Is Lorne Michaels Afraid to Let Bill Murray Host ‘SNL’ This Year?
Is BIll Murray heading back to his old 30 Rock stomping grounds for Saturday Night Live’s 50th season?
“I told (Lorne Michaels) that I’d like to host one this year,” Murray explained to the Kelce brothers on their New Heights podcast. “I think I did it two other times other than when I was there so I’d like to try it one more time. It might be the last time to try it.”
First things first: Murray is a Five-Timer, so he’s gotten his share of chances. But his last time headlining the show was in 1999, meaning he hasn’t gotten a turn during this century. In a season celebrating the show’s rich history, why wouldn’t Michaels welcome back his most famous alumni like Murray? No offense to Paul Mescal and Charli XCX, but we could use a few more classic cast members fronting the show this year. So far, it’s only been Chris Rock (never a superstar while he was on the show) and Martin Short, who spent one measly season in Studio 8H. John Mulaney was only a writer, for Jost’s sake.
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Why has Michaels given Murray the cold shoulder — at least so far? Here are three theories as to why we’re still waiting to see Nick the Lounge Singer in Season 50…
Murray Is Too Radioactive
Murray was at Sundance last week admitting that his relative retirement from the big screen is partially due to bad behavior. “I know I’ve done some damage,” he said, though it wasn’t clear whether he was referring to personal relationships or the time he got Aziz Ansari’s directorial debut canceled because Murray couldn’t keep his hands off the production assistants.
But it’s unlikely Michaels has been scared off by that. From Shane Gillis to Dave Chappelle to Elon Musk, the SNL producer has proven he’s more than happy to trade controversy and criticism for free publicity. Most of Murray’s antics have flown under the radar of mainstream America so there’s likely another reason.
Murray Is Too Old
Murray made his SNL debut in 1977. That means a 10-year-old viewer of that episode would now be pushing 60. As much as Michaels and every documentary maker in America want to honor the show’s legacy, maybe SNL believes Murray appeals to a decrepit demographic?
Makes sense until you consider that two of the oldest SNL hosts of all time — Jean Smart at 73 and Martin Short at 74 — were among this year’s headliners. At 74, Murray would fit right in.
Michaels Is Saving the Big Guns for the Season’s Second Half
You know how Fourth of July celebrations always end with a flurry of the biggest, loudest fireworks? Maybe that’s what Michaels has in mind for the back half of Season 50. Consider all the big names who have yet to host — Murray, Eddie Murphy, Adam Sandler, Tina Fey, Will Ferrell and Kristen Wiig, to name a large handful. Twenty bucks says a number of them will get their shot before the season is finished, possibly but not necessarily including Murray.
One other thing that Michaels might be thinking: Early SNL pioneers like Murray and Murphy, as well as comics like Jane Curtin, Dan Aykroyd and Chevy Chase, are probably going to get the big spotlight at the 50th anniversary show in a couple weeks. Maybe Michaels doesn’t want to upstage the big party by trotting out the Steve Martins of the world a few weeks in advance.
Or maybe Murray owes Michaels money. At this point, we can’t rule out anything.
