On December 21st, 2019, Eddie Murphy came back to host and perform on Saturday Night Live after 35 years. And it was epic. Apart from bringing back some of his most beloved SNL characters from way back, like Gumby, Buckwheat, and Mister Robinson, Murphy shared the stage with comedy legends like Chris Rock, Tracy Morgan, and Dave Chappelle. In a one-of-a-kind SNL episode, in which Lizzo was the hit musical guest, Murphy joked about leaving the show 30 years ago, having a 10th child, and even made a crack at Bill Cosby. And he even had a slip and swore on national TV!
“If you would have told me 30 years ago that I would be this boring-stay at-home house dad and Bill Cosby would be in jail, even I wouldn’t have taken that bet. Who is America’s dad now?!” Murphy said in a spot-on impression of Cosby. Many die-hard SNL fans know that Eddie Murphy joined the show’s cast back in the 1980s, and would remain one of SNL’s most popular characters until 1984. But a bad joke from David Spade about Murphy’s failing career kept him away from the show for nearly four decades.
Alec Baldwin Is the Host with the Most... Appearances
Holding the record for the most times hosting in the show’s history, Alec Baldwin has been SNL’s host a whopping 17 times. He has done such a great job that the show’s creator, Lorne Michaels, has made him an honorary cast member and given him an open invitation to come in and host whenever the schedule allows it.
Michaels has also issued this invitation to the eccentric and hysterically funny actor, Christopher Walken. Baldwin has made waves in the past couple of years with his recurring role on the show as President Donald Trump.
Steven Seagal Was Banned from the Show for Being the Worst
The creator of 'SNL', Lorne Michaels, has famously stated that Steven Seagal was the “worst host ever.” He was generally rude and unprofessional and was disliked by the cast, crew, writers, and even the audience.
He has been added to the 'SNL' blacklist and will not appear on the show ever again. Other blacklisted hosts include Martin Lawrence and Adrien Brody.
Some Celebs Weren’t Cast and Went to Bigger and Better Things
Some actors, who are big stars today, did not get cast on Saturday Night Live, including Jim Carrey, Steve Carrel, John Goodman, and Kevin Hart. We can all agree that these comic actors went on to have amazing careers without SNL. The most memorable story, however, was when Jennifer Aniston and Lisa Kudrow both auditioned for the show and were not cast.
Luckily, not long after, the two were cast in the biggest sitcom in the history of the world, 'Friends'. They went on to both fortune and fame from the show, and since, Kudrow has famously said, “Thank God I didn’t get Saturday Night Live!”
The Show Only Exists Because Of Johnny Carson
Legendary Tonight Show host, Johnny Carson, asked NBC in 1974 to stop airing reruns of his program on the weekend because he wanted to save them for some extra time off during the week. The network then turned to Lorne Michaels and asked him to develop something new for the suddenly empty Saturday night slot.
He came up with 'Saturday Night Live, and the rest is history. Michaels pitched the show to cast member Laraine Newman as 'Monty Python' meets '60 Minutes'.