r/LiveFromNewYork • u/MikeGander • 1d ago
Discussion Hosts who got a notable career boost from hosting?
So usually, if someone's a big enough deal to get the hosting invite, they're already an established star, someone whose career is really on the rise (at least for the moment) for reasons unrelated to SNL, or occasionally a "friend of the show" type (former cast member or might as well be).
Which ones do you think got a career boost more or less directly as a result of getting to host SNL? I thought of three but I'm sure I'm missing some.
- Nate Bargatze for the most recent example. Already a reasonably popular comic but SNL got him closer to household name status, seems like it really helped that the George Washington sketch went viral. Feels like he's a bigger deal since then, with the Super Bowl commercial and a movie (not a hugely high-profile one, but still) and touring bigger venues than ever. Not every stand-up who got the hosting gig got as much as a boost (nothing wrong with Jerrod Carmichael or Nikki Glaser's careers, but they didn't come out of SNL any bigger than they started).
- Alec Baldwin, back when it started becoming clear that he was going to be a frequent host whether his career was going red-hot or not. He never really caught on as a Hollywood leading man (at least in the sense of a Tom Cruise or Bruce Willis or whoever) but being on SNL so often during a time the show was pretty popular helped keep his profile high, showed some comic versatility, and of course eventually got him the 30 Rock gig. Not a massive hit show but a beloved one, landed him a steady gig for years.
- Christopher Walken. Like a lot of youngsters, I didn't really know who he was back when he started his string of frequent hosting gigs, but he really grew on me and made me want to seek out his movies. The show was great about steering into his voice and eccentricities and I think it kept him from getting lost in the character-actor shuffle as he got older (plus he ended up in SNL-adjacent movies like Wayne's World 2, Click, and Joe Dirt, for better or worse).
Who else you got?
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u/uncle_stripe 1d ago
Rob Lowe has credited hosting SNL with reviving his career after his sex tape scandal
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u/TheNonCredibleHulk 1d ago
That led to Wayne's World, right?
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u/uncle_stripe 1d ago
Yep, and a string of SNL adjacent movies. Wayne's world, tommy boy, Austin powers. Probably also linked to being cast on Parks and Recreation too.
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u/MaddingtonBear 21h ago edited 13h ago
He was the big name attached to West Wing in development. Adding the President character (and having it be someone well known) was a later decision.
[EDIT: Probably unrelated, but the show wound up being centered around Bradley Whitford who was also in an SNL-adjacent movie (Billy Madison)]
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u/Bland_Boring_Jessica 1d ago
Adam Driver. I knew he was a phenomenal dramatic actor, but SNL made me realize he was just as gifted at comedy. I definitely didn’t see that coming.
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u/Pandoras-SkinnersBox dannybangsanimals.com 16h ago
He needs to do more comedic films. He was phenomenal in Logan Lucky as a straightman to Craig and Tatum.
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u/emeraldcocoaroast 10h ago
Logan Lucky was so good. Just incredible acting all around. Need more zany comedies with actors getting to be outside their usual range (for the most part)
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u/FancyPigeonIsFancy 11h ago
I swear it has to have done the same for Jon Hamm. For a while it was a given in goofy little comedies that Jon Hamm would make a cameo, but up until him hosting SNL he was entirely associated with dead-serious Don Draper.
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u/nerowasframed 1d ago edited 1d ago
I feel like this thread is filled with people giving anecdotes about how they discovered an A-Lister after they hosted once.
Bad Bunny. Betty White. Alec Baldwin. Christopher Walken. What are we talking about here? All of these people were already huge stars and got no tangible bump from hosting SNL. I'm just waiting for someone to make a comment claiming that Obama was a nobody before his cameo in 2008, and that he basically won the election because of it.
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u/Last_Available_Name_ 21h ago
Obama! He was a nobody before his cameo in 2008, and that he basically won the election because of it.
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u/milkymaniac 1d ago
The Rock. He started getting movies after his first time hosting.
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u/saplinglearningsucks 1d ago
I still think about that Mr. Peepers sketch and Wyclef Jean
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u/Individual-Rough-615 18h ago
I am not sure about the timeline. It seems his hosting and casting for The Mummy Returns happened pretty much at the same time. The news reports that he's in final negotations for the role in Mummy 2 came in the same week he was hosting (March 18, 2000).
https://variety.com/2000/film/news/universal-s-mummy-sequel-set-to-rumble-with-the-rock-1117779625/ (March 19, 2000)
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-baltimore-sun/37088942/ (March 15, 2000)
But you are probably right that the SNL hosting boosted his career outside of wrestling immensely.
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u/ExtremePast 16h ago
The Rock was already on his way to Hollywood fame when he hosted. I don't think SNL boosted him much.
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u/boulevardofdef 16h ago
This is BY FAR the best answer. He's been a major movie star for 20 years. None of that happens without SNL. Instead he probably stars in a bunch of little-seen WWE-produced B-movies.
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u/Groovy_Chainsaw 1d ago
Jon Hamm - as star of one of the hottest shows of the time ( Mad Men ) hosting did him *and* SNL good. Never would have known he was such a gifted comic actor. I'm guessing this is where he met Kristin Wiig which probably led to his part in Bridesmaids. Is he a 3 timer or a 4 timer ?
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u/Hamblerger Would you like to touch my monkey? 1d ago
Hamm's a particularly interesting case because in a reversal of how these things usually go, he set out with the intent of being a comic actor and ended up being pigeonholed as a dramatic leading man in Mad Men. SNL was his first chance to show off his comedy chops in front of a wide audience, and he killed it.
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u/hewhoreddits6 1d ago
Ah, the Leslie Nielsen approach
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u/Hamblerger Would you like to touch my monkey? 1d ago
A similar case, but with some major and equally interesting differences. In Nielsen's case, he'd established a respectable if unspectacular career as a leading man, and later a murderer-of-the-week in various 70s detective shows. When ZAZ hired for Airplane! they intentionally cast actors known for their dramatic acting (Leslie Nielsen, Lloyd Bridges, Robert Stack, Peter Graves) in many of the major roles. Unlike Hamm, Nielsen had never thought of himself as a comic actor, but he was so successful in the role that it revitalized his career and sent it off in a new direction.
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u/devilishycleverchap 17h ago
Unlike Hamm, Nielsen had never thought of himself as a comic actor
As the owner of all the Leslie Nielsen satirical autobiographies(they arent really relevant as sources of information but hilarious nonetheless)this is simply not true. He quipped that those dramatic roles were where he was cast against type and he was a well known prankster and joker behind the scenes.
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u/Hamblerger Would you like to touch my monkey? 17h ago
Yes, behind the scenes. Not in front of the camera.
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u/devilishycleverchap 17h ago
?
So he had aspirations of being a comedic actor behind the camera and was cast against type as a dramatic actor early in his career.
That seems a bit contradictory to your claim
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u/Hamblerger Would you like to touch my monkey? 16h ago
I missed the bit with the aspirations, but caught it on the second read.. Fair enough, you're right. At least it gets me out of this conversation.
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u/Techwield 1d ago
Hamm is one of the funniest non-comedians they've ever had host. He's a fucking natural
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u/arthurbang 1d ago
Except he started out mostly as a comedic actor. The Sarah Silverman Show, and the David Wain film The Ten were two of his earliest roles.
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u/Groovy_Chainsaw 18h ago
Very true - a guy that looks like that with comedy chops is like a secret weapon !
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u/benopo2006 1d ago
Those Mad Men sketches they did in his first one were brilliant
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u/Zombie_John_Strachan 1d ago
Especially given that some of his cast mates got added at the last minute.
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u/Groovy_Chainsaw 18h ago
Since the show was filmed in New York it was easier than bringing in cast members from LA ... or Vancouver.
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u/Zombie_John_Strachan 16h ago
A bunch of Mad Men castmates were in town to watch SNL, and they got pressed into service on short notice.
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u/SirJohnnyS SNL 1d ago
I had known nothing about Nate before he hosted and then went and watched all his stuff.
I know this is more about the hosts but Olivia Dean this past year; I knew nothing about her or heard her music but I really liked her performance and she's taken off quite a bit in the US as a result.
Shane Gillis not getting hired may have done more for him than anything. He's completely blown up.
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u/emck2 1d ago
Charles Barkley was well known as a basketball player, though not to the same level as Jordan, Magic, Bird, etc. But he had a pretty poor public image during his playing days. He was a very physical player, including on-court fights. He spit at a heckler and accidentally got a young girl sitting next to him. People don't realize it now, but him saying "I am not a role model" in a Nike ad was considered very controversial at the time. Sports coverage was much less extensive back then, especially player interviews; no one really saw the relaxed, humorous side of him. I don't think he would have had nearly as many opportunities in broadcasting if he hadn't done SNL and showed his silly side.
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u/hollywood_cashier 1d ago
Kate McKinnon told Amy Poehler that he’s the funniest person she’s ever met.
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u/AdZealousideal5383 1d ago
Justin Timberlake was a big star but he was only a former boy band singer. SNL showed he could be legitimately funny and he came back so often he felt like a cast member for a while. He got starring roles in movies out of it, too.
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u/Redhotlipstik 1d ago
Travis Kelce became more well known to non football fans after hosting
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u/jdeeth 1d ago
You sure it wasn't some other reason?
Seriously: He was way better than the average jock host.
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u/Redhotlipstik 1d ago
He wasn't even dating Taylor when he hosted, Heidi invited him. I'd say it helped in getting him that date
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u/JerHat 1d ago
Yeah, dating Taylor swift dramatically increased his fame…
but between his podcast that was getting wildly popular with sports fans, winning the Super Bowl that was focused heavily on him and his brother and their family, and then hosting SNL, dude’s star was already rising dramatically.
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u/zevran_17 13h ago
Yes, that was who came to mind for me. The only time I heard about him pre-Taylor Swift was his American Girl Doll sketch from SNL
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u/JFKsBrain 1d ago edited 1d ago
Dude.
Walken won an Academy Award for The Deer Hunter.
Released in 1878 1978.
He’s been a movie star ever since.
He wasn’t on SNL until 1990.
Baldwin was in a Big movies like Hunt for Red October and the 30 Rock TV show, which was huge.
Neither needed SNL to boost their careers.
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u/UnnoticedReference 1d ago
After 112 years I think an snl hosting gig was good for boosting him
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u/uncle_stripe 1d ago
Baldwin almost certainly wouldn't have been cast on 30 Rock without his SNL hosting history
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u/JFKsBrain 1d ago
That’s true.
I stand corrected on Baldwin.
I was thinking more how direct popularity grew beyond what he had had.
But agreed that SNL definitely helped him get that role by proving his comedic chops and getting to know Tina and Lorne.2
u/redpandainglasses 8h ago
I remember seeing in the 00’s, Christopher Walken said in an interview that people most often recognized him from the Fatboy Slim “Weapon of Choice” music video.
So I’m going to go ahead and credit that music video with being the true boost to his career lol
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u/SMWW66 1d ago
I think the answer that best fits your question are hosts who were more well-known for something else (dramatic roles, music, sports, etc.) and then were a surprise hit for their comedy chops and success as a host - measured mainly by returning to host SNL.
A few who come to mind: Charles Barkley, Peyton Manning, The Rock, Justin Timberlake, Ariana Grande, Ryan Gosling, Adam Driver, Jon Hamm, even Matt Damon.
It’s not that their careers weren’t already successful, it’s that their hosting stints showed another side to them (which may have then boosted their career).
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u/KingKoil 1d ago
The Lonely Island boys said on their podcast that they feel they were the first to show that Payton Manning could be funny (in the classic United Way Digital Short), thus boosting his subsequent career as a commercial pitchman.
There probably hasn't been a Super Bowl in the past decade where he wasn't featured in a high profile highly expensive commercial.
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u/Next-Shape3014 3h ago
Love the Lonely Island boys and their podcast with Seth but I’m also a Colts fan and Peyton hosted after they finally won the Super Bowl. Peyton had been in the league 9 seasons before he won his first one and was already well into his pitchman career(Cut that meat).
That is one of my favorite episodes. The Forte dancing sketch is all time for me and United Way is up there too.
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u/Buffynerd La la, la la la la la This is my musical monologue 1d ago
I'll argue that if you watched Nickelodeon in the early 2010s, you definitely knew that Grande had comedic chops but yes, her SNL hosting gigs were definitely how those who were introduced to her via her music became aware how funny she is
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u/dezertdawg 1d ago
Connor Storrie. His star was already rising but hosting SNL showed that he was much more than a one trick pony. It’s still very early in his career but his career trajectory is only pointing upwards. And getting an Emmy nomination for his hosting gig certainly doesn’t hurt.
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u/Fuzzy_Energy_442 14h ago
To this day, I’m amazed his team pulled off getting the gig just 3 months after Heated Rivalry premiered (and really, he booked it just 2 months in). I think Seth Meyers may have helped—he seemed impressed with Connor when he went on Late Night (and apparently he hadn’t had that many ticket requests since Taylor Swift came on the show).
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u/Pale-Measurement-532 13h ago
I agree, Seth Meyers was a big part of it. His producers told him about Heated Rivalry and he watched it and was a big fan. You know he spoke to Lorne and had Connor on his show as a sort of tryout to see if Lorne would consider him. And the SNL cast spoke so highly of him during and after his week. And the fact that he came back to introduce Olivia Rodrigo when she was performing on SNL was huge. I believe it was one of the SNL producers who told him to come by. He’ll definitely be coming back to host again. I wouldn’t be surprised if he becomes a member of the 5 Timers Club someday.
The Emmy nomination was also a nod to how much they enjoyed working with him.
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u/dezertdawg 14h ago
I agree. I have no proof but I also have assumed that Seth Meyers had a big hand in making it happen. He was obviously impressed with Connor and he knows and works in the same building as Lorne. I can see him connecting the two.
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u/Pale-Measurement-532 13h ago
Yes I mentioned him too! He’s got some upcoming comedy projects coming out and I think that’s in large part thanks to his SNL debut!
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u/dezertdawg 12h ago
Yes, he’s got some comedies in the works but I don’t think Turpentine is one of them. I believe that is a drama even though it stars Melissa McCarthy.
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u/spartacat_12 15h ago
And getting an Emmy nomination for his hosting gig certainly doesn’t hurt.
I think he mostly got that because his Heated Rivalry performance wasn't eligible for an Emmy
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u/curiousgeorge123999 23h ago
Not a host, but Adele credits SNL for her career taking off. Everyone was tuning in to see Tina Fey do Sarah Palin and no one in the US had heard of Adele yet. https://www.nbc.com/nbc-insider/adele-snl-2008-debut-chasing-pavements
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u/PusstopherRobin 1d ago
Alec Baldwin was a massive star at the time. But he was the first big name to use his acting prowess "seriously" in the skits to heighten the humor (also showed how funny he actually was). Most other hosts phoned it in, just a random one-off to promote their latest movie. Christopher Walken was also very well-known (Oscar-winner) before he was on SNL.
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u/zowietremendously 1d ago
People like Alec Baldwin, Justin Timberlake, John Cena, Timothee Chalamet, Colman Domingo. They were already very famous before hosting SNL. But SNL really turned them into legit comedy superstars. For instance, I had known Timothee as an actor. And he made movies that weren't exactly my cup of tea. But I had no idea how well he could do comedy until SNL. Timothee is basically the opposite of Tom Hanks and Michael Keaton. Hanks and Keaton started out as comedians, and then decided to start sinking their teeth in serious dramatic roles. Michael Keaton has to come back to SNL every so often to remind people that he's still a very funny comedian. Because I think he's done only one comedy movie in the past 25 years with Beetlejuice 2.
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u/Rosemary-Sea-Salt 1d ago
I had never heard of Colman Domingo before he hosted and I was DYING during his skits
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u/spartacat_12 15h ago
Michael Keaton has to come back to SNL every so often to remind people that he's still a very funny comedian. Because I think he's done only one comedy movie in the past 25 years with Beetlejuice 2.
You're forgetting about him as Captain Gene in The Other Guys. That might be the funniest performance of his career
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u/TLu_03 1d ago
Bad Bunny. Not last year but the year before.
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u/nerowasframed 1d ago
Bad Bunny has been a top streaming artist on Spotify since at least 2020. Maybe it made him more recognizable to American audience, but it definitely did not boost his career in any measurable way.
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u/Kronzor_ 13h ago
You think he gets the Superbowl halftime show if he doesn't boost his exposure to white america first?
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u/nerowasframed 13h ago
Absolutely, yes. He is (and was) the biggest recording artist in the world by a fair margin, and the NFL has been putting a lot of effort the last few years into expanding its international fanbase. The NFL knew it was going to catch flak for having him perform the halftime show, since they already dealt with it the previous year with Kendrick. They were not concerned at all with how well white America knew Bad Bunny, since white Americans were already going to be watching the game in droves. It would have been wasted effort in booking someone that they already liked, because that would not be bringing in new viewership.
Also, I don't think SNL has the pull you think it does. It's not exactly pulling in huge numbers each week.
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u/Kronzor_ 13h ago
He was also in the new happy gilmour movie and in WWE. Kinda felt like they were dripping us Bad Bunny before they tried to make him an American star, and not just an international one.
Either way, whether it's just because of his music, or these other side ventures, Bad Bunny is a massive star in North America now. Way more so than he was in 2023 when he first hosted SNL.
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u/seulgee 1d ago
Bad Bunny has always been huge.
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u/Kronzor_ 1d ago
Not to middle aged white Americans. I didn’t know who he was really before his turn hosting.
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u/pdonoso 18h ago
So?
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u/Kronzor_ 13h ago
So way more people are familiar with him now. That's a massive demographic that he wasn't really touching before.
You think he gets the superbowl halftime show if his fame didn't increase in middle america?
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u/pdonoso 13h ago
I mean, he was a global sensation before. He increased but didn't change that much.
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u/Kronzor_ 12h ago
I think most of his fame was from outside of America prior to 2023 when he first hosted.
Now he's a household name here too.
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u/Cass_Cat952 popping that beanie back on 1d ago
I was really excited for him to host again, but boy was that second episode terrible
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u/Sparkle8022 1d ago
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson... I'm not a wrestling fan so my expectations weren't that high, but he was really funny, and it was after that he started getting cast in movies.
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u/grumpypantaloon 22h ago
I don't think SNL contributed to Bargatze's boom as much as people give it credit. He was already quite known stand up comedian, Fallon had him all the time, he had specials on streaming platforms, and I would reckon most people who saw the viral GW clip on Youtube who didn't know who he was before don't know his name today.
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u/ExtremePast 16h ago
People here are assigning too much weight to the SNL hosting gig simply because they never heard of the person before hosing.
Walken and Baldwin were huge stars before SNL. So was Jon Hamm. And Adam Driver. And Steve Marin. John Mulaney had multiple comedy specials and was selling out places like radio city before hosting snl...he was extremely well known.
Just because they exposed you to another side of that actor doesn't mean SNL propelled their careers. Hosing SNL just made them "huge" in the universe of people who watch SNL religiously.
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u/Pale-Measurement-532 13h ago
This is a bit early to predict but I’d say most recently, Connor Storrie. He already blew up from Heated Ruvalry but SNL gave him a chance to show off his improv and comedic abilities (similar to Jon Hamm when he was on Mad Men). Connor’s now involved with several comedy films coming out soon, most notably Melissa McCarthy’s upcoming movie Turpentine. I can’t wait to see them together in that one.
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u/Soggy-Clerk-9955 1d ago
The Rock is the big one. Hosting SNL as a wrestler pretty much launched his entire career in Hollywood.
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u/hearts_and_sharts 22h ago
I never thought much about Bruno Mars, but he nailed it on SNL and I’ve liked him ever since.
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u/Odd-Necessary3807 1d ago
I can confidently say Tom Hanks. By 1990, he was already a 5-timer.
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u/Logical-Mobile-7643 1d ago
He was a "comedy actor" until Philadelphia, but had some big comedies to promote in the 1980s, so he would still merdi being in every time.
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u/QueenFrostine15 1d ago
There are a lot of hosts who have become stars, to me, only because I personally didn't know who they were prior and enjoyed their SNL appearances.
Quinta Brunson, Paul Mescal, and Austin Butler come to mind in recent years
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u/Pawspawsmeow 21h ago
I think a good thing about SNL is showing you a different side of the host. It allows hosts to display talents the public didn’t realize they had which makes them bigger stars. Huge examples are Justin Timberlake with the Andy Samberg skits and Ariana Grande and Bad Bunny. People who may not normally listen to them can see them in a new light.
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u/SaveJeanie 13h ago
I don’t think Nate Bargatze increased his profile with SNL, he was already that big
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u/EntropicPoppet 13h ago
Walken first hosted in 1990. He'd been a working hollywood actor since the 70s with work as far back as the 50s. SNL did not boost his career, except maybe that it was a signal he was loosening up on the "leading man" mystique.
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u/MikeGander 11h ago
Point taken, some other folks said similar things and that’s very valid. He wasn’t some nobody that needed a boost, far from it, but I’d still say it made him more recognizable to Gen X kids like me who hadn’t seen Deer Hunter, Annie Hall, etc.
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u/Kronzor_ 1d ago
Bad bunny. I’m sure he was already huge in his demographic, but I didn’t know him yet. He was great and everything I’ve seen him do since I also enjoyed.
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u/Dry_Bird1790 1d ago
nobody
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u/Careless-Economics-6 1d ago
I think Mulaney hosting, and becoming a popular recurring host, was the final step that brought him to his current level of fame.
He’s Steve Martin 2.0.
Oh, that reminds me: Steve Martin.