While watching the January Jones hosted episode, this sort of got me thinking. Of course, we know about the best/most popular hosts ever SNL: Steve Martin, Alec Baldwin, Buck Henry, John Goodman, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken, etc. But how about the all time worst? To me, what makes a bad SNL host is somebody who either displays limited personality or charisma (or proceeds to botch their lines again and again) or was such a toxic influence, that they managed to get themselves banned (a la Martin Lawrence, Steven Segal, Robert Blake or Frank Zappa for instance).

robert deniro was pretty awful and i agree about january jones the sketches tonight were ok but she was awful another bad host was mary stuart masterson i love her movie work but she was almost as bad as january jones

sports stars are usually not funny

One of the worst SNL hosts was Louise Lasser of "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. I remember seeing that episode when she was crying and went to her dressing room during her monologue. Her performance was rather stiff.

sports stars are usually not funny

I agree. Michael Phelps, Jeff Gordon, Shaq, Lance Armstrong, George Foreman, Fran Tarkenton, Michael Jordan. Yikes.

Louise Lasser was not good, Steven Segal was awful. There are many more that were just forgettable.

Payton Manning

sports stars are usually not funny

Peyton Manning is probably a rare exception.

One of the worst SNL hosts was Louise Lasser of "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. I remember seeing that episode when she was crying and went to her dressing room during her monologue. Her performance was rather stiff.

Louise Lasser is as legend has it, the first SNL host/musical guest to get banned. One person that I completely forgot is Milton Bearle, who was supposedly incredibly difficult to work with. Milton's monologue went so long, that as the story goes, Bill Murray purposely dropped a wrench in order to give the director the cue to go to a commerical. The episode was so notorious due to the backstage issues, that Lorne Michaels insisted that it would never be shown again on NBC or in syndication.

Louise Lasser is as legend has it, the first SNL host/musical guest to get banned. One person that I completely forgot is Milton Bearle, who was supposedly incredibly difficult to work with. Milton's monologue went so long, that as the story goes, Bill Murray purposely dropped a wrench in order to give the director the cue to go to a commerical. The episode was so notorious due to the backstage issues, that Lorne Michaels insisted that it would never be shown again on NBC or in syndication.he was hard to deal with but the show itself was not nearly as bad as snl legend has it

http://www.avclub.com/articles/january-jonesblack-eyed-peas,35384/

The "Mad Men" star teamed with "SNL" writers to turn in one of the worst episodes in a while. "You could tell from the very first moments she lurched onstage wearing a forced smile and a deer-in-headlights look of mortification that never left and proceeded to make sweet love to the cue cards," says Nathan Rabin. "Everyone on SNL reads cue cards but Jones was especially egregious. She stared at those cue cards so intensely I’m surprised she didn’t burn a hole right through them. Though she excelled in a clever if fairly obvious taped faux-education film about how to throw the perfect incredibly repressed early-sixties Mad Men-style dinner party, Jones pretty much had two modes: stone-faced or giggly."

i agree about the sports stars - those have been definitely some of the worst with very few exceptions

other than that (in my opinion): Paris Hilton, Jon Bon Jovi, Milton Berle, Martin Lawrence, Steven Seagal, M.C. Hammer, Lebron James, Jennifer Aniston, Colin Farrell, Michael Phelps, Robert Culp, Wayne Gretzky

I agree that Phelps and DeNiro were memorably awful.

DeNiro was bad but the eps were hilarious. The naughty terrorist names lOL

What happened with Louise Lasser? I want to check that out.

What happened with Louise Lasser? I want to check that out.
Me, too. You've piqued my curiousity!

What happened with Louise Lasser? I want to check that out.

Me, too. You've piqued my curiousity!
Have no fear,human SNL encyclopedia here


Bascially what happened was, she was really hard to deal with, locked herself in her dressing room during the monologue ( I have the first season DVD so Ive seen this episode, the fact that this is my fav part of the monologue should tell you something),it took Landshark to get her out, only wanted to do skits she was invloved with, and only with Chevy Chase, but during rehearsals she refused to do skits with the cast, and there's part where she has this thing thats like years long, and , this is from IMDB
Although it was joked about in the monologue sketch, Lasser really did lock herself in her dressing room before airtime refusing to do the show. She was convinced to come out just before airtime. If Lasser had not come out, Michaels planned to have Chevy Chase take Lasser's place wearing a wig and future cast member Bill Murray taking Chase's place in sketches.


Lorne Michaels refused to put it in syndication though it has been. I dont call her Louise Lackluster now for nothing LOL Its the only one that if I was re-watching that first season I would skip,and ive never skipped any part of a DVD

Here's that thing
http://snltranscripts.jt.org/75/75wmary.phtml


If ya watch it the audience is even silent, its like watching and reading ,paint dry

LOL. Thanks! I felt bad for her but at the same time, Marc Sotkin a producer who visited the "It's A Living" Board did say she was a pain to work with. It seemed like she was making stuff more difficult than it had to be.

Here's that thing
http://snltranscripts.jt.org/75/75wmary.phtml


If ya watch it the audience is even silent, its like watching and reading ,paint dry
Thanks, Jack...yikes. :eek:

Have no fear,human SNL encyclopedia here


Bascially what happened was, she was really hard to deal with, locked herself in her dressing room during the monologue ( I have the first season DVD so Ive seen this episode, the fact that this is my fav part of the monologue should tell you something),it took Landshark to get her out, only wanted to do skits she was invloved with, and only with Chevy Chase, but during rehearsals she refused to do skits with the cast, and there's part where she has this thing thats like years long, and , this is from IMDB
Although it was joked about in the monologue sketch, Lasser really did lock herself in her dressing room before airtime refusing to do the show. She was convinced to come out just before airtime. If Lasser had not come out, Michaels planned to have Chevy Chase take Lasser's place wearing a wig and future cast member Bill Murray taking Chase's place in sketches.


Lorne Michaels refused to put it in syndication though it has been. I dont call her Louise Lackluster now for nothing LOL Its the only one that if I was re-watching that first season I would skip,and ive never skipped any part of a DVDthe whole ep just has a weird vibe to it and the sketch where she talked to the dog for 6 minutes makes me want to barf

It makes you wonder if Louise Lasser really is Mary Hartman. When she was on It's A Living, she was so much like Mary Hartman with a touch more happiness.

It makes you wonder if Louise Lasser really is Mary Hartman. When she was on It's A Living, she was so much like Mary Hartman with a touch more happiness.
She did a few Taxi episodes as Judd Hirsch's ex-wife, who was pretty down to earth. So, who knows?

Ever seen this movie? It's one of my favorite made for TV movies, and indicative of the high quality those flicks had back in the day.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070229/

Sorry; I know this is a bit off-topic for the thread, but the Louise Lasser discussion made me think of this. :)

the whole ep just has a weird vibe to it and the sketch where she talked to the dog for 6 minutes makes me want to barf
lOL yes that one too, that whole episode made me want to have explosive diarrhea

LOL. Thanks! I felt bad for her but at the same time, Marc Sotkin a producer who visited the "It's A Living" Board did say she was a pain to work with. It seemed like she was making stuff more difficult than it had to be.
Yeah I know, and she was wearing what looked like her pajamas in the ep too, my god!

Ever seen this movie? It's one of my favorite made for TV movies, and indicative of the high quality those flicks had back in the day.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070229/

Sorry; I know this is a bit off-topic for the thread, but the Louise Lasser discussion made me think of this. :)
I thought it was interesting, and funny when I read she was in a movie with Charles Grodin,who is also banned from SNL, for acting drunk, but Ive seen the ep, and it was planned but people still complained, that ep is HILARIOUS though I was like HE'S BANNED FOR THIS?!?!!?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072562/trivia

The shows that were hosted by Louise Lasser and Milton Berle have never been seen in reruns since their original air date, at Lorne Michaels' insistence. Lasser refused to do all skits, and locked herself in her dressing room just before airtime, coming out just in time to do the opening monologue. Berle called everyone "Booby" and impressed no one but John Belushi with his mugging, racist jokes, and egomania.