50 People You'd Be Shocked To Find Out Actually Hosted SNL

NBC made it a point to kick off the pilot episode of this series with none other than the famous George Carlin, who revolutionized the world with his comedy and genius, and he hosted the first episode on October 11th, 1975. As far as musical guests (who went on to be featured in every episode), Janis Ian and Billy Preston were the entertainment for the night. 

On February 21st, 1976, SNL was honored to have Desi Arnaz (otherwise known as Ricky Ricardo from I Love Lucy) and his son, Desi Arnaz Jr., as the hosts for that night's show. Pictured below is Desi Arnaz performing his famous song, "Cuban Pete", with his son accompanying him. 

When Raquel Welch hosted SNL in 1976, she was already an established model and actress for 10 years, seeing that her fame started after she starred in the film One Million Years B.C. in 1966. Seeing that she was such a beautiful inspiration in Hollywood, the creators of SNL thought she would be the ideal fit as a host. 

Steve Martin is known as a comedian, actor, writer, musician, and producer, and in 1979, he was asked to host Saturday Night Live, where he would go on to host the show multiple times after. This episode on October 13th had hilarious skits, and the musical performance was phenomenal thanks to Blondie (Debbie Harry).

Malcolm McDowell is an English actor, TV host, and producer, and he first most notably reached stardom after his primary role in the film, A Clockwork Orange (1971). As far as musical guests, the band Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band accompanied Malcolm when he hosted SNL. 

On October 10th, 1981, Susan Saint James hosted SNL, and she is most noted for her work in the series' McMillian & Wife and Kate & Allie. Pictured below is Susan as the host, and in her opening monologue, she couldn't help but ask the audience about a potential parody of McMillian & Wife!

Tim Curry is one of the most talented actors of all time, especially after his starring role in The Rocky Horror Picture Show in the early 1970s, and he became the host of SNL in December of 1981. Pictured below is Curry as the guest host, and the musical entertainment that night was provided by Meat Loaf. 

We know and love Elizabeth Ashely as a star of film, theatre, and television, although we were surprised to learn that she hosted Saturday Night Live on February 27th, 1982! Pictured below is Ashely as the host, and the musical guests that night were Hall & Oates. 

In April 1982, one of the most famous country singers of all time walked onto the SNL stage as a guest host, and everyone was ecstatic and surprised to see Johnny Cash that night! This episode was particularly outstanding seeing that Elton John was cast as the musical guest that night. 

For season eight, the writers for Saturday Night Live had decided to have Stevie Wonder as the guest host of the show, particularly for episode 19 which aired on May 8th, 1983. Not only was Stevie the guest host for the show that night, but he also was the musical entertainment. 

In May 1983, fans of SNL were surprised to see Ed Koch as the guest host seeing that he was most known as a politician who had served in the U.S. House of Representatives and was the mayor of NYC. Although Ed Koch was more than a politician, for he was also a TV personality, film critic, and lawyer. 

On October 8th, 1983, Saturday Night Live fans were excitingly shocked to see Brandon Tartikoff appear as the guest host for that night, seeing that he is known as an American TV executive! More so, Tartikoff was the president of NBC from 1981 to 1991. 

Most people remember skits from SNL such as "Phone Booth Confessions" and "Men Behind Bars", and these comedy routines were performed in October 1983 during the ninth season of the show. These skits are most memorable due to the appearance of John Candy, who surprisingly happened to be the host that night!

Most fans will recognize Betty Thomas as Sergeant Lucy Bates from the TV series Hill Street Blues, and they may even be surprised to learn that she hosted Saturday Night Live on November 5th, 1983. Not only was Betty's performance phenomenal, but the musical guests, The Stray Cats, performed just as well!

Flip Wilson is most recognized for his self-made character, Geraldine, in his series The Flip Wilson Show, and in December 1983, he was a part of the ninth season of Saturday Night Live. Flip was the guest host, and Stevie Knicks was the musical entertainment for the night. 

It may be surprising to know that a 1972 presidential nominee and U.S. Senator hosted Saturday Night Live in April 1984, and George McGovern (pictured below) was asked to host SNL during the tenth season. As far as the musical guests, the English band, Madness, performed that night.

Edwin Newman was known to the world as an American TV newscaster, author, and journalist, and his TV news career spanned over two decades, most notably at CBS News. Edwin hosted Saturday Night Live in May of 1984, and he is pictured below in the skit, "Suicide Hotline." 

Pictured below is Jesse Jackson during his monologue when he hosted Saturday Night Live in 1984, and he is known to the world as an activist, politician, and minister. Furthermore, Jesse was a presidential nominee in 1984 and 1998, and he was also a U.S. Senator in the early 1990s. 

In December of 1984, Ringo Starr, the drummer for the famous rock band The Beatles, hosted Saturday Night Live, and we were surprised to learn that Ringo had the time to do SNL, and we are so glad that he did! One of the most comical sketches during this episode was "Beatle Memorabilia Auction." 

Hulk Hogan is internationally famous due to his wrestling abilities, and he is known as the most popular professional wrestler of the 1980s. Although, some people may be surprised to learn that this American wrestler is also a TV personality and hosted SNL in March 1985. 

You may recognize Christopher Reeve as Superman seeing that he played the superhero in 1978 and continued to be cast as Superman in three additional films, and you may be shocked to learn that he hosted Saturday Night Live in 1985! Additionally, one of the funniest skits that Reeve acted in was "Superman Auditions."

Pictured below is the acclaimed sports journalist, Howard Cosell, during his monologue as the host of Saturday Night Live in April of 1985. Regarding his career, Howard had established himself at ABC Sports for over 30 years as a journalist and broadcaster. Additionally, when he hosted SNL, his confident, pompous personality certainly shined through. 

On November 9th, 1985, Madonna hosted Saturday Night Live, which featured no cold opening that night. Fans were surprised to see the Queen of Pop hosting the show, seeing that she was constantly busy with her career, and the musical guest that night was the Scottish rock band, Simple Minds.

Pictured below is Harry Dean Stanton during his monologue as the host of Saturday Night Live on January 18th, 1986. Harry is one of the most popular actors of all time and his career spanned over six decades in both movies and TV series. In this episode of SNL, comedian Sam Kinison also made an appearance. 

Jerry Hall is most recognized as the lover of Mick Jagger, who is the frontman for one of the most prominent rock bands of all time, The Rolling Stones. Pictured below is Jerry Hall during a promotional video for her episode of SNL, and she is known as a professional model and actress. 

Oprah Winfrey is most known for her talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, which had made her a millionaire by the time she was 32. Since her career took off, Oprah is an established TV show host and author, and in April 1986, she was the guest host for Saturday Night Live. 

Anjelica Huston is an established American actress, model, director, and author, and pictured below is her during her promotional video for Saturday Night Live once she was asked to be the host. This episode was also the season finale, and Billy Martin was Anjelica's co-host. 

Pictured below is Sam Kinison, who is a famed stand-up comedian and actor who has been featured on Saturday Night Live several times, and went on to be a guest host of the show on November 15th, 1986. During his time as the TV show host, Lou Reed was the musical entertainment for the night. 

Walter Payton is known as one of the greatest American football players of all time, and he played for the National Football League (NFL), and in particular, for the Chicago Bears. Walter was the host for Saturday Night Live on January 24th, 1987, and football star, Joe Montana, co-hosted alongside him. 

Mark Harmon is most recognized from NCIS seeing that he played one of the main roles, agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, and since the early 1970s, he has been a common face in Hollywood due to all the roles he has fulfilled. You may be surprised to learn that Mark actually hosted SNL in 1987!

Paris Hilton is known as a model, singer, actress, and media personality, and she grew up between NYC and Beverley Hills, California. In February of 2005, she was asked to host Saturday Night Live, and the guest musician group that night was the rock band, Keane. 

On January 13th, 2007, Jake Gyllenhaal, an American actor, hosted Saturday Night Live, where he went on to give his opening monologue that night and then proceeded to perform in multiple skits (pictured below). 

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is a former professional wrestler, actor, and businessman, and he became a full-time actor after establishing himself as one of the best wrestlers of all time within eight years of being in that profession. Moreover, Dwayne went on to host an episode of SNL during its 34th season!

Pictured below is famous singer, Justin Timberlake, as he performs in the sketch, "Immigrants", and the night of that sketch (May 9th, 2009), Justin had actually been the host for Saturday Night Live! Justin is one of the most popular singers in the world seeing that he has sold over 88 million records, so the audience was shocked, yet excited, to see him as the host that night!

Bruno Mars is an established American singer, musician, dancer, director, and producer, and he was asked to host an episode in the 38th season of Saturday Night Live in October 2012. In addition to being the host that night, Bruno also performed the songs "Young Girls" and "Locked Out of Heaven." 

In December of 2013, Kerry Washington (an excellent actress known for her role in the series, Scandal) appeared as the guest host on Saturday Night Live, and stars such as Shaquille O'Neal were guests that night as well! On top of the comedic sketches, internationally famous rap star, Eminem, provided lyrical content for the episode between the audience's laughter. 

John Goodman had a unique monologue when he hosted Saturday Night Live in December of 2013, for he chose to sing an opening Christmas song for the audience! John is most recognized for his roles in Roseanne and The Connors, and he was able to make the audience ripple with laughter throughout the entire episode. 

Pictured below is Ariana Grande during one of her most hilarious skits on Saturday Night Live when she hosted the episode in March of 2016, and in this sketch, Ariana covered singers like Shakira, Britney Spears, and Rihanna after the radio network malfunctioned. 

Pictured below is Lin-Manuel Miranda during his opening monologue as the guest host of SNL, and he is most known as the phenomenal Broadway creator of Hamilton, In the Heights, and the soundtrack for the hit Disney film, Encanto; he is an established actor, composer, rapper, filmmaker, and playwright.

Tiffany Haddish appeared as the guest of Saturday Night Live during the 43rd season in November of 2017, and she was entertaining the audience from the start of her monologue (pictured below) and all throughout this episode. Tiffany is known as a professional stand-up comedian and actress, so it was nothing but a joy to see her host SNL!

In 2017, when Saoirse Ronan had been asked to host Saturday Night Live, the American Irish actress accepted with glee, and she did not disappoint during her episode in December of 2017 during the 43rd season. With this, Saoirse was praised for her performance after this episode, and her potential to be a show host did not go unrecognized!

Donald Glover is an established singer who is also known professionally for his comedy, so when he appeared as the guest host of Saturday Night Live (pictured in a skit below), the audience and cast members were eager to have a fantastic night, and this episode full of laughter was completed with a musical performance by none other than Childish Gambino (Donald himself). 

During season 44 of Saturday Night Live, Sandra Oh (a famous TV and film actress) hosted an episode in March of 2019, and she started off her monologue by addressing the fact that she is Canadian, Asian, and more recently that year, had officially become a U.S. citizen. 

If you have seen the BBC sitcom, Fleabag, then you would instantly recognize this guest host of Saturday Night Live as Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who is known to the world as an English actress and screenwriter. Additionally, Phoebe hosted SNL in October of 2019 during the 45th season. 

RuPaul hosted Saturday Night Live on February 8th, 2020 (the 45th season), and he was the perfect host seeing that his energy matched the atmosphere in a light-hearted, comedic way. Furthermore, RuPaul is known as an American drag queen, musician, model, and television judge. 

In May of 2021, famous billionaire entrepreneur, Elon Musk, hosted Saturday Night Live and his monologue was heartfelt and comedic, seeing that he had revealed that he was on the autism spectrum and also brought his mother on stage for the celebration of Mother's Day. 

Kim Kardashian is known as a model, reality TV star, and entrepreneur, and at one of the heights of her career, she was asked to host Saturday Night Live in October 2021 during the 47th season! To perfectly accompany Kim's hosting, the creators of SNL concluded that musical star, Halsey, would be the ideal fit.