What Did Jesse Eisenberg Say About His SNL Hosting Mishap? ( Photo Credit – YouTube )
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Jesse Eisenberg’s Saturday Night Live hosting gig should have been a career highlight, but instead, it became a cringe-worthy memory he can’t shake. The Social Network star looked back at his 2011 episode and admitted he walked into the experience with one major misconception—he thought he could write his own sketches.
Jesse Eisenberg On The Rookie Mistake That Spoiled His SNL Memory
During an appearance on Today with Jenna & Friends, Jesse Eisenberg said, “I think they said it was the best episode they ever did. I only have bad memories because I did such a dumb thing. My dream when I was 17 was to write for SNL. I made a packet and everything and I got an agent.”
He continued, “And then, when I got asked to host, which was 10 years later, I assumed I could write all the sketches. I didn’t know how it works. It turns out, they have writers.” What followed was a week of unintentional chaos. Fueled by excitement, he spent his time sneaking scripts to cast members, convinced he was helping shape the episode. What he didn’t realize? That’s not how things work at SNL.
‘“I didn’t realize — I’m an idiot — and I was also just wanting to write. I’ve wanted to write my whole life. So I spent the week slipping scripts to different actors. I didn’t realize that was not the way you do that,” the actor added. By the time the episode aired, not a single one of his sketches had made the cut, and he was left to reflect on what he now calls an “unbelievably inappropriate” misstep.
Was Jesse Eisenberg Sabotaged?
During the interview, Eisenberg shared the story with Jenna Bush Hager and her guest host, SNL alum Amy Poehler. The latter, knowing firsthand how the show works, reassured him that at least he erred on the side of effort, telling him that working too hard was better than doing too little. Eisenberg, however, quipped that SNL’s writing team probably didn’t see it that way.
To make matters worse, Eisenberg later claimed that someone, whom he jokingly called an “enemy”, encouraged him to submit his own sketches, making him believe it was completely acceptable. Looking back, he now suspects he was set up for failure, laughing that he was “sabotaged” into making a rookie mistake.
A Silver Lining: Nicki Minaj
However, despite all the bad experiences, Eisenberg had at least one silver lining, working with musical guest Nicki Minaj. He revealed they’ve kept in touch over the years, and in a funny twist, she occasionally asks him to introduce her at concerts as if he’s still her SNL host.
While his SNL writing dreams didn’t pan out, he’s not ruling out a future collaboration—maybe this time, he’ll write a role for Minaj in one of his films.
