PHOTOS11 Celebrities Who Turned Down Hosting 'Saturday Night Live': Jennifer Aniston, Orlando Bloom and More
Amy Sedaris
Amy Sedaris, a staple in the comedy scene, chose her dream instead of becoming part of Saturday Night Live.
Per Broadway World, SNL chief producer Lorne Michaels started his search to replace Janeane Garofalo after she left in 1995. Sedaris revealed she met Michaels but had to reject the offer because of her then-ongoing play One Woman Show, which was reportedly everything she ever wanted.
"Maybe even three years earlier it would have been great, but at that point it was like, 'Oh, it's too late,'" she continued.
Andy Dick
Andy Dick received the chance to work on SNL after the end of The Ben Stiller Show without doing an audition. However, he had to turn it down because he had just come off his other show.
"I didn't have the confidence that I do now," he told LaughSpin. "For The Ben Stiller Show we shot every single scene like a short film. So if I felt we needed to, we can just start again. You can't do that on Saturday Night Live."
Bonnie Hunt
Being one of the most sought-after comedians in the industry, Bonnie Hunt did not accept a gig on SNL because she wanted to maintain her improvisational comedy style. She also called out the gender disparity in the show during her interview with The Los Angeles Times.
Catherine O'Hara
Catherine O'Hara initially accepted a role on SNL, but she quit long before she made an official appearance.
"Maybe two," she told the Toronto Star. "Before the season started. They were just getting rolling. I hung out with some nice people, tried to come up with some ideas, but I never really felt involved."
O'Hara then received an update from Second City Television regarding the production and returned to the series instead.
Charlie Barnett
While Charlie Barnett auditioned for SNL in 1980, he decided not to attend his follow-up read-through due to his weak reading ability. Instead, Eddie Murphy won the slot.
Jennifer Aniston
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Jennifer Aniston had some discussions with Michaels for a gig on the show. According to Adam Sandler, he saw her visiting the SNL offices and thought he would be working with her.
However, Aniston later clarified on The Howard Stern Show that her visits were just for the meetings and not auditions.
"I didn't think I would like that environment," she said, adding that she also told Michaels how women should be treated better on the show. "It was such a boys' club [and] I was such a young twit ... You're just not the brightest when you're in your early 20s. I didn't lecture him, I was just saying ... if I was to do this, what I would hope it to be."
Donald Glover
Donald Glover wanted to host SNL and play Barack Obama on the show. Unfortunately, he lost the chance, and Fred Armisen took the role instead.
Johnny Knoxville
Because of his stunts on his MTV series Jackass, Johnny Knoxville won over SNL creators. So much so, they wanted him to be in the cast, but he ended up not accepting the offer because of one shocking reason.
"It was at the point where I either say yes to my friends, where we had all the control, or yes to Saturday Night Live, where none of my friends were really going to be there and I had no control," Knoxville told The Washington Times.
Julia Roberts
Pretty Woman actress Julia Roberts almost got into SNL, but she told EW Radio she was too scared to do the live show.
"I mean, I would do it with Alec [Baldwin]," she said. "Wouldn't that be fun?"
Mindy Kaling
SNL almost had Mindy Kaling, but the show only offered her a gig after she began her stint on The Office. While it was her dream to be on the show, she chose to give up SNL's offer.
Orlando Bloom
Orlando Bloom's insecurity stopped him from starting a career on SNL. The Pirates of the Caribbean star also told Howard Stern that his dyslexia played a huge role in his decision not to appear on the show.
