Saturday Night Live (SNL) has a reputation for bringing in top-tier stars as hosts, but sometimes things don’t go as smoothly behind the scenes. According to cast member Bowen Yang, not all guest hosts are easy to work with.
On a recent episode of Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, Yang shared a particularly negative experience involving an unnamed past host. This host was so difficult that they made several cast members cry during the show’s preparation week because they disliked the ideas presented during rehearsals. Yang summed up the encounter as “terrible.”
SNL is set to return on September 28 for its 50th season on NBC, though no hosts have been confirmed yet. There is already speculation about who might take the stage, with athletes like Olympian Ilona Maher jokingly offering themselves as potential hosts. Maher recently hinted at this by sharing a playful Instagram post after her appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers, where she expressed her desire to sneak her way into hosting the iconic show.
Last season, SNL featured a star-studded lineup of hosts, including the likes of Timothée Chalamet, Jason Momoa, Adam Driver, and Emma Stone. There were also return appearances from former cast members and alumni like Pete Davidson, Kristen Wiig, and Maya Rudolph, making it a season filled with familiar faces. The diverse array of talent helped bring a range of comedic performances and memorable moments throughout the season.
However, being asked to host SNL, despite its prestige, can come with its own set of challenges. For example, Euphoria star Sydney Sweeney hosted the show in March and later revealed that the experience was far from perfect. During her opening monologue, she dealt with nerves and a particularly uncomfortable moment when her mouth dried up, causing her lips to stick to her teeth. She admitted that she was shaking the entire time, describing the experience as overwhelming.
While SNL continues to be a significant cultural event and an honor to host, not all hosts find the experience smooth or glamorous. As the show gears up for its milestone season, fans can expect a mix of celebrity hosts and returning cast members, but they might never know the real pressures and challenges that some of these stars face behind the scenes.
