10 Worst ‘SNL’ Hosts and The Story Behind It

Some moments on the Saturday Night Live show leave viewers in stitches, while others not so much. Throughout the show’s history, there have been a few hosts who could not quite nail the SNL comedic sense. But what happens when a show known for its iconic sketches suddenly goes off-script? The results can be awkward, cringeworthy, or just plain baffling. 

Here are some of the most memorable SNL flops. Find out how sometimes even the biggest names can fall flat on live TV.

Kanye West

Kanye West now Ye’s 2018 SNL appearance is among the most unforgettable in the history of the show. His behavior both before and after the show raised eyebrows. Though he was only a musical guest, he surprised the audience with an off-air rant in which he supported Donald Trump with passion and wore a “Make America Great Again” hat. Chris Rock captured the rant on camera. This had the cast and crew go squeamish.

Bill Hader and Jay Pharoah also discussed on Watch What Happens Live, the over-the-top nature of Ye’s antics on SNL. Pharoah recalled one time when Ye grabbed someone on set. Cast members like Kenan Thompson even joked about how Ye held the cast hostage during the post-show moments as he continued to ramble on, stating his unpopular opinions. 

Martin Lawrence

People remember Martin Lawrence’s 1994 stint on Saturday Night Live as quite the controversy. Lawrence went off-script during his opening monologue and into some women’s hygiene jokes that went to the edge of what was acceptable for the live broadcast. His unscripted rant about personal topics, including a reference to Lorena Bobbitt’s infamous case, shocked the cast, crew, and audience. 

NBC heavily edited the segment for the West Coast audience, while the Eastern broadcast aired it uncensored. This backlash led to Lawrence being banned from the network for a time, and despite his claims that it was all just one big misunderstanding, the incident made for his place among the worst SNL hosts.

Justin Bieber

On Bravo’s, Watch What Happens Live Bill Hader spoke at length about Justin Bieber’s behavior on SNL during the week of rehearsals, calling him the “worst-behaved” host he had ever worked with. Bieber was riding the peak of his fame at the time but he also seemed to be pressured by his personal life. Bieber’s attitude did not exactly make him a favorite with the cast or crew. His entourage of about 20 people reportedly made it hard to get much work done.

He also did not seem all too interested in the various sketches that went on. Hader and castmate Jay Pharoah have also said that Bieber was exhausted and emotional, which made him difficult to work with.

Paris Hilton

Paris Hilton in 2005 as an SNL host is looked back as quite the awkward episode. Hilton’s on-screen persona did not exactly fit in with the live sketch comedy format of SNL. As Tina Fey admitted to Howard Stern, Hilton was “unbelievably dumb and so proud of how dumb she is,” which made her obliviousness very painful during the episode.

Fey also said that Hilton took herself too seriously, a major hitch for anyone trying to get through SNL’s sharp humor. Not being able to laugh at herself coupled with the stiff delivery made it difficult for viewers to like her.

Adrien Brody

Fresh off his Oscar win for The Pianist, Adrien Brody in 2003 took to the stage of SNL to introduce the Jamaican musician Sean Paul. Brody’s approach involved wearing a dreadlocked wig and speaking in an exaggerated Jamaican accent, which many found offensive and inappropriate. His joke quite literally bombed, as the audience responded with crickets rather than applause. 

The uncomfortable moment, which was very much a violation of SNL’s no-improvisation policy, led to rumors that Brody had been banned from ever hosting again. Despite what people continued to say for many years, in 2012 Brody said that he had enjoyed his time hosting. 

Chevy Chase

Chevy Chase at first, brought freshness to the program with his weekend update segments, but off-screen, his behavior caused friction with the cast and crew. His ego and cruel humor alienated many of his fellow performers, particularly John Belushi, whom he would frequently make fun of for his physical appearance and background. Things only got worse when Chase left the show in 1976 for Hollywood.

Their feud went on until the two reportedly got into a famous backstage fistfight when Chase returned to host in 1978 with Bill Murray. To make matters worse,  in 1997, SNL officials banned Chase from hosting after an incident where he reportedly slapped Cheri Oteri on the back of the head. His explosive personality and the broken relationships with his co-stars made his time on SNL memorable for all the wrong reasons.

Steven Seagal

Steven Seagal’s time as a host on Saturday Night Live in 1991  became known for his lack of comedic timing. Former cast member Tim Meadows did not hold back in expressing just how difficult Seagal was to work with. In a 2009 interview on the Tonight Show and the book Live From New York, Meadows described Seagal as “the worst host” because he could not understand the jokes and would complain about them.  

The actor’s ego also clashed with the show’s style. Seagal insisted on writing his own sketches, which contributed to the tension on set. According to David Spade, the cast even considered doing the show without a host that week because of the difficulties with Seagal. 

Paula Abdul

Tina Fey, the then-head writer on SNL, was not afraid to say how awful Paula Abdul was as a host and that her performance was just a disaster. Not to mention, Abdul allegedly insisted on changing parts which ended up featuring Amy Poehler as Abdul in an American Idol parody. 

Afterwards, Fey said that the experience was difficult on everyone, and not made easier by the fact she was pregnant at that time which only added to the frustration. Paula Abdul’s time on SNL was one of the more trying moments of the show for both the host and the cast.

Milton Berle

Milton Berle, the comedy legend, famous for his TV programs, did not fit quite well with the edgy atmosphere of SNL at the time. It was reported by multiple sources that he refused to adapt to the irreverent tone of the show, frustrating the rest of the cast. He went so far as to try and hijack the production by continuously calling out directions to stagehands and the lighting crew, really getting on the nerves of all those around him.

Milton Berle’s antics, including ad-libbing jokes to the camera and pulling pranks, disrupted the flow of the live sketches. All of this and more led to Lorne Michaels banning him from ever hosting again

Elvis Costello

Elvis Costello caused a stir when he first appeared on Saturday Night Live in 1977; he was scheduled to play ‘Less Than Zero’, a single from his debut album. He abruptly stopped mid-song and said, “I’m sorry, ladies and gentlemen, there’s no reason to do this song here.” He then began to perform ‘Radio Radio’, an anti-corporate-media song, which completely caught the audience and the producers off guard. Costello has since explained that his actual dispute was with his record label, who had imposed the original song choice. 

He voiced in an interview with NPR, “I had a brand-new song ready to go that I thought was the one we should play — and I did play — and because I didn’t tell the producers about it, it was a little bit of a stink”. This act of rebellion, never intended to disrupt the show, banned Costello from SNL but the moment became legendary when Costello returned to the show in 1989 to perform ‘Radio Radio’ once more​. 

These moments, as bad as they may be, make for the best stories. So, while not all SNL hosting gigs are remembered fondly, they sure do make for great conversation and keep you going back to watch them, like Taylor Swift’s SNL Adventure with all the wild and wacky sketches that are not to be missed.

Who do you think deserves a spot on this list? Let us know in the comments