8 comedy legends who never hosted Saturday Night Live
The late-night fixture has launched some of the biggest names in comedy, but there are several giants in the field who have never been asked to host
NBC
Saturday Night Live, even in its weakest days, has never been short on star power. The show, which first broadcast on NBC on Oct. 11, 1975, redefined not only late-night entertainment, but the comedy landscape. It has been the launchpad for such giants as Eddie Murphy, John Belushi, Bill Murray, and Maya Rudolph. And virtually everyone who is anyone in the comedy world has hosted the show, starting with George Carlin on that 1975 premiere.
Virtually is the key word there, though. There are some legends of the comedy world who have never been extended an invitation to be the show's master of ceremonies – and a few who have never been on the show at all. Here are some of the big names from the comedy world who have yet to run a show from One Rockefeller Plaza.
Carol Burnett
Robin L Marshall
Burnett, 92, raised eyebrows last month when she discussed her absence from the SNL host club with the New Yorker. Speaking of showrunner Lorne Michaels, she said "I don’t know what I did to upset that man. Do you think it’s misogynistic?" Michaels did not respond to the quote.
Mel Brooks
Presley Ann
Brooks is one of the most influential comedians of the modern age, breaking boundaries with films like Young Frankenstein and History of the World Part I. His off-kilter sense of humor seems like a good fit for SNL, but he has never appeared on the show, even in a cameo.
Whoopi Goldberg
Goldberg has actually been asked to host the show, but turned down the offer. At the SNL 50 celebration earlier this year, she gave her reasoning for doing so. “It required a week, it requires that you to sit with people and write sketches and I didn’t have really the time," she said. "And I didn’t want to do that, I’d been doing that for years. So, I just wanted to work on my own.”
Sacha Baron Cohen
Lionel Hahn
Cohen has a slew of successful comedic films to his name and has shown his acting chops in several dramas, but despite that, he's never been asked to host the show. He did, however, appear in the cold open in a 2013 episode as his character Borat.
Bob Odenkirk
Rodin Eckenroth
The Better Call Saul star was a former writer on SNL and has gone on to star in several films, but has never been asked to host. His most famous sketch was Chris Farley's "Matt Foley, motivational speaker" skit. He was never a cast member or host, but has appeared on the show, including the 1990 "Bid Idea Jeans" commercial parody.
Stephen Colbert
CBS Photo Archive
Colbert auditioned for SNL in 1992, with the backing of former writer Robert Smigel, but failed to make the cut. He was credited as a writer for a month in 1996, but hasn't been on since.
Jonathan Winters
Bonnie Schiffman Photography
Winters died in 2013, but was never a host of the show, despite his gift for improvisation and his high standing in the comedy world. Winters was a frequent guest on Johnny Carson's "Tonight Show," which might have been part of the reason. Carson and Michaels had a professional rivalry, though that has been overplayed by Hollywood.
Red Foxx
Walt Disney Television Photo Archives
Foxx, who passed away in 1991, was a groundbreaking comic and a megastar when SNL premiered. Sanford & Son, his hit show, ran on NBC, which would have made the crossover an easy one. Despite that, he was never asked to host the show.