Glen Powell Really Wants to Host ‘SNL’

Glen Powell continues to collect roles in belated legacy sequels the way some kids collect Pokemon cards. Now the Top Gun: Maverick actor is starring in Twisters, the follow-up to the ‘90s summer blockbuster. Will the flying CGI cow from the original make a cameo? You’ll have to buy a ticket to find out.

While promoting the disaster flick, Powell revealed that there’s another acting job he’d love to land one day: Saturday Night Live host. 

Apparently, Powell was even booked to host the show one time, to tie into the release of Top Gun: Maverick. But when Maverick’s release date was delayed by a year due to the pandemic, his SNL episode was axed. Probably because nobody would have had any clue who he was. This was surely salt in the wound for the actor, who has since claimed that he was “nearly broke” before the movie finally came out.

“I got a very nice call from Lorne Michaels who said, ‘Hey, since the movie’s pushing, it’s probably better to push your hosting,’” Powell recently told IndieWire. “And I was like, ‘Yeah, absolutely.’ So maybe that’ll come around at some point in the future.”

When one journalist previously asked if he would host any time soon, Powell responded, “If you’ve got Lorne’s number, man, you call him.” Which, since the interviewer wasn’t Paul Simon, didn’t pan out.

While Powell has yet to actually host SNL, he did make an appearance on the show earlier this year when his Anyone But You co-star Sydney Sweeney hosted, and somehow broke everybody’s brains in the process. Powell appeared in the opening monologue, poking fun at the rumors that they were having an affair, which, incidentally, they had secretly fueled.

Powell also showed up in the final sketch of the night, which he later admitted was a last-minute decision that only came about because he was drinking with Michaels during the show. “We’re sitting there having a cocktail below the bleachers, I’m thinking we’re kind of done, and then he’s like, ‘I have this idea, maybe you’re in the next sketch,’” Powell told Jimmy Fallon. Even just 15 minutes before the sketch was set to air, Powell was confused about what was required of him. “I’m like, ‘Do I have a line? What am I doing?’”

“And, look, I don’t know if I nailed it, but hopefully I’m invited back at some point,” Powell added.

It does seem like kind of a no-brainer to have Powell, now a legit movie star, back to host SNL. Not only does he seem extremely eager to return to Studio 8H, but his recent comedy Hit Man almost felt like an audition of sorts for the show, showing off that Powell can handle performing eccentric characters with goofy wigs and wild accents. 

It’s up to you, Lorne. Maybe next time call Powell instead of the guy you literally fired. Just an idea.

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