After Jennifer Lawrence was utterly brilliant on SNL last weekend, she must be added to the list of fantastic hosts the show’s had over the last few years.
But who else is up there with her? Well, we’ve routed around in out VHS collections here and found six of our favourite hosts of the comedy show over the years.
Justin Timberlake
He’s only hosted the show twice, but each of those times he’s been utterly fantastic, typified by his brilliant work with SNL’s comedy musical trio The Lonely Island.
His turn hosting SNL really was the first signs that Justin was a genuine comedy presence, not just a singer who decided to go acting on a whim. Starring on both musical wonders D*** In A Box, Motherlover and 3-Way.
It’s not just his proclivity with comedy music that make him already one of the best SNL hosts, but his ease on camera just make him helming the ship a pleasure to see. We can’t wait for appearance number three.
Emma Stone
Another star whose only hosted the show twice, the utterly charming Stone is able to let her natural comedic streak off the chain in the hosts chair of Saturday Night Live.
SNL is the perfect arena for a charismatic screen presence to shine and the same charm that’s quickly turned her into Hollywood’s favourite actress sees Emma Stone excel on the show.
With Stone currently the hottest ticket in film and a real love of comedy (anyone who doubts that should watch her ‘dance dares’ on Ellen), we have a sneaky feeling that she could become one of the best female hosts of the show.
John Goodman
Third in the all-time tally of hosts behind only Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin, Goodman’s success comes all the more as pleasant surprise when you realise that he’s mainly just a character actor.
He may be in countless films, but for such a relatively small name to have been on the show eleven times just shows that he kept being brought back for his comedic abilities rather than his ability to grab headlines.
Throughout the mid to late nineties, Goodman would become an annual affair for the show, his brilliant character Linda Tripp becoming a part of the SNL scenery and him a beloved figure in the world of comedy. He may not have hosted the show for over a decade, but he will always be remembered as one of the most surprisingly brilliant hosts SNL has ever had.
Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks is perhaps the only one of our five who’s hosted the show at clearly different points of his career. He’s hosted it as a young up and comer, as an established pro and Oscar winner and as a legend of the acting world. The brilliant thing is though; he doesn’t seem to miss a beat in any of them.
Tom’s hosted the show eight times, and while each one with a slightly different flavour, he sparkled in each of them. Self-deprecating, always up for a slice of comedy he simply wasn’t getting on the big screen and was even able to create long-running characters.
Even though he’s not hosted the show for over five years, he still frequently wanders on to the show. Uncredited, of course.
Drew Barrymore
While she holds the records for both the youngest ever host of the show and the most number of appearances by a female host, Drew Barrymore makes our list for the simple fact that she’s one of the few women who truly excel on the show.
Saturday Night Live has often been accused of being a boys club, yet whenever Drew Barrymore turns up on set, you know that’s not going to be the case.
Able to carry a skit single handed even from her first appearance on the show, Drew’s latent comedic sensibilities that often get overlooked are put to the test whenever she drops in to SNL. She always passes with flying colours.
Christopher Walken
Christopher Walken has always been known for his eccentric delivery and ability to have a laugh at his own expense, but surely no-one could have thought just how fantastic a guest he would be throughout his seven appearances on the show.
His ability for sketches is absolutely fantastic, the actor obviously having an absolute whale of a time on the show, something that is brilliantly reflected in his commitment and brilliance in the skits.
That he is as well known for shouting ‘More Cowbell’ at Will Ferrell as he is for anything else and the long standing offer to host the show whenever his schedule suits is surely proof that he is one of the all-time greats of the show
Any favourites of your own? Let us know in the comments section.
FemaleFirst Cameron Smith