SNLhas had some wonderful and some terrible hosts through the last 50 years. In the last five, there have been a bunch of good ones with memorable sketches, likeMichael B. Jordan, Timothée Chalamet, Billie Elish, andAdam Driver. But the best hosts since 2019 have really hit it out of the park with viral sketches, funny opening monologues, and overall solid performances. For some, it was their first time ever helming the show.
Saturday Night Live
A famous guest host stars in parodies and sketches created by the cast of this witty show.
10Emma Stone
Emma Stone is a member of the Five-Timer’s Club, having hosted for her fifth time in season 49. She fittingly started off the show with a Five-Timers monologue and continued on to nail every character she played. A pro, Stone is one of those actors who casually checks her lines but viewers rarely feel like she’s reading off a card. She immerses herself so deeply in the role that it’s like watching a short film. While she has done a lot of dramatic movie roles, Stone has also beenin some pretty funny movies, too, and has serious comedic chops.
Some of her stand-out sketches from this time around include the game showQuestion Quest, where she wins a turtle and becomes increasingly worried about the fact that it lives for more than a hundred years; as a “hot girl” Instagram model poster in a teenage boy’s room that comes to lifel and in a musical Digital Short alongside Bowen Yang about two people going naked in New York.
9Jenna Ortega
In herSNLdebut,Jenna Ortegahit it out of the park with some hilarious sketches. One of the best is called Waffle House, where she plays a teenager breaking up with her jock boyfriend outside a Waffle House restaurant. She delivers a heart-wrenching, emotional speech that sounds like it’s right out of a coming-of-age movie. But as they engage in the very serious conversation, there’s a massive fight breaking out in the restaurant behind them that they seem completely oblivious to. How neither she nor her co-star in the sketchMarcello Hernandezbroke character is a testament to their professionalism.
Other sketches include her take on an exorcism patient anda hilarious interpretation ofThe Parent Trapalongside guest star Fred Armisen.It was a nice juxtaposition to the usual darker characters Ortega often plays in movies and TV shows.
8Molly Shannon
It’s no surprise thatMolly Shannonimpressed as host given that she was a cast member of the series from 1995 through 2001, and one ofSNL’s best comediennes. She hosted for the first time in 2007 then returned 2023 for the first time since then (beyond a few cameo appearances) to a stage she called home for so long. And she performed like she had never left.
In a sketch called Valets, she’s an awkward valet who creeps out the people looking to leave their cars with her team. Overly enthusiastic and frantically talking too much (and saying inappropriate things), she’s joined by others in the cast who meet her energy.She also brought back popular characters, including the uninspired comedian Jeannie Darcy and, of course, Sally O’Malley in a perfect sketch involving the episode’s musical guestThe Jonas Brothers.
7Shane Gillis
He might be a controversial figure who was actually fired fromSNLbefore he even got to appear, the result of questionable language used in a podcast. But years later, he was welcome to return to host and leaned subtly into the controversy and short-lived stint as a cast member in his monologue. “If you don’t know who I am,” he began, “please don’t Google that.”
Through the episode, however, Gillis proved that he would have been a great addition to the cast. The sketches aimed to make light of his racially charged words, like one where he’s the father of a white family enjoying a predominantly Black church in Jamaica or a game show contestant afraid to nameMartin Luther King Jr.andOprahfor fear that he might be identifying the wrong person.The choice to have Gillis host was one of the more rebellious ones the show has made (though not the most), leading to a few admittedly cringe-worthy moments and a bit of backlash. But despite pushing the envelope at times, Gillis came off like a natural.
6Aubrey Plaza
It’s difficult to believe thatAubrey Plaza’s hosting gig at the beginning of 2023 was actually her first time helming the show. And it was a big deal for her since she worked as a page for NBC prior to hitting it big as an actor. She even auditioned forSNLyears before, and bombed, as she admitted. Plaza spent a lot of time during her monologue talking about her past working behind the scenes, even taking viewers on a journey backstage. It was a nice way to show how far she has come since then.
Diving into the sketches,the Miss Universe pageant sketch was a viral moment.Her beautifully dressed and made up character would just scream “France!” for every answer, in the weirdest way, a fitting level of strange for Plaza. The spoof skit of The Black Lotus, a play on her hit showThe White Lotus, was also a standout, where she plays a hilarious Puerto Rican trophy wife. She further leans into her perceived weirdness with a sketch called Taboo where her boyfriend, played by Mikey Day, becomes increasingly disturbed by her sociopathic answers. It’s one of those rare episodes where almost every single sketch was totally funny.
5Pedro Pascal
Another first-time host,Pedro Pascaltook to the stage in early 2023, right when his career was taking off with hit roles in everything fromThe MandaloriantoThe Last of Us. His endearing and likable personality was on full display, right from the opening monologue where he talked about everything from his now recognizable fame (despite acting for years) and all the questions he gets about Baby Yoda.
The darkMario Kartaction movie trailer is what everyone was talking about after the episode. He plays a mustached Mario in a spoof on video games being turned into shows. He delivers “It’s-a-me, Mario” in the same gruff tone his character Joel fromThe Last of Usmight. Along with a cameo from his real-life best friendSarah Paulsonand his Maude-like drag character in Protective Mom, Pascal also participated in one of the best Lisa from Temecula sketches, doing what fans love to see: breaking character.
4Dave Chappelle
Dave ChappellehostedSNLfor the first time in 2016, which earned him his first Emmy Award. He hosted a second time in November 2020, once again hosting the episode that aired immediately following the U.S. Presidential Election, then returned in November 2022 for his third hosting stint, and the third one post-election. While he appeared following controversies around his Netflix special, Chappelle was welcomed by fans who appreciate his unabashed, unapologetic comedic style.
Naturally, given his talent as a stand-up comedian, Chappelle’s opening monologue seemed longer than others and felt like a stand-up comedy bit, which was perfect because it wasfunny and edgy from start to finish. With his history in sketch comedy from his own show,Chappelle’s Show, he was a natural for every skit as well. From his take onHouse of the Dragonto Barber Shop Talk. The latter delivered social commentary on race, politics, vaccines, and even Kanye West, in a humorous way as Michael Longfellow beautifully playing the white barber who keeps unintentionally stating offensive opinions.
3Eddie Murphy
It was a historic momentwhenEddie MurphyhostedSaturday Night Livein December 2019. This was the third time he hosted, but most notably, it was the first time he appeared in more than 35 years. Murphy, of course, was a cast member on the show in the ‘80s and one of its best at that time. As fans know, he went on to even bigger success as a stand-up comedian and movie star. His long-awaited return didn’t disappoint.
He was greeted by chants of “Eddie, Eddie Eddie!” as he walked on stage, as warm a welcome as there ever was on the show. It gets even better when Dave Chappelle,Tracy Morgan, andChris Rockjoin him on stage to share their sketch ideas. He delivered exactly what fans wanted by reprising old characters, including Mr. Robinson’s Neighborhood. But he also participated in newer recurring sketches, like Holiday Baking Championship where the contestants reveal horrendous desserts. He even combined the old with the new by spoofing current singing competition showThe Masked Singerby revealing his corn costumed character to be Buckwheat. And yes, he shows up on Weekend Update as Gumby. How could he not?
2Ryan Gosling
One of the most belovedSNLhosts by fans, the reason is largely becauseRyan Gosling can’t seem to hold it together in almost every sketch he’s in.Like theJimmy Fallonof hosts, he struggles to contain his giggles, often letting them out in the most hilarious sketches, and can’t seem to stop smiling even when his role is supposed to be serious. But it’s all part of his charm and that has occurred every time Gosling has hosted. That includes three times to date, most recently in April 2024.
He proved he is one of the show’s best recent hosts by reprising his middle American man role in the Close Encounters sketch, one ofthe best Ryan Gosling sketches.Kate McKinnonreturned because the sketch just doesn’t work without her. Along with hisBarbie-themed (rather, Ken-themed) monologue, The Engagement is another super-funny sketch. He’s a man who regrets proposing to his girlfriend and confides in his girlfriend’s friend, played byAndrew Dismukes, who awkwardly doesn’t know how to deal with this information. But the sketch everyone can’t stop talking about isBeavis and Butt-Headwhere he andMikey Daydress up as the characters, even causingHeidi Gardnerto break character when she sees them. The two showed up on red carpets after the episode because it was so popular. It’s impossible to watch and not laugh to tears every single time.
1Steve Martin and Martin Short
Steve Martinwas actually never a cast member onSNL, though he guest starred more than 35 times through its run, and hosted 16 times, a record only bested byAlec Baldwin.Martin Short, meanwhile, was a member of the cast for only a single season, but he hosted four times and has made many cameo appearances over the years. WhenSNLbrought the comedic powerhouses together to host in December 2022 in one ofthe pair’s many collaborations, it was, as expected, magic. It began with a monologue where the two, who star together in Hulu seriesOnly Murders in the Building, ribbed one another as they often do. This included reading eulogies they prepared in the event of the other’s death.
The best sketch from their episode was The Science Room, where they play science-themed PBS TV show hosts trying their best to deal with the downright dumb child contestants, played byCecily Strongand Mikey Day. Then, the two channelBad Santawith Martin as a grumpy mall Santa and Short his Elf assistant. For those nostalgic fans, the pair even reprise their roles fromFather of the Bridein a sketch that pays homage in the best way.
