Will 'SNL' Ever Let Jennifer Coolidge Live Her Dream?
It’s finally time to let Stifler’s mom host Saturday Night Live.
Jennifer Coolidge is enjoying a higher level of attention and recognition than the prolific character actress has ever before received in her 30-year career, thanks to her show-stopping performance as the airheaded heiress Tanya McQuoid in Mike White’s black comedy-drama anthology series The White Lotus. This past Saturday, Coolidge (sort of) achieved her longtime goal of seeing herself underneath the lights of SNL when Chloe Fineman performed a delightfully on-point impression of Coolidge in the now-viral sketch, “Jennifer Coolidge Is Impressed By Christmas Stuff.”
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Lorne Michaels now knows that his audience is enamored with Coolidge – maybe next season he will finally correct an almost 30-year-old mistake and give her a chance to shine on the biggest stage in comedy.
“Wow! A massive thanks to Saturday Night Live!!” Coolidge wrote on an Instagram post following Saturday’s show. “And (thanks) to the exceptionally brilliant impressionist @ChloeIsCrazy with your hilarious imitation!!” the actress continued. Coolidge has been a huge fan of the legendary sketch show since her early career when the comedic actress actually had a shot at a regular role on the series.
Said Coolidge, “Also, congrats to the new cast members!! I know how hard it is to get on that show, I tried my ass off to be one but you actually made it!!” Coolidge was a candidate to join the cast of SNL in 1995 when she auditioned alongside future stars Will Ferrell, Cheri Oteri, and Chris Kattan. Though Coolidge wasn’t chosen to join SNL, she did have a bit part in the Lorne Michaels-produced, Ferrell and Kattan-starring SNL sketch-to-feature-film A Night At The Roxbury in 1998.
Now, Coolidge fans are calling for the iconic character actor to host SNL in next year’s 49th season. Coolidge’s Instagram post was flooded with comments demanding that Michaels give Coolidge the guest host gig, with celebrities like actress Naomi Watts and CNN journalist Don Lemon echoing the sentiment that SNL has waited far too long to give one of entertainment’s most underappreciated comedic actors a shot at the big stage.
Michaels should consider it a wasted opportunity that he could have had Coolidge on his show at the very beginning of her comedic career – to think, if casting went slightly differently, she could have saved us from seven years of Chris Kattan.
