hamm absolutely kills in the show’s comedic moments, whether his character is crying like baby on command, plowing through an important pitch while drunk off his ass, deliberately tanking a client’s dumb idea by endorsing it with boobish eagerness, or screaming at his protégée, “THAT’S WHAT THE MONEY IS FOR!”
It’s so funny, as I started reading your comment the first thing that came to mind was “THAT’S WHAT THE MONEY IS FOR!”
You make a fair point.“We could be bi-coastal!”
Yes! The later seasons of Mad Men are a comedy as much as it is a drama.
I was thinking the same thing. Him crying in the series finale is so fucking moving, and then to your point he can crack you up in multiple scenes to boot. I definitely have a man crush on the guy.
Much like Alec Baldwin. Waste of careers as “handsome actors”I can’t find a video of Baldwin’s SNL handsome actor skit.
While I agree with most of these, here are my additional picks; Matt Damon, Melissa McCarthy, Justin Timberlake, Sarah Michele Gellar (search it out, its awesome), Alec Baldwin (before Trump).
I DRIVE A DODGE STRATUS!
I was trying to think of who I enjoyed more than Garth Brooks, and I came up blank, so that’s who I’m going with. Probably Charles Barkley & Jerry Seinfeld would be in the conversation though.
Deion Sanders January Jones Donald Trump Paris HiltonSteven Seagal Quentin TarantinoMartin Lawrence
You forgot Elon Musk!
Bill Murray was great as a cast member and amazing as a host. Just a guaranteed good time.
Gotta go with Christopher Walken. So many memorable sketches. The ‘Cowbell’ Guy, The Continental, The Census Guy…Everything he did was pure, strange comedy gold. Even his song and dance numbers in his opening monologues were a thing to behold.
I was disappointed to see the clip for Walken wasn’t the census sketch, but the centaur sketch isn’t bad either. And I remember the Blue Oyster Cult sketch going viral back in the early days of YouTube.
Steve MartinAlec Baldwin (pre Trump)Christopher WalkenJohn GoodmanTom Hanks Melissa McCarthy Scarlett JohanssonCandice BergenBuck HenryPaul Simon
Yes, Scarlett Johansson should be there!
McCarthy was a major omission!
Dwayne Johnson. Coco, Mr. Peepers, the quitting smoking ad, the goddamn evil robot contest. Super underrated at comedy & willing to throw himself into anything.
It’s weird to think that Johnson has been hosting for so long that he did a “Mr. Peepers” sketch. But of course, he was still WWE Superstar The Rock at that point.Plus his monologue not only features his fellow wrestlers, but is the first television appearance of one Mose SchruteKen TremendousMichael Schur.
Don’t forget Zentrex, the number one male enhancement pill on the market!But man, the evil robot and the Coco sketches are all-timers.
I don’t know SNL well at all, but the one that really impressed me was Lady Gaga. Specifically because her range comes out of goddamn nowhere and she gives some great sketches while just blending into the cast; my favorite example is the acting camp.
One-timer: Strother Martin. Martin, a well-respected character actor, was mostly just asked to host because the cast, writers, and Lorne Michaels were all leaving at the end of the season, so Lorne was booking hosts based on their requests. Martin was clearly delighted to be there, adding a sense of fun to everything from a Cool Hand Luke parody to a piece about orchestra conductors having a meeting. He died a few months later, so this has an extra poignancy. Recurring: Buck Henry. Probably the most affable host of all time, willing to play anything, and play it well. He clicked with the original cast, so much so that he refused to ever host again after they left, thus preventing him from the diminishing returns of many other longtime hosts. For more modern years, I would probably go with John Malkovich as recurring host – he was never less than excellent. For one-timer, I’d go with Teri Hatcher – her episode is full of absolute bangers and is my very favorite thing she’s ever done.
I don’t think I’ve seen that Strother Martin episode, but absolutely Malkovich and Buck Henry. Save for Walken, Hanks and Steve Martin, there’s very little sense of history with this list.
The list is interesting to read through but I’m not why sure some of the writers on here who are longtime fans weren’t invited to participate. Yeah, I agree about lack of history, although I suppose that’s what you get when Lorne and NBC keep so much of the show under tight supervision.
“Yeah, I agree about lack of history, although I suppose that’s what you get when Lorne and NBC keep so much of the show under tight supervision.”Yeah, that is a fair point. Though I did not grow up during the full run of the series, during my teen years reruns from the 90s, 80s, and 70s were pretty ubiquitous on Comedy Central and E Network. Now, it’s not only extremely difficult to find streaming, but also most folks younger than me didn’t have that kind of passive, casual exposure to seasons from thirty or more years ago which comes from being a kid flipping through reruns on basic cable.
Hamm’s first SNL is maybe my all-time favorite episode. It’s got Hamm and Buble, it’s got the aliens taking over the sports show, and it’s got the incredible bit of Will Forte in a ridiculous commercial where he lives in your closet and sorts things for you (it was actually a repeat commercial bit), then the last sketch of the night is Jon Hamm and Will Forte in a bar, Hamm recognizes Forte from something, and he realizes he’s the dude from the closet commercials. It’s so weird that SNL doesn’t do more callback sketches like that, especially after Mr. Show proved how effective they are.
Buble is so good in the Ham and Bubbly sketch. I hope he has a resurgence
Seriously, dude’s amazing. And his musical performance is just a delight, he looks like he’s having so much fucking fun up there. I went from indifferent of him to endearing him thanks to SNL, what a guy.
Ben Affleck was a good host. Hosted multiple times. Seemed game for lots of stuff. They did an opening where they referenced him being another Alec Baldwin. then it came to an abrupt halt.
Who Wants To Marry a Thousandaire is still one of my faves.
He carried a full eight minute sketch with his Keith Olbermann impression.When SNL puts a host front and center with that kind of showcase, you know they have confidence in him.
Just from a performance perspective, Steve Buscemi was firing on all cylinders when he hosted.
Paul Simon.Probably the first SNL episode I saw (the 2nd SNL episode ever).
Lots of suckage going around in SNL for years. My favorite hosts are the ones who look like they are really into and actually put the effort into. Less cue card reading etc.But really, Chance the Rapper has owned his few skits. Halloween song, E-Sports Reporter..
His hockey sketch is an all-time favorite of mine.
Sam Rockwell was pretty damn good.
Nicolas Cage
I miss Christopher Walken hosting nearly every season. Glad to see him on the list.
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Patrick Stewart was pretty good, Love Boat, the Next Generation was a fine sketch.Hamm is amazing, as is Baldwin. Hanks is always gold.The worst I ever saw was Wayne Gretzky.
Gretzky was kind of stiff but the writing and cast back then were excellent- check out Waikiki Hockey or the LA celebrities in the locker room sketch.Also, does anyone remember Neil Patrick Harris’ episode about 10 years ago- how was he never invited back? He was great.
Waikiki Hockey was indeed pretty great. Gretz was just a deer in the headlights though. The idea was good, and the material was funny.The celebrities in the Kings’ room is most memorable for me in that Dennis Miller played Bruce McNall….
Mine’s Garth Brooks if only because he was in possibly my favorite SNL sketch ever, “Who’s More Grizzled?”, which you damn near cannot find anywhere on the internet which I have to imagine is the only reason it is criminally left off of so many “Best of SNL” lists.Also the musical guest on his episode is Chris Gaines, so that’s a real piece of history.
Buried too many friends to make new ones
I’m here to throw my support behind the recently departed Charles Grodin.
Peyton
Steve Martin, but I started watching in 1977. It’s hard to describe the impact of both Martin and the show back then. It was groundbreaking- you genuinely couldn’t believe this kind of humor was on television.
Interesting question. What little time I have invested in SNL I never really saw the host as very relevant to the over all success of a given episode. Some celebs with a lot of charisma have hosted shows with awful writing/planning and other hosts (whose inclusion might raise some eyebrows) ended up delivering a monologue for a show that did surprisingly well. I’m not a big fan of Kristin Stewart but, as I recall, her episode went well and then there was the famous ‘kitchen lesbian scene’.
Torino’s pizza rolls!
That’s the one, lol.
It worked even better because Vanessa had been doing that sketch for a few years haha
ok i absolutely had to track down wtf that emma stone dancing to french music sketch was in its entirety, so for anyone else on that wavelength too: et voilà
You know who was a great host but was one and done? Martin Freeman. His ep didn’t have one bad sketch, and the cut for times that popped up after were equally good.
only one damn answer and it’s so definitive most ppl remember him erroneously as a regular player.steve martin for fucks sake. next
Maybe not all-time, but Jim Carrey is definitely in my top 10. Also, Tom Hanks’s Dean Martin in ‘The Global Warming Christmas Special’ in ‘89 (and his Dennis Miller from the same episode) is marvelous.And I’m a little wary of mentioning another past host’s name, but I will just say that his Christopher Walken in the Star Wars audition sketch was hysterical.
I agree with most of the men mentioned. I would like to add some women that have been great hosts. Julia Louis Dreyfus, Tina Fey and Tiffany Haddish.
I seem to be in the minority but that David S. Pumpkins sketch really does nothing for me.
Does Eddie Murphy count? His 2019 gig was one of the best front to back episodes of SNL I’ve seen (or at least best in as long time). And the amazing thing to me was how great some of the “greatest hits” sketches were; but some of the new ones were even better.
Kyle McLaughlin: Really helpful of him to tell us that Shelly the Waitress killed Laura. Also, I’ll never look at soft sheets in the same way again.
In the last 10 years or so, The Rock and Melissa McCarthy stand head and shoulders above the rest.
Steve Martin. When I was a kid in the 70’s and he was hosting it was an event. I knew it would be awesome and it always was.
Steve Martin without a doubt
Buck. Fucking. Henry.
Peter Dinklage is another candidate.
I really wish writers would understand the turn off it is to start some sort of culture commentary with, “You know, I really don’t care about this.”
Like, ok, you don’t care so why should I care about your opinion on it?
Donald Glover was a great episode. Everyone remembers his performance of “This is America” but the skits were good, especially the Barbie IG and the Ras-P-Berry music video.