Being asked to host an episode of Saturday Night Live has long been regarded as a distinct pop culture honor – which is why it is shocking to discover that Mark Hamill has never gotten that ask. Not only is he a cinematic legend recognized around the world for his role as Luke Skywalker in Star Wars, but he has spent decades demonstrating incredible comedic timing and skill as a voice actor. It qualifies as downright bizarre that the long-running sketch series has never approached Hamill for the special gig... though the actor does have a suspicion about why.
This surprising bit of trivia has come to light thanks to a recent profile in Esquire – which also features Mark Hamill's thoughts on the potential for "Young Luke" stories in the future of Star Wars. The subject is brought up in a section about his comedy skills, and Hamill notes that while he has never hosted Saturday Night Live, he distinctly remembers Carrie "Princess Leia" Fisher being invited to host in the late 1970s when the variety show was in its fourth season:
Well, let me tell you about SNL. Carrie [Fisher] did it back in the day with the original cast. I was over the moon because it was my favorite show, Carrie was great on it, and it made me really want to do it. But it’s not one of those things where your agent calls and says, ‘Hey, book my client.’ They pretty much pick who they want and you go from there.
As to why Hamill has never been "picked," he speculates that it may be a result of him hosting an episode of Fridays – a Saturday Night Live competitor that aired for just three seasons in the early 1980s. He continued:
I was asked to host Fridays, which was ABC’s answer to SNL. And I think—I’m not sure, again, I’m just speculating—but I have a feeling that that might have been a factor in not being thought favorably of by Lorne Michaels.
For what it's worth, any kind of grudge that Lorne Michaels may have hasn't extended to Mark Hamill being barred from Saturday Night Live. In 1997, he did a special appearance in a Home Shopping Network spoof featuring Will Ferrell and Chris Kattan, which you can watch below:
While it's certainly possible that Mark Hamill's speculation here is valid and explains why he has never hosted Saturday Night Live, I'm instead going to hope that the lack of an invite is merely the result of an oversight. I'm also going to hope that Hamill's comments get back to the show and he ends up getting a much deserved invite to host in the next season.
Saturday Night Live ended its most recent season early due to the on-going WGA strike, but those who immediately want to witness the comedy of Mark Hamill can now see him on the big screen opposite Bert Kreischer in The Machine, which arrived in theaters this past Friday.
