Bring on the laughter! Saturday Night Live has had many stellar hosts over the years, but fans have witnessed some so-so performances as well. Fortunately, Us Weekly is here to remind you of them all.
Justin Timberlake, for one, has served as both a musical guest and host on SNL on multiple occasions. The “Can’t Stop the Feeling” crooner first hosted the show in 2003 and would go on to serve in the role four more times.
While taking on the hosting duties, Timberlake’s most memorable moments came when he performed comedic songs like “Dick in a Box” alongside Andy Samberg’s Lonely Island group. In April 2020, the former ‘NSync member revealed that the song nearly didn’t happen.
“I fully believe that that idea would not have been seen all the way through if the bigwigs would’ve known what we were doing,” he said on Hot Ones, noting that the Federal Communications Commission came by to caution them about the risqué track.
“The FCC shows up. They’re like, ‘You can’t say dick on the air.’ And we’re like, ‘Oh, right,’” he explained while sharing that they opted to bleep out the profane word. “I think the irony of that is I think the funnier version is the bleeped-out version.”
Justin Bieber first served as a musical guest on SNL in 2010. Nearly three years later, he returned to Studio 8H to host the show to dismal reviews. The “Yummy” crooner even drew criticism from former SNL star Bill Hader, who slammed Bieber’s behind-the-scenes behavior.
“Bieber, he just was in a bad place. Maybe he’s in a better place. But then, it was rough,” the Barry actor explained on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen in 2018. “Everyone’s usually on great behavior. Everyone’s very excited, and great behavior. Most times, it’s 100 percent.”
Hader added, “Bieber’s the only one, in my experience. I think he just seemed exhausted or he was at the end of a rope. He was just so huge [at the time].”
Meanwhile, industry legend Betty White hosted the sketch show for the first time in 2010, making history for being the eldest person to do so at 88. A fan-supported Facebook campaign that caught the attention of SNL creator and producer Lorne Michaels led to her landing the hosting gig — and White did not disappoint.
The Golden Girls alum later admitted that she got really nervous before hitting the SNL stage. “It’s a lifesaver because the panic that sets in, you have to [counteract] and you have to get a handle on it in order to do what you’re doing,” she said in a PBS special called Betty White: First Lady of Television in 2018. “So, the stage fright is what puts the edge, I think, on a performance.”
Scroll down to see some of the more memorable SNL hosts over the years.
Source: Source: US MAGAZINE
