The Best SNL Hosts/ Guests

On its 44th season, Saturday Night Live has seen its fair share of highs and lows. From 1975 to 2018 a lot has changed throughout society, and SNL has reflected on the hilarity of current events even at the world’s weakest moments.

In light of Kanye West’s recent political outburst in the final few seconds of airing the season 44 premiere, politics,as always, played a main role in the satire of SNL. Election years often bring attention to the show and as a result, controversy over whether politics has a proper place in  comedy. However, SNL’s intentions involving politics on the show is to display how ridiculous and funny society can be. In the past, politicians such as former President Barack Obama, current President Donald Trump, and Hillary Clinton stop by on a Saturday night to poke fun at themselves in addition to their fellow politicians and peers.

In 1975, SNL was created as a one time comedy special to fill an open slot on the air. Fast forward 44 years and the former NBC Saturday Night has become the longest aired series that still tops the charts and has everyone waiting to hear the iconic phrase “Live from New York it’s Saturday night!”

Aside from the show’s air time and decades of infamous satire, what really makes the show are the hosts, guests, and cast members. Popular celebrities are chosen to host based on their level of popularity at the moment. Over the years, hosting SNL has become one of the greatest privileges that symbolises the successes someone has made in the entertainment business.

SNL has become an icon in television history, creating an audience as young as middle school all the way to the baby boomer generation. With such a wide age range, finding a host that is both recognizable and appreciated by all ages is not an easy task. According to Rotten Tomatoes, some of the highest ratings SNL received comes from an iconic host that everyone knows, no matter their age,like episodes featuring Tom Hanks, Steve Martin, and Justin Timberlake.

Aside from hosting the show 15 times, Steve Martin has written and starred in many iconic and recurring sketches such as “King Tut,” a classic and surefire way to connect with a broad audience . The only other person who hosts nearly as much as Steve Martin, reigning in at 9 times is Tom Hanks. Over the years he has made frequent guest appearances on SNL stunning the audience with his presence alone.

While hosting is an enormous privilege and honor, it also comes with pressure. Not only is the host expected to fit right in with the style of the show, but also please the audience and achieve the infamous SNL humor.

Besides hosting the show numerous times and making frequent surprise appearances, the ability to have the entire nation laughing, despite differences in age, beliefs or opinions is what makes an SNL host great.