Live from New York, it's... oh, it's you... Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most unwatchable hosts in “SNL” history, whose episodes showcased awkward stage presence, cringe-worthy acting, and a complete lack of comedic timing.
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00:00Um, this seriously is like the ninth greatest moment of my life.
00:05Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most unwatchable hosts
00:11in SNL history, whose episodes showcased awkward stage presence, cringeworthy acting,
00:17and a complete lack of comedic timing.
00:19Then I took it to my room and guess what happened? Something crazy.
00:2330. Billy Bob Thornton
00:28Although he first broke into Hollywood playing a sympathetic individual with developmental
00:33disabilities, Billy Bob Thornton has since gained a reputation for his more sinister roles.
00:38That dry, sleazy charm could have been comedy gold when he hosted SNL in 2001,
00:44but Thornton failed to use it to his advantage.
00:47How do you think it feels to create something that means a lot to you and then you find out
00:50they're selling plastic sling blade teeth in Spencer's gifts? It's surely not fun.
00:54Instead, he came across as disinterested, and his delivery failed to land with the audience.
01:00You're right, son. These guys are about as quick as an Intel Pentium 1.
01:05Maybe if he had been given more screen time, he could have turned it around,
01:09but Thornton was so invisible you'd have thought he was a featured player in their first season.
01:14What could have been a great episode turned into a missed opportunity,
01:17which probably explains why we haven't seen him back since.
01:21I want my fenced-in area to be an inspiration.
01:28And if y'all can't understand that, then I was born in the wrong world.
01:3629. Martin Lawrence
01:38In the 90s, there were few comedians as big as Martin Lawrence.
01:43His hit sitcom made him a household name,
01:45so you'd probably be surprised to know he's only hosted SNL once.
01:49Man, I am so happy to be here. This is a dream come true for me.
01:53Well, that's because this one appearance was very controversial. During his opening monologue,
01:58Lawrence veered off-script, delivering an uncomfortable tirade about female hygiene.
02:04It was so tasteless that reruns now edited out completely, replacing it with disclaimers about
02:10how it landed SNL in trouble. It also got Lawrence banned from the show. Unfortunately,
02:16things didn't get better as the episode progressed, as Lawrence stuck to his usual shtick,
02:21which quickly wore thin. Although the ban has been lifted,
02:30it's unlikely we'll see Lawrence return to host anytime soon.
02:3428. Deion Sanders
02:37Having athletes host SNL is always a gamble. For every Charles Barkley or Peyton Manning,
02:43there's always a Deion Sanders waiting to drop the ball.
02:46It's been a great year so far.
02:48Fresh off his 1995 Super Bowl win, Sanders made his debut at Studio 8-H.
02:54Right off the bat, it was clear that this was a horrible decision.
02:58And about a week ago, Lauren Michaels called me up and made me offer. He said,
03:04Deion, I got a good team here at SNL, but it could be a great team. I need you.
03:10Sanders' monologue was painfully unfunny, setting the stage for a night of line flubs,
03:16cringe-worthy antics, and flat-out terrible acting.
03:19The more the episode dragged on, the more unbearable it got. To top it off, Sanders
03:24then gave an atrocious performance of his rap songs, even though there was already a musical
03:29guest. It was as if SNL was trying to create reasons not to invite him back,
03:41and they absolutely nailed it.
03:4427. Kelly Ripa
03:47It can be quite challenging for SNL hosts to make their mark on the show,
03:51especially when they're sharing the stage with top-tier comedic talent.
03:55That seemed to be the case for actress and TV host Kelly Ripa.
03:59They asked me what I wanted to do for my monologue, and I was like,
04:02gee, I don't know. I'm used to live TV, so I think I'll just talk to the people.
04:08Despite her charm, Ripa couldn't quite keep up with the cast's energy,
04:12which only made her stick out like a sore thumb.
04:15Are you saying my cat knows a record producer?
04:18Well, not just a record producer. The Phil Stiles.
04:22When would my cat have a chance to meet Phil Stiles?
04:26This was even more glaring in the sketch where
04:28Amy Poehler nailed an impression of Ripa right in front of her.
04:32You are so strong.
04:34Don't touch.
04:35And very brave.
04:36The rest of the night didn't do her any favors,
04:38with material that barely gave her a chance to flex any comedic skills.
04:43She may be an experienced TV host, but this was one hosting gig where Ripa just didn't shine.
04:5026. George Steinbrenner
04:53The best hosts are those who fully embrace the writer's ideas,
04:56let their guards down, and just have fun.
04:59So you probably understand why former Yankees owner George Steinbrenner made this list.
05:04You know, this show traditionally has two kinds of hosts. Entertainers,
05:10you know, actors and comedians, and then beloved figures from other walks of life.
05:1727. Conan O'Brien
05:18According to then-writer Conan O'Brien,
05:21Steinbrenner was quick to reject many of the writer's suggestions,
05:25insisting on only doing what he thought was funny. As a result, he barely appears in the episode,
05:30and when he does, the sketches are either bizarre, unfunny, or downright inappropriate.
05:36You go through life, you follow your instincts, you make your choices, and you don't look back.
05:42The lowest point of the night was a sketch in which Steinbrenner plays a version of himself
05:46hitting on a reporter who tries to file a harassment complaint.
05:50Mr. Steinbrenner, I'd like to thank you for seeing me on such short notice, sir.
05:55No problem at all, honey.
05:58It was the first and last time SNL saw Steinbrenner, and for good reason.
06:0425. Chevy Chase
06:06Chevy Chase remains one of SNL's biggest success stories. After debuting as an original cast
06:13member, Chase left midway through the second season to launch a successful Hollywood career.
06:18However, nearly every time he returned to host, he managed to stir some trouble.
06:24I think that it's very hard to express how I feel in words.
06:27In 1978, he and Bill Murray, who replaced him on the show,
06:31got into a heated argument that ended with punches.
06:35I was ready to level him, and he was probably ready to scratch me up.
06:38Then in 1985, he reportedly uttered several homophobic remarks at Terry Sweeney,
06:44the show's first openly gay male cast member. But the final straw came in 1997,
06:50when Chase hit Sherry O'Terry in the head during rehearsals.
06:54Hello, Baywatch Barbie.
06:56She's not a bamboo, she's a lifeguard!
06:58This supposedly led producer Lorne Michaels to ban him from ever hosting the show again.
07:0424. Jeremy Renner
07:07When he was tapped to host this season 38 episode,
07:10Jeremy Renner set out to, quote, make a jerk of himself.
07:14Good way to start the show, right?
07:18The mindset was right, but the execution, not so much. From the moment he hit the stage,
07:24Renner looked so nervous, you'd wonder if he even showed up for the dress rehearsals at all.
07:30He never quite settled into any of the characters. Spending more time not just
07:34reading the cue cards, but studying them like he was cramming for an exam.
07:53It certainly speaks volumes that his standout moment for the night was
07:56when he had to play within his comfort zone, in the Avengers parody sketch.
08:0523. Lance Armstrong
08:08To say this episode has aged poorly would be putting it mildly.
08:12Back in 2005, when Lance Armstrong hosted this season 31 installment,
08:16he had just won his seventh consecutive Tour de France title and was basking in international
08:22acclaim. Sure, doping rumors were floating around, but nothing was proven, and he even
08:31joked about it in his opening monologue. If that wasn't awkward enough, the musical
08:42guest was his then-fiancée Cheryl Crow, whom he declared he was, quote,
08:47definitely going to marry, only for them to split a few months later.
08:51Armstrong's subsequent scandal has made this episode virtually unwatchable,
08:55but even if you set that aside, his stilted performance still makes it skippable anyway.
09:0122. Rudy Giuliani
09:11Believe it or not, there was once a time when Rudy Giuliani was the beloved mayor
09:15of New York City, celebrated for his leadership after 9-11. In November 1997,
09:21he even hosted an episode of SNL, which saw him poke fun at himself and the city.
09:26I'd like to take this moment to officially announce
09:29that it is once again alright to hitchhike.
09:33Giuliani seemed to be all in, even dressing up in drag as an Italian grandmother.
09:39Did you eat?
09:40Not yet. My wife forgot to thaw the turkey, so we won't be eating till after the Rose Bowl.
09:45She's Irish.
09:48But in hindsight, his hosting stint feels more like a calculated PR move to boost his
09:53national profile than anything else. Besides, most of the sketches just feature him being
09:59interviewed as himself, so there's nothing groundbreaking here.
10:02I should also mention that the elections are over.
10:06Outstanding!
10:09So uh, who won?
10:11I did.
10:12Congratulations!
10:15Watching this now, it's pretty striking how Giuliani went from being in on the joke
10:19to becoming the punchline.
10:21Number 21. Elon Musk
10:24When it was announced that multi-billionaire Elon Musk would be hosting SNL,
10:28not everyone was thrilled.
10:30It's an honor to be hosting Saturday Night Live. I mean that.
10:34Sometimes, after I say something, I have to say, I mean that.
10:38In fact, some cast members openly voiced their displeasure with the decision,
10:43and as it turns out, their concerns weren't exactly off the mark.
10:47Musk's appearance was nothing more than an attempt to launder his public image.
10:51Is this Morgan Squad?
10:52Gang gang!
10:54Doctor, please, tell us what's up with our bestie.
10:58You all might want to sit down. What I have to say right now might be a little cringe.
11:01While he did put in some effort, he often looked completely out of place,
11:05as he transitioned from playing a creepy doctor to a creepy TV producer to,
11:10you guessed it, a creepy priest.
11:12Might I be of some help?
11:14I'm Father Dover. Your daughter and I were friends.
11:17Ironically, the best moments of the night were those that featured little to no Musk,
11:22and that alone speaks volumes. Let's be real, no one needed this more than Musk himself.
11:28No, I am not evil. I just misunderstood.
11:31Number 20. Ronda Rousey
11:34UFC Hall of Famer Ronda Rousey fought tooth and nail for laughs during her hosting stint
11:38in January 2016, but unfortunately, she isn't as fast in front of the camera as she is in the ring.
11:44I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself.
11:47To be honest, hosting might not even be the right word for it.
11:50While she didn't make an ass of herself, she barely appeared in the live sketches,
11:54and when she did, her acting was wooden and she didn't really add anything.
11:58I like the moon.
11:59Yeah, the moon's nice.
12:02We can clearly see you looking at the cue cards, Ronda.
12:04Throw in a bland performance by Selena Gomez, and you had one of the worst episodes of season 41.
12:11Number 19. Frank Zappa
12:13Frank Zappa may be a stellar musician, but a suitable host he is not.
12:18Zappa hosted way back in October of 1978, and he made a total fool of himself and the show.
12:24Thank you, and remember I'm reading this off these cards underneath this camera here.
12:28While we understand that SNL is meant to be funny,
12:30there's still an expected level of professionalism, and Zappa did not adhere to it.
12:36He constantly broke the fourth wall and even addressed the cue cards,
12:40which resulted in his ban from the show.
12:42I am a musician, and I'm giving a concert. No, that should be out there.
12:49Zappa came across as an extremely uncomfortable and risky presence
12:53that could undermine the show at any moment, and the crew allegedly hated him for it.
12:58Number 18. Charles Grodin
13:01I didn't know that there would be an audience here.
13:04The infamous Charles Grodin episode is a thing of Saturday Night Live legend.
13:08Grodin took up hosting duties in October 1977, but awkwardly stumbled through his lines,
13:14improvised large swaths of content,
13:16and derailed sketches due to being blissfully unprepared for the show.
13:24Chuck, Chuck, those are John's lines.
13:27Some say he missed rehearsals and bungled the night,
13:30and some say it was an Andy Kaufman-esque bit of meta-humor that flew over everyone's heads.
13:35It was a disaster either way, and few people found him funny or enjoyable,
13:40kind of like Andy Kaufman himself a lot of the time.
13:48Number 17. Milton Berle
13:51Mentioning the Milton Berle episode to a cast member of the 1979 season
13:56may just give them unwanted flashbacks.
14:07Berle was allegedly a massive pain both in front of the camera and backstage.
14:12He had no qualms with completely taking over the show,
14:15and tended to both hog the camera and upstage his fellow cast members.
14:19He also insisted on ad-libbing, made outdated jokes, including doing spit-takes.
14:27He then ended the show with a mushy performance of September's song
14:30and a pre-planned standing ovation, much to the anger of Lorne Michaels.
14:39In short, everyone involved seemingly hated him, and he was never invited back.
14:45Number 16. M.C. Hammer
14:47By the time M.C. Hammer hosted SNL on December 7th, 1991,
14:52he was already dancing his way out of the zeitgeist.
14:55You Can't Touch This was well behind him,
14:57and while Too Legit to Quit proved relatively successful,
15:00it wasn't the earth-shattering single that the former was.
15:10As a result, this episode reeked of a celebrity desperately trying to hold onto relevancy,
15:14especially when you consider that he was the musical guest as well.
15:17Unfortunately, he proved a bad host due to some wooden acting
15:21and making the odd decision to refer to himself in the third person.
15:25Leafs, Hammer, don't hurt him.
15:29While he may be Too Legit to Quit, he wasn't Too Legit to Fail.
15:33Number 15. January Jones
15:36January Jones is often considered to be one of the weakest links
15:39of the otherwise stellar cast of Mad Men,
15:42but you could argue that Betty Draper is meant to be rather emotionless and boring.
15:46However, even January's most diehard fans had trouble defending her SNL hosting gig.
15:55She carried the show with the same bland personality,
16:04and while that may work for Betty, it doesn't work for live comedy.
16:07If her rather uninspired live delivery wasn't bad enough,
16:11she also stumbled over lines and showed audible confusion regarding the cameras.
16:16Critics thought she sucked the energy out of the show,
16:19earning her place in history as one of SNL's most awkward personalities.
16:25Number 14. Al Sharpton
16:28Who in their right mind thought that a civic rights activist and Baptist minister
16:33would make for a good Saturday Night Live host?
16:35Sharpton hosted the show while running for president on December 6, 2003.
16:40But just because someone is a presidential candidate doesn't mean they're good at comedy.
16:48Politicians and Baptist ministers do not often make for good actors.
16:52As everyone predicted, it was generally a disaster,
16:55as Sharpton often looked bored and uncomfortable,
16:58and it came across as little more than a transparent campaign ad.
17:05His 2018 misspelling of respect was funnier than anything he did on Saturday Night Live.
17:11Number 13. Adrienne Brody
17:13Adrienne Brody is a terrific case in proving that drama and live comedy
17:17require completely different talents.
17:20While Brody may be an acclaimed, Academy Award-winning actor,
17:23he's easily one of Saturday Night Live's worst and most awkward hosts.
17:38While he wasn't particularly funny throughout the whole show,
17:40it was his introduction of musical guest Sean Paul that really angered people.
17:45Brody allegedly went off script and introduced Paul while wearing
17:49fake dreadlocks and a Jamaican accent, a joke that was not approved or even known about.
17:54To make matters worse, it proved to be unfunny and offensive.
17:58The joke reportedly got Brody banned from the show, and he has since become a part of SNL legend.
18:04Number 12. Wayne Gretzky
18:06Wayne Gretzky's stint on Saturday Night Live was oddly reassuring.
18:10It reinforced the idea that everyone has flaws, and that even the all-time greats are human.
18:16Gretzky is often considered to be the greatest hockey player to ever lace up skates,
18:21yet he's certainly not an actor. And that's putting it mildly.
18:24We suppose seeing him play hockey with Wayne and Garth was cool,
18:28but that's the extent of this episode's quality, which saw the sports legend noticeably glancing
18:32off-camera and delivering his lines and jokes with the enthusiasm of a brick wall.
18:37The episode is great as a time capsule, but certainly not as a funny hour of television.
18:46Number 11. Tom Green
18:48Tom Green is certainly an acquired taste.
18:54The crass Green was invited to host back in November 2000 when he was at the height of
18:58his popularity, and it went about as poorly as you'd expect from the infamously odd performer.
19:09While we suppose the producers knew they were taking a risk when hiring the controversial
19:13comedian, it certainly didn't pay off. Green brought his brand of low-brow,
19:18uncomfortable humor to the live sketch show, and the two types of comedy failed to mix.
19:23Next to his practiced sketch comedian co-stars,
19:26Green's farcical approach to acting came across as childish and unfunny.
19:31Number 10. Casey Affleck
19:33If there's one celebrity primed to host Saturday Night Live,
19:36it's the gut-busting, rip-roaring Casey Affleck. In case you can't tell, we're being sarcastic.
19:44To promote that hilarious movie Manchester by the Sea, Casey Affleck hosted the show in December
19:502016, and, well, it was the same old mumbly and deadpan Casey Affleck you've come to expect.
19:57While his reserved personality may work for dramatic movie roles, it isn't a boon in
20:01sketch comedy. Besides the obvious standout Dunkin' Donuts segment,
20:07Casey seemed completely out of his element, and had little chemistry with the cast.
20:14Still, we must give him props for his self-deprecating monologue.
20:21Number 9. Lindsay Lohan
20:24What makes Lindsay Lohan's terrible hosting gig from 2012 so outlandish
20:28is that she'd already proven that she could do it well.
20:34Lohan had hosted Saturday Night Live three times going into this gig,
20:39so expectations were fairly high, despite the state of her career at the time.
20:44What could have been a big win for the actress instead went down as another missed opportunity.
20:50She had next to no energy throughout the night, and her line delivery was extremely stilted and
20:55boring. To make matters worse, it was clear that she was reading off of cue cards. And,
21:00like anyone obviously reading from a card, Lohan was emotionless, stiff, and boring.
21:09Number 8. Andrew Dice Clay
21:13Andrew Dice Clay was a prominent stand-up comedian in the late 80s, known for crude
21:17and sexist humor. To much fanfare, Clay took up the mantle of SNL host in May 1990,
21:22just eight months after he was banned from MTV. Both Nora Dunne and Sinead O'Connor refused to
21:28appear out of protest, and some viewers sent in hate mail and threats. But their fears
21:39were unwarranted, as Clay was painfully sanitized and blandly self-referential,
21:43which made for a dull host and also annoyed the comedian's established fanbase. Like the
21:48failed opening of Capone's Vault, this was a national media event that instantly deflated.
21:58Number 7. Paris Hilton
22:00Paris Hilton was a bit of a controversial pick, as many people were hesitant regarding her lack
22:04of acting or comedic experience. They were right to hesitate. Hilton was not only unfunny and
22:15incredibly unprofessional, but she was also allegedly a huge pain behind the scenes as well.
22:20Tina Fey told Howard Stern that Hilton took herself way too seriously, and was, quote,
22:25proud of how dumb she is. She also told him that Hilton was just generally difficult.
22:31You must be really unprofessional to have the otherwise sweet Tina Fey
22:35say something like that about you. Again, her words, not ours.
22:47Number 6. Louise Lasser
22:49Louise Lasser was plastered all over the magazines of the mid-70s
22:52due to her role in the satirical soap opera Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.
23:01However, she quickly left the show after exhausting herself and seemingly had a minor
23:08breakdown, getting arrested and reportedly crawling around looking for drugs during
23:13SNL rehearsals. She was hated by Chevy Chase due to her apparent solipsism, and constantly tried
23:19to back out of her obligations. The show itself was a sloppy and awkward piece of
23:30self-deprecating meta-humor, and Lorne Michaels refused to have the episode rerun out of
23:35embarrassment. Number 5. Donald Trump
23:39We're not adding Trump to this list solely because he's Trump. People thought he was
23:43truly terrible on the show, and so he earned the spot. Trump hosted the show twice, once in 2004
23:57and again in 2015 while he was running for president. And while the episode garnered
24:01very high ratings, Trump simply couldn't let go of his ego for an hour and have some fun.
24:10The episode seemed far too sterilized and pre-planned, as if the people in his team
24:15had vetoed 90% of the materials the writers must have surely come up with.
24:20Critics also felt Trump made for a dreadful host due to his horrible comedic timing.
24:25Number 4. Michael Phelps
24:27It's no secret that athletes kind of suck as comedians, and while Wayne Gretzky was awful,
24:32he looks like Jim Carrey next to Michael Phelps. Oh boy, that Michael Phelps episode. He may be one
24:42of the fastest humans to ever enter water, but he had the grace of a dump truck in front of the
24:48camera. Not only did he have no semblance of comedic timing, but he painfully stumbled through
25:04his lines and failed to read his cue cards on numerous occasions. The man is clearly not
25:09comfortable in live sketch comedy, and it made for an agonizingly awkward hour of television.
25:18Number 3. Nancy Kerrigan
25:22Let's be honest here, that Nancy Kerrigan episode was a blatant ratings ploy,
25:26and nothing more. After being attacked by a hired man linked to rival Tonya Harding,
25:32the figure skater was national news, which the producers of SNL decided was a good enough reason
25:37to have her host. It definitely wasn't, as the episode demonstrated. She was a
25:47horrible actress and comedian who lacked both timing and charisma, and she looked
25:52supremely uncomfortable the entire time, almost as if she was internally questioning why she was
25:56there. We were, and still are, wondering the same thing.
26:09Number 2. Justin Bieber
26:11While it may have been popular to hate on Bieber in 2013, we like to think the viewers kept an
26:16open mind when it came to his hosting of Saturday Night Live. However, even the most open-minded
26:20viewers must admit that this gig was horrific. Bieber acted like he was the hottest thing on the
26:32planet, and came across as if he did not care at all about his performance or his cast members'
26:37comfort. Bill Hader allegedly called out Bieber's diva behavior, deeming him difficult to get along
26:43with and singling out his enormous entourage who doted on his every move. Before we continue,
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27:06Number 1. Steven Seagal
27:08Action stars don't often make for great comedians. However, that didn't stop SNL from hiring Steven
27:14Seagal as its host back in 1991. Seagal was never known for his acting chops, and sadly,
27:22when taking the spotlight on SNL, he didn't surprise anyone. Bad acting is one thing,
27:28but he was an alleged pain in the butt behind the scenes. He apparently complained about not
27:37understanding the jokes that were given to him, pitched terrible and inappropriate sketch ideas,
27:42and was reportedly rude to both the cast and writers. When it comes to horrible SNL hosts,
27:56no one competes with the boring and misguided mess that was Steven Seagal.
28:01Contrary to our opinion, which of these individuals did you think did a great job hosting?
28:07Let us know in the comments.
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