5 Out-of-the-Box Celebrities Who Should Host ‘Saturday Night Live’
Google a list of the all-time best Saturday Night Live hosts, and you’ll find a surprising number of people who you’d never guess were funny in the first place.
I mean, before SNL, who knew athletes Charles Barkley and Peyton Manning were hilarious? Who watched NSYNC videos and predicted that Justin Timberlake had “Dick in a Box” in him (unfortunate wording, I know)? Billie Eilish? Chance the Rapper? Anyone have news anchor Brian Williams on their funny bingo card?
Don't Miss
As the show embarks on its landmark 50th season, here are five more suggestions for out-of-the-box SNL hosts who just might knock it out of the park…
Tony Hawk
Hawk has been quietly comedy-adjacent for years, appearing in College Humor sketches, skateboarding in a fat suit in a Jackass movie and lending his voice to The Simpsons.
His Twitter feed is surprisingly funny, too, full of self-deprecating jabs and goofy insights. As a performer, he never mugs for the joke — he knows that playing it straight-faced as Tony Hawk is much funnier than making stupid faces. Sign him up, Lorne.
Josh Groban
Like Hawk, Groban knows that low comedy expectations are a secret weapon. The voice says Pavarotti, but there’s a goofball hiding behind the pipes, sending up his earnest image on Comedy Bang! Bang! and Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!.
What’s the plan? Do a music-heavy episode that leans into Groban’s strengths like Jimmy Kimmel did when he had Groban croon the nuttiest Kanye tweets.
AOC
Lots of politicians from both sides of the aisle have appeared on the show, but usually when they’re on the other side of 50 — Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, Al Gore and John McCain, to name a few. Isn’t it time to enlist a charismatic performer born after the Baby Boomer era?
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has shown us since college that she’s not afraid to let loose on camera. And if you heard her stick it to Fox News with Seth Meyers, you know she can deliver a devastating punchline.
Tilda Swinton
Swinton isn’t an actress you’d expect to turn up in a Judd Apatow movie, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have comedy chops. The performer best known for her dramatic roles brings off-kilter laughs to Wes Anderson films like Moonrise Kingdom, Asteroid City and The Grand Budapest Hotel. But for the real proof, look no further than her work with former Saturday Night Live writer Julio Torres in Problemista. She’s an SNL character waiting to happen.
Anthony Edwards
More than 30 years ago (!), a young Michael Jordan showed up on Saturday Night Live and delivered a performance for the ages. The Minnesota Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards appears to be his heir apparent in more ways than one. He shares Jordan’s ability to fly on a basketball court but also has a reputation for being one of the funniest dudes in the NBA.
Funny in a press conference but can he act? Adam Sandler sure thinks so, casting him in a major speaking role in Hustle. The movie’s director described Edwards as “Paul Newman or something — all charisma.” Put in the call to the SNL offices, Sandman!
