- 6 weeks ago
Some hosts on “SNL” fit so perfectly, you’d swear they were full-time cast members. From multi-talented musicians to acclaimed actors, these stars bring sharp timing, unforgettable impressions, and perfect chemistry to the show. Watch as we highlight performers who have made such memorable appearances that their place in the “SNL” family feels inevitable.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00For I crushed him into the ground!
00:03Who is H.R. Pickens?
00:05Exactly!
00:06Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:08And today, we're looking at the performers who fit so naturally on SNL,
00:12you'd think they were part of the cast.
00:15Because I'm not here to be your buddy!
00:17I'm here to swallow gum, and I'm here to take Nate!
00:24Number 10. Ariana Grande.
00:26As if being a multi-million record-selling artist and Grammy-winning pop star wasn't enough,
00:33Ariana Grande's stints on SNL prove she's just as good a comedian.
00:46Every time the Oscar-nominated actress has stepped on the stage,
00:50she's wowed fans with her incredible range, timing, and ability to disappear into impressions.
00:56Whether recreating Macaulay Culkin's Home Alone antics,
01:00or making light of Jennifer Lawrence's relatable girl energy,
01:04Grande's game for everything.
01:05I'm just like a snackaholic. I mean, I love Pringles.
01:08If no one's looking, I'll eat like a whole can.
01:10Like, every day is my cheat day, you know what I mean?
01:12Despite hosting SNL across well over a decade,
01:15she's never had any problems adapting to new cast dynamics.
01:19Also owning the scene and solo sketches,
01:22it's clear that Grande was destined for stardom
01:24just as easily as a full-time SNL cast member.
01:28Come on, come on, come on, come on, baby.
01:30Come on, baby.
01:31Just eat the puppet right off.
01:33Puppet right off.
01:36Number 9. Donald Glover.
01:39Fred Armisen became an SNL legend,
01:41but did you know he beat Donald Glover to win his spot on the show?
01:45But it truly is an honor to be hosting SNL, you know,
01:48instead of just auditioning for it, which I did twice.
01:51That's not a joke. I'm just still pissed.
01:54The Community Stars' 2008 audition may have been unsuccessful,
01:58but he did make his triumphant return as the host a decade later,
02:02debuting the now-iconic This Is America on SNL.
02:06Rather than upstaging anyone else,
02:08Glover feels right at home with the cast.
02:10I held out hope that there was a black human planet somewhere,
02:12but I guess it's just us.
02:15Lots of lizard men wearing vests.
02:17Just for black people, though.
02:19His brilliance comes from how seamlessly he adapts to the SNL environment,
02:23appearing more like a long-tenured part of the show than a host.
02:27From drawing on the awkward energy he excelled at on Community,
02:30to poking fun at some of his other roles on film,
02:33Glover shows how to make an SNL guest spot feel like a long-awaited homecoming.
02:37I thought she was her young girlfriend's age,
02:43but it was the wife of Dr. Reginald Saunders.
02:50Number 8. Justin Timberlake.
02:53After a quarter of a century of frequent appearances,
02:56Justin Timberlake is an SNL cast member in all but name.
02:59So great. So great. So great. Celebrities playing games.
03:03Nothing better. So fun.
03:04Am I having a man?
03:05Not only have his guest spots broken the internet and set pop culture abuzz,
03:10but JT's also walked away with as many as four Emmy Awards for the show.
03:14The chemistry he's enjoyed with the cast is the greatest secret to his success,
03:18sharing some of the most famous SNL moments with Jimmy Fallon and Andy Samberg.
03:23A girl like you needs something real.
03:26Wanna get you something from the heart.
03:29Something special, girl.
03:31It's my s*** in a box.
03:33Each of his hosting gigs has topped the last in size and scope,
03:37making them an absolute must-watch for fans worldwide.
03:40Not content with just hosting,
03:42Timberlake has also popped up unannounced,
03:45blending into random sketches so smoothly
03:47that he may as well have written them himself.
03:49If you want me to be in sketches, I have...
03:56I have hosted before.
04:01Number 7. Sterling K. Brown
04:03Once a journeyman actor with memorable but modest roles in shows like Army Wives and Supernatural,
04:10Sterling K. Brown broke through with This Is Us.
04:12Now with a bigger spotlight, Brown wasted no time proving he belonged.
04:17There are men who are committed to...
04:18Baby lion, baby cheese.
04:20No, committed to peace.
04:22Come on, try a little bit of it.
04:23Try some of it.
04:25Try a little bit of it.
04:26I don't want it!
04:27His turn on SNL caught many off guard at how he excels just as much at comedy as he does
04:32at drama.
04:34Brown is hilarious from start to finish.
04:36You've been hurt before.
04:39Yeah, real bad.
04:40Mr. Rokins, your heart seems to be saying,
04:42go to her.
04:44Don't you see?
04:45This is meant to be.
04:47Stop standing in your wrong way.
04:49But it's the family dinner sketch where he delivers the biggest laughs.
04:53Despite sharing the scene with some of the show's most reliable performers,
04:56Brown turned a simple setup into one of the most memorable SNL skits of the past decade.
05:01I guess I just always found the whole ogre thing a little off-putting.
05:05No!
05:06Justin!
05:07You're wrong.
05:08You're wrong and you're a stupid person.
05:10Number six, Emma Stone.
05:12To say that SNL changed Emma Stone's life would be an understatement.
05:16I don't get it.
05:17That's because it's not for you.
05:19Because you have everything.
05:22Everything is for you.
05:24And this one thing is for him.
05:26After all, the Oscar winner met her husband, former SNL segment director Dave McCrary,
05:31while hosting the show.
05:33Stone knew she belonged from her first time,
05:36calling the experience the, quote, greatest week of her life.
05:39No matter how wild or wacky,
05:41Stone is happy to veer off course with every delightfully bizarre setup she's been given.
05:45Deirdre took over and said,
05:47Jared.
05:52I forgive you.
05:54Her comedic chops extend beyond sketches,
05:57as Stone's various impressions can trick anyone into believing she's been an SNL cast member all along.
06:02Although her film roles have primarily been darker in the past decade,
06:06fans can catch her coming back to her comedic roots each time she pops up on SNL.
06:11Be gifted around the world in just one day.
06:15Oh, thank you, Kendall.
06:18The one true candle.
06:20Number five, Adam Driver.
06:22If you weren't aware of his filmography,
06:25you could easily mistake Adam Driver for a regular cast member.
06:29A buddy of mine saw Kylo Ren take his shirt off in the shower,
06:31and he said that Kylo Ren had an eight-pack.
06:34That Kylo Ren was shredded.
06:36For a performer known for dark and intense characters,
06:39Driver seems to have no problems jumping into unkempt silliness.
06:43Among the more prolific SNL hosts,
06:46Driver disappears into wild and eccentric characters with complete commitment.
06:50You're telling me I've been gallivanting around town with some cheap off-brand generic ketchup?
06:56Don't you dare!
06:58You're not even Heinz, you dirty hunt!
07:01You're really gonna call me a hunt in front of my family?
07:05Rather than sticking to safe and simple sketches,
07:08his work usually involves stretching out silly ideas as far as they can go.
07:12It doesn't matter if that means going undercover as Kylo Ren,
07:15getting married as a ketchup bottle, or playing a baby on a plane,
07:19because Driver goes all in.
07:21Honestly, if he ever decides to step away from films,
07:24he'd have a ready-made career on SNL waiting for him.
07:27I cast you into the ground!
07:29And now your bones come to oil beneath my living feet!
07:34Number 4. Ryan Gosling
07:36Although he made a name for himself in serious dramatic roles,
07:40there's always been a comedian inside Ryan Gosling.
07:42Do you remember the Avatar logo?
07:45Uh, yeah, it was tribal yet futuristic.
07:49A pirate!
07:50Oh, sure!
07:56You know what you did?
07:59I know what you did!
08:02He brings that to the forefront on SNL,
08:05channeling his penchant for deadpan and awkward humor.
08:08Unlike many other hosts,
08:10Gosling tends to bring back recurring segments,
08:12mainly because of how popular they are.
08:15Yeah, yeah, the light laid me down like a baby in a meadow near my house.
08:20I was smiling and weeping and tears of joy, sir.
08:24Watching him try and hold on for dear life in the Close Encounter sketches
08:27has become an SNL staple,
08:29with the actor barely staying in character as the absurdity ramps up.
08:33Instead of breaking the moment,
08:35it elevates both him and the rest of the cast.
08:37As it turns out, long before everyone knew about it,
08:41Ryan's Kennergy was already on full display on the SNL stage.
08:44Every time the Ken character came on screen,
08:47he'd say,
08:49finally something to look at.
08:54If I were still gay,
08:59I'd do him.
09:01Number 3.
09:02Tom Hanks
09:03Who else but America's dad himself?
09:06Tom Hanks has been showing on SNL for over four decades since the 80s,
09:10remaining fresh and fun across generations.
09:13They're calling me the nicest guy in Hollywood.
09:16Well, if I'm the nicest guy in Hollywood,
09:18you don't want to go there, believe me.
09:20But if you do,
09:21if you want to come up,
09:22I got a spare bedroom.
09:24He may be a screen legend,
09:25but Hanks never steals focus from the rest of the cast,
09:28and that ease is what makes his appearances so entertaining to watch.
09:32I gotta tell you,
09:33I love those movies.
09:34I bought a box set at Walmart,
09:36and if I can laugh and pray in 90 minutes,
09:40that is money well spent.
09:41Oh, you know what, sir?
09:42I really appreciate you saying that.
09:44I like that.
09:45Oh, no, no.
09:45It's all good.
09:47It's all good.
09:47Far from limiting himself to hosting spots,
09:51Hanks has appeared as a surprise guest several times over the years.
09:55In 2020,
09:56Hanks even hosted the first at-home edition of SNL
09:59shortly after recovering from COVID-19.
10:02Now, that's dedication that only David S. Pumpkins could pull off.
10:06Any questions?
10:09What's my name?
10:11David S. Pumpkins.
10:14Any questions?
10:15Number two, Melissa McCarthy.
10:18Despite scene-stealing turns on Gilmore Girls and Mike and Molly,
10:23it wasn't until Bridesmaids that Melissa McCarthy came into the mainstream eye.
10:27Instantly invited over to SNL, the actress didn't disappoint.
10:31I could get a little bottle, too.
10:38Catching her on the show became a yearly tradition as McCarthy hosted the show a total of five times
10:43from 2011 to 2017, winning an Emmy Award for her fifth appearance.
10:48Tapping into the loudest and most chaotic depths she can,
10:51McCarthy's performances serve as a throwback to the show's most memorable eras.
10:55I consider my body a tool, not unlike a Swiss army knife.
11:01And I love that sweater, by the way.
11:03Whether the opening monologue, a sketch during the show, or on Weekend Update,
11:07the actress always ends up as the funniest presence in the room.
11:10Okay? And our president will not be deterred
11:21in his fight against radical Muslims.
11:27If you love games, be sure to check out WatchMojo's new game, Terrible Influence,
11:32just launched for purchase at TerribleInfluence.com.
11:35Terrible Influence is a satirical board game about the dark side of fame
11:38from the writer of the most popular girls in school and us.
11:41Watch Mojo.
11:42Boom.
11:43I can make an apology video.
11:45Oh, you so would.
11:46Click on the link in the description to check out the game
11:48and be the first to play Terrible Influence.
11:52Number 1. Steve Martin
11:54One of the most common misconceptions is that Steve Martin was once part of the SNL cast.
12:01He could've won a Grammy.
12:06Buried in his jammy.
12:07That's easy to see why, given the comedian has hosted the show an incredible 16 times,
12:13all the way back from 1976.
12:16Martin has been SNL royalty for decades,
12:19even delivering the opening monologue for both the star-studded 40th and 50th anniversary specials.
12:24Yes, the monologue is like a rent-controlled tenant.
12:28It's not going anywhere, even though it stinks.
12:32Recurring sketches like the Festrunk Brothers became fan favorites,
12:35while King Tut remains one of the show's biggest highlights,
12:38making them part of the overall SNL experience.
12:41With a presence on SNL for five decades and counting,
12:44it's safe to say that this wild and crazy guy just doesn't visit SNL.
12:49He belongs there, no matter who's part of the cast.
12:57Are there any other names you'd love to have seen on this list?
13:00Let us know in the comments.
Comments