16 People Who Really Need To Host Saturday Night Live Again

In the past five decades, Saturday Night Live has seen a stellar rotation of guest hosts – some of which have returned enough times to join the Five-Timers Club. However, some classic SNL hosts still have a while before they can qualify for that honor and even have yet to headline a second time.

Since we are currently in SNL Season 50, I would say it is about time that some of the most successful and hilarious members of the One-Timers Club be considered to return for what would very likely be another slam dunk episode. The following are some celebrities who deserve the chance to prove lightning can strike twice in Studio 8H.

Pedro Pascal

With his Emmy-nominated performance in The Last of Us, his legion of Gen-Z fans, and plenty of other fandoms he is a focus of, Pedro Pascal is the type of actor who appeals to all ages, which is part of why his Season 48 episode became an instant classic. He would return less than a year later to cameo alongside host Bad Bunny and reprise his “Protective Mom” character, whom I know fans would love to see return by the time The Last of Us Season 2 premieres or when he shows up in the upcoming Marvel movie, The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

Quinta Brunson

Quinta Brunson achieved Emmy-winning success as the creator and star of Abbott Elementary (one of the funniest TV shows on Hulu) before making her hosting debut in Season 48, for which she brought back the same energy she demonstrated on HBO’s acclaimed sketch comedy TV show, A Black Lady Sketch Show. A performer with her charisma and sharp sense of humor was made for a show like SNL and as long as her ABC sitcom is a hit (and even beyond its ongoing tenure), I believe she deserves plenty more chances to rock it at Studio 8H.

Travis Kelce

Many professional athletes have appeared on SNL as hosts and one of the more recent and surprisingly successful of the bunch is Travis Kelce, who was an absolute riot as a far too old American Girl Doll Cafe patron in one funny bit. Having made a cameo not long after his Season 48 episode in a sketch poking fun at the NFL’s attention to his girlfriend, Taylor Swift, it’s clear that SNL likes the Kansas City Chiefs player, who has dabbled in more acting since, which means there could be more reasons to bring him back even if he were to hang up his helmet sometime soon.

Natasha Lyonne

SNL’s Season 47 finale was a bittersweet episode – bitter because it was the last to feature heavy hitters like Kate McKinnon and Pete Davidson in the cast and sweet because it was headlined by a supreme talent like Emmy nominee Natasha Lyonne. She is one of the most versatile and naturally funny actors of her time and I would say that promoting the upcoming Poker Face Season 2 would be a great reason for her to come back, not that she really needs one as far as I am concerned.

Robert Downey Jr.

SNL’s 11th season is considered the worst year in the show’s history, as well as a career low for then-cast member Robert Downey Jr., who luckily went on to achieve greater things, such as playing Iron Man in the Marvel movies and becoming the first former SNL actor to win an Oscar (for Oppenheimer). Still, the beloved actor has only come back to host the show for one, totally solid, episode, but I cannot help but feel he deserves more time to shine at Studio 8H.

Taylor Swift

Any doubt that the aforementioned Taylor Swift had acting ability was quelled by her November 2009 SNL episode, in which she poked fun at herself with her “Monologue Song” and did a killer Shakira impersonation. That wasn't even her first time appearing in sketches (she played Little Orphan Annie in a bit about Broadway during her first musical gig) and not her last either (she showed up in Please Don’t Destroy’s “Three Sad Virgins” video, for instance). Yet, while T Swift qualifies for the Five-Timers Club for musical guest appearances and has made a few jaw-dropping cameos on SNL, she has only been a host once, but will hopefully get another well-deserved double shift.

Neil Patrick Harris

Taylor Swift's first musical SNL gig was also Neil Patrick Harris' sole hosting appearance, during which he appeared in a hilarious SNL Digital Short that recreated the Doogie Howser, M.D. theme with an eclectic variety of instruments. The former How I Met Your Mother cast member’s impeccable talent, which has since earned him countless other hosting gigs, made it a really fun show. Perhaps the actor and producer is just too busy for SNL these days, which, to me, means they should just try harder to get him.

Kerry Washington

Emmy winner Kerry Washington hosted Saturday Night Live in 2013, at a time when the cast lacked women of color, which the show hilariously self-indicted itself over by having the Django Unchained star play Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, and Beyonce in the cold open. That does not even scratch the surface of the comedic prowess she exhibited for her one-time hosting gig, from her Scandal-ous monologue to a gut-busting "What Does the Fox Say?" parody with Jay Pharaoh. Washington has said she has wanted to quit acting on several occasions, only to be pulled back in by something extraordinary, which makes me wonder if a really clever SNL episode could do the trick.

Bryan Cranston

We tend to forget how funny the man who won five Emmys for playing Walter White can be, and if Malcolm in the Middle does not provide a fitting example, perhaps his 2010 bid as Saturday Night Live host will. The episode – featuring a monologue explaining his long career without household name status and a brilliant Billy Ray Cyrus impersonation in the first-ever "The Miley Cyrus Show" sketch – was hilarious, but the actor’s only return so far is a surprise cold open cameo as his Breaking Bad alter ego in 2016. I am still anticipating the day he could reprise the character, and others, on SNL as a host for his second time.

Lin-Manuel Miranda

At the peak of Hamilton's success on Broadway, its creator took the stage of Saturday Night Live as host for a 2016 episode that served as a perfect way to show the vast extent of his talents. In fact, behind-the-scenes footage revealed Lin-Manuel Miranda to be an amazing pre-show host as well, by surprising audience members lined up outside 30 Rock with pizza. The Tony winner cameoed as Alexander Hamilton in a Season 50 cold open (and struggled to keep a straight face next to James Austin Johnson’s Donald Trump) but that was the last we saw of him at Studio 8H… for now, hopefully.

Bradley Cooper

Months before The Hangover made him a household name, Bradley Cooper proved his worth as a comedic actor – with a biting impression of his future American Hustle co-star Christian Bale, for instance – on his sole SNL episode in February 2009. He has since returned for a few cameos (including a particularly memorable one opposite Betty White at the 40th Anniversary special) and obtained permission to film scenes in Studio 8H for his directorial debut, A Star is Born. However, it would be really nice to see him headline a show again.

Donald Glover

This multi-talented, award-winning artist both hosted Saturday Night Live and performed as his rapper alter ego, Childish Gambino, in 2018. The episode, which also saw Donald Glover's official debut as Lando Calrissian prior to Solo: A Star Wars Story, featured the Community cast member and Atlanta mastermind showing he "really can do anything," proving himself a natural for sketches and earning the right to a second hosting gig, which has yet to be secured. It makes you wonder how he could have possibly failed to make the cut when auditioning for SNL, even if it might have been for the best.

Awkwafina

In her SNL monologue, Awkwafina shared that her first visit to Rockefeller Center was as a child who just "wanted to be near the building" when Lucy Liu made history as the show's first host of Asian descent in 2000. The second to do so, 18 years later, was the Golden Globe-winning comedian turned rapper and Crazy Rich Asians star, who also displayed her penchant for dancing to classic game show theme songs in, arguably, the funniest sketch of the night. Hopefully, the actor makes her return to SNL soon because we are convinced there is still much more we have yet to learn about her.

Andy Samberg

Why would I like to see more of Andy Samberg on SNL? Other than how he and The Lonely Island basically changed the show forever with classic pre-recorded bits like "Lazy Sunday,” the guy is just really funny and the fact that he has only hosted once, two years after leaving the cast in 2012, is surprising. Based on his stint of cameos as Douglas Emhoff for Season 50, Samberg clearly does not even need to plug something like his dramatic performance in 2024’s Lee to earn another hosting gig, because just another idea for a Justin Timberlake collaboration would suffice.

Anna Kendrick

While she never became a cast member, Anna Kendrick is somebody tailor-made for the world of Saturday Night Live, which she proved in her sole hosting gig in 2014. In just her opening monologue, she was able to show off how well her comedic timing comes through in her astonishing singing voice, before lending it to a song about international "dong" admiration. In fact, I would support the idea of bringing her on as both host and musical guest for her return and just give her anything to sing. Whatever it is, she'll nail it.

Conan O’Brien

At one point, seeing former SNL writer Conan O'Brien host for the first time since 2001 seemed pretty unlikely, considering his strained relationship with NBC after an awkward, premature Tonight Show exit in 2010. However, after making an epic cameo in Season 47, it does not seem like much of a stretch for the beloved former late night talk show host to reclaim his place at Studio 8H. Not to mention, with new superhero movies still popular, there is no better time for him to reprise the overenthusiastic superhero, Moleculo: The Molecular Man.

What do you think? Do these celebrities deserve a second Saturday Night Live hosting gig, or, perhaps, are they better off not trying to repeat themselves?