- 20 hours ago
When “SNL” hosts step up to the Weekend Update desk, the results can be downright unforgettable. We’re highlighting the most entertaining recurring characters and one-off bits brought to life by celebrity hosts, from ridiculous impressions to scene-stealing musical routines and bizarrely brilliant comic chaos. Which host performance made you laugh the hardest? Let us know in the comments below!
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00:00I give it three swims.
00:04Out of how many?
00:05Three.
00:06Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most entertaining characters from hosts
00:12that made their SNL debut on the update desk.
00:15I went through menopause when we were still in Vietnam.
00:20Number 10, Trina Saville, Cameron Diaz.
00:23While she's flourished in comedy films, Cameron Diaz seems like an unlikely star for Weekend Update.
00:30The host plays Trina Saville for this seemingly wholesome bit.
00:47As the song starts up, you think they're going one way until a slew of innuendos let loose.
00:52Her work with Horatio Sanz's Jasper Hahn might be one of the more underrated update skits of its time.
01:09Diaz plays the innocent performer as bubbly, innocent, and without letting on as to what's actually happening.
01:15Jimmy Fallon's reactions push the idea even further as the Charlie's Angels actress does a good job working with puppets.
01:22He's my big fat guy!
01:27Let me grab that big fat guy!
01:32Number 9, Lupe Sama Hayek.
01:35Ferrecito is the band leader with a catchphrase, but maybe he needs a sidekick to make him a little funnier.
01:41We have the most comfortable dressing room.
01:43I must have spent an hour on a toilet.
01:47Ferrecito, there is no toilet in a dressing room.
01:55Salma Hayek's Lupe provides the missing link for this Weekend Update segment.
02:00The character is the musician's wife, and their interplay provides for a number of fun moments.
02:05While Fred Armisen's role does some goofy setups, Hayek helps to sell the ridiculous punchlines.
02:11People only want to see a man and a woman do comedy if they're married, like Lucille Ball and Desi
02:17Arnais.
02:18Like Howie Long and Terry Hatcher.
02:22They're not married.
02:23The hacking material might be much weaker in someone else's hands.
02:27With Armisen leading the charge, the actress shines next to one of the better Update regulars.
02:32She convinces you that her character might be mad until she lights up the finale.
02:37Sometimes you just make me want to scream.
02:44I'm just kidding!
02:47Number 8. David Spade's Puppet, David Spade
02:51When David Spade was a cast member, he performed his Hollywood Minute segments to sometimes controversial reactions.
03:08He then returned as a host to continue his criticism of celebrity culture.
03:13This particular version includes one subtle but significant difference.
03:18Spade unleashes a puppet on the audience that looks a little bit like him.
03:22You got that one, buddy?
03:25Is that joke still under construction?
03:28Should I put a hard hat on, throw down some flares?
03:30Talking through his friend, the SNL alum finds a way to still do some pointed material about Alanis Morissette and
03:37Eddie Murphy.
03:38His voice alterations only enhance the final product.
03:42With a knowing glance, this comedian salutes his old work while trying to give Hollywood another piece of his mind.
03:48Did you see, holy man, holy crap!
03:52I guess you were wrong.
03:55Hey, don't say that. We're friends now.
03:57It's not what I heard.
03:58Number 7. Paul Cannon, Tom Hanks
04:01If you like Kyle Mooney as the stand-up Bruce Chandling, you'll probably get a kick out of Tom Hanks
04:07as Paul Cannon.
04:08Whoa! Hey! Wow! Now this is really interesting. Usually, I stand up with a mic, but now you got me
04:16sitting down with a mic, Mark J!
04:19Hey!
04:20Hanks brings his usual comedy bravado to the update desk alongside the underrated stylings of his co-star.
04:26The two play well off each other in a nonsensical bit about Halloween.
04:30You can see their chemistry in between the intentionally cringe behavior.
04:34Every girl wants to dress up like a witch. Let's be honest. You can never tell which witch is actually
04:43a witch, which is why I'm asking which witch is witch! I mean, hey! I wanna know!
04:48It's fun to watch Hanks flail around in a bit that's the antithesis of his usual charisma.
04:53It just goes to show that this Oscar winner can perform in almost any comedic scenario, bringing to light a
05:00character that gets a little too much love.
05:02Hey, hey! I got a whole hour about vampires! They suck!
05:08Number 6. Tommy, Matt Damon
05:11Heidi Gardner perfected her character of a boxer's wife named Angel. In a parody of many sports films, she's a
05:19melodramatic woman worried about her family.
05:21This also puts her in a great position to work off of an Oscar winner like Matt Damon.
05:27Oh my god! Oh my god! What are you doing here?
05:30I could ask you the same thing. You said you were taking the kids to your sisters.
05:35The latter appears here, as the oft-mentioned and rarely seen husband Tommy.
05:40Damon's ability to dive into the role brings out a few key surprises, including one reference to the Boston set
05:46show Cheers.
05:47Look, I may have been born in the back of the Cheers bar, but everybody knows my name.
05:54Tommy Ray Donovan, fighter and father to Mikey, Nikki, Peppers, Kino, and the baby.
06:04It's also fun to watch him play at the update desk next to an SNL pro like Gardner.
06:09As the two reach an emotional crescendo, their twisted holiday scene becomes especially entertaining and oddly heartwarming.
06:18You're pregnant, Angel.
06:19Oh my god!
06:21How does he know before you?
06:25Yeah, I love you so frickin' much.
06:28Number 5. Drunker Uncle, John Goodman
06:31Just when you think that Drunk Uncle couldn't get any drunker, John Goodman comes around to offer up his own
06:38take on a famous character.
06:40I got one more drink and 30 more nephews.
06:45Get out of my glass and into my mouth.
06:49Get your maxi baby!
06:51Bobby Moynihan is perfect as the unwanted relative that's always offering up too much information.
06:58With Goodman as his senior partner, Moynihan scores with another talented man ready to do anything.
07:04And, I'll tell you something else, he's not my post.
07:10Oh boy!
07:11The Big Lebowski actor gives the role his all in a musical and hilarious performance.
07:17It's hard to imagine how many other hosts could nail the precision of some off-color jokes.
07:22Combining relatability and absurdity, this guest performer clearly understands the assignment from head to toe.
07:29Hey Seth!
07:29Yeah?
07:30We got a joke for you.
07:31Okay.
07:32Why is Santa so dumb?
07:34I don't know why.
07:36Cause he's North Polish!
07:38Number 4. Nikki Hilton
07:39Kirsten Dunst
07:40In the early 2000s, the Hilton family was becoming the next big tabloid fixation.
07:46Paris and Nikki Hilton helped to push that over the edge.
07:50SNL was there to try out a parody of the famous socialites, enlisting Maya Rudolph and Kirsten Dunst to play
07:56the respective parts.
07:57Hitting the clubs of South Beach with our signature style.
08:01Also, I just finished 7th grade.
08:04The Spider-Man actress enters as one half of a wild and crazy duo.
08:08Every slurred word and staggered movement adds up to an entertaining performance.
08:13Well, what's next for you guys?
08:15I'm gonna do some parties!
08:18And some aggressive tanning. Try to get down to my summertime weight.
08:21Ah!
08:22When Dunst has to help Rudolph off the floor, the two remain in character as they play up the debaucherous
08:28behavior.
08:29The host's banter with Tina Fey and Jimmy Fallon could have easily morphed into its own sketch.
08:35Okay, well thanks for coming by, but we have to get back to work now.
08:38We done!
08:40Bye!
08:41Number 3, Ryan Lochte, Seth MacFarlane.
08:45This Family Guy creator spent most of his SNL episodes showing off his talents as a sketch performer.
08:51So Ryan, you had a busy summer.
08:54Yeah, I was America in Olympics.
08:57In terms of character and performance, Seth MacFarlane also shined as Olympic athlete Ryan Lochte talking TV.
09:04It's such a left field idea for an impression that also works exceedingly well.
09:09MacFarlane plays the swimmer as a dazed and confused jock.
09:12Uh, I'm really excited about that show, Goon.
09:15Oh, no, no, no.
09:19That's actually Go On. It's two words.
09:22Uh, okay. It's...
09:25It's either way, it looks really Go On.
09:28No, that's good. That's one word.
09:30Along with some funny vocal choices, the animation legend knows how to bring this more obscure celebrity to life.
09:37There's also a fantastic payoff involving a juice box.
09:40The actor pulls off a solo update segment like he's hosted the show a dozen times.
09:45I like that show because I enjoy complex characters that use their powers of deduction to solve riddles.
09:52Really?
09:53Nah, I just like the shapes.
09:55Number two, Dottie O'Donagan, Betty White.
09:59Molly Shannon made Sally O'Malley one of her most beloved characters.
10:03When Shannon ended up as a guest star on Betty White's episode,
10:06the latter host became another age-positive woman of her own.
10:11Fifty schmifty.
10:12Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Dottie O'Donagan.
10:17And I'm proud to say I'm 90 years old.
10:22I like to stand, I like to bend, and I like to sit.
10:29Dottie O'Donagan is the kind of person to embrace her wisdom and longevity.
10:32She also poses as a potential threat to O'Malley's style of comedy.
10:37Even in her 90s, White is able to get huge laughs with limited lines.
10:42Not only did my boyfriend wear Trojans, he was one.
10:48Ninety years old.
10:50Yeah, 90.
10:51It's yet another testament to her enduring career that she can bring her A-game to another iconic show.
10:57As part of an extended fever dream, this Golden Girls star wows audiences with her versatility.
11:03You know what's an accomplishment?
11:06Staying awake on the toilet.
11:09Cause I'm 90.
11:11Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
11:15John Lennon, Malcolm McDowell.
11:17This actor is a long way from a clockwork orange with this Beatles impression.
11:22Tell us about the new album, would you please?
11:24Well, uh, it's mainly love songs and a few oven cleaning tips.
11:31We think the album kind of shows that we are no different from you or me.
11:36Fernando, Billy Crystal.
11:38The beginnings of one of the comedian's greatest characters.
11:42But I got to tell you, my friends, that after 30 days there, they look marvelous.
11:49Absolutely marvelous.
11:51Kim Castle, Gwyneth Paltrow.
11:53The Oscar winner shows that she can improvise along with Fred Armisen and Kristen Wiig.
11:58I told ya, I told ya, I told ya, I told ya, I told ya, you better wear your scarf
12:04all the time.
12:07But don't forget your mittens.
12:14Before we continue, check out this single from Current, EDM Transformed.
12:20Check out the full track and album below.
12:30Number 1.
12:32Angelo Skaggs, Ryan Gosling
12:34Bobby Moynihan frequently appeared on the Weekend Update desk as the second-hand news correspondent Anthony Crispino.
12:41Playing off that concept, the writers allowed Ryan Gosling to join as Angelo Skaggs.
12:47Oh, hey there, Colin. Where'd you get that tie, huh? The bad tie store?
12:52If the first man could barely keep the news straight, this is another one that caused even more trouble.
12:58Gosling slipped into the role with ease, and even hit the high notes just like Moynihan could.
13:03Star Wars and the four Jamaicans.
13:05Yep.
13:06Star Wars and the four Jamaicans!
13:07No, it's not, it's the force awakens.
13:15Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
13:16With their voices pretty much in sync, the performers leaned into a gag about how far they can push their
13:21vocals with a tea kettle.
13:23The mustache and hair are a nice touch as well.
13:25Go!
13:27Go!
13:31Go!!
13:34I'm really sure!
13:36Did we forget another host that had a great Weekend Update Segment?
13:40Let us know in the comments below.
13:41below.
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