With 50 years of episodes under its metaphorical belt, Saturday Night Live is a TV series unlike any other, even within the genre boundaries of sketch comedy. It takes both mental and physical prowess for not just the cast members to hit the Studio 8H stage each week, but also the lineup of guest hosts and musicians. And while some of those muscle memories might stick around, even Will Ferrell admits that it’s more difficult than one might expect to return as host after years away.
Ferrell hasn’t (yet) been locked down as frontman for any episodes hitting the 2025 TV schedule, though something along those lines is almost definitely coming, given how big NBC and Peacock’s 50th anniversary celebrations will get. (The Will & Harper co-star will indeed appear in the upcoming docuseries SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night, which will feature cast members’ audition horror stories.) Speaking with Jason and Travis Kelce on the brothers’ New Heights podcast, Ferrell compared jumping back into SNL mode to a track and field competition, saying:
That thing is like a track meet. You forget the kind of physical shape you're in, comedy shape you're in. And I all of a sudden felt like I was in an NBA basketball game, and the ball just kept hitting me in the face.
Given the fact that the actor recently went viral for showing up at a basketball game as an out-of-work Buddy from Elf just for kicks, it’s easy to assume he’s exuding modesty here. Sure, he may not be bouncing off the walls with quite the same energy that he had during his initial run from 1995-2002, but that’s more about age than anything else. Still, even if it looks to viewers like he’s locked in step with other cast members, it’s apparently more of a struggle below the surface.
And it sounds like series creator Lorne Michaels isn’t a producer who offers the most sympathetic ear for cast member gripes, with Will Ferrell saying even he was shocked by Michaels’ reaction to the actor’s self-assessment during his most recent hosting gig — Season 47, Episode 7 from 2019 — which made him a member of the lauded Five-Timers Club. Here’s how he explained it:
The last time I came to host, I remember, in fact, sitting with Lorne at the after party, and I was like, 'God man, Lorne, I can't believe I used to do the show -- like, not even think twice about doing the show every week.' And he was like -- I thought he was gonna give me the, you know, attaboy, like, 'You know, you were, no, you were great, you were wonderful.' He was like, 'No, it's a young man's game.' He didn't give me anything. I was like, 'Was I that bad?' He was like 'No, no, but, it's a young man's game.' Like geez, alright.
For as much of a subtle burn as that was from Lorne Michaels, it probably takes that kind of cold practicality to keep a show on the air for 50 years, especially when one is surrounded by a bunch of comedians all trying to get more airtime. And if anyone is aware of the energy and effort balance between younger cast members and their more veteran co-stars, it’s the guy who’s been in charge for the bulk of the show’s history.
But I mean, we can all agree that Kenan Thompson is the exception to the age-gap rule, right? He’s just that timeless.
In any case, Saturday Night Live guest hosts have had plenty of opinions over the years about taking on the monologue and acting alongside some of the biggest names in comedy. And many of them have handled it once and never returned for one reason or another. So anyone out there who watches the show each week thinking it’d be a cake walk to jump in for the week, let Will Ferrell’s anecdote sway you to be more honest with yourself.
And, of course, don’t forget to tune into the next new episode of SNL, which will air on January 18 and will feature comedian Dave Chappelle as host along with musical guest GloRilla.
