Over the years,Ā Saturday Night LiveĀ has featured some A-list hosts. While there is a long list ofĀ surprising celebrities who have never hostedĀ SNL, the list of those who have is even longer, making the sketch series as memorable as ever throughout its almost 50-season run. Among those who hosted back in the early days include a youngĀ Jodie Foster, who is now spilling the tea about what happened behind the scenes.
At the time that Foster hosted, she was the youngest host at just 14 years old in 1976. She already had quite an impressive filmography with several film and TV roles under her belt asĀ a major child actor, includingĀ Freaky FridayĀ andĀ Paper Moon. Despite having done so much already, she was still nervous to hostĀ SNL, which isnāt so surprising. Foster, now 61, opened up toĀ Interview MagazineĀ about that time, and how she had an Orange Julius drink spill all over her just before going live:
SNL was what was happening then. It was Dan Aykroyd, Gilda Radner, Bill Murray, Chevy Chase, and every single person that youāve ever heard of that was on SNL in those days, because it was a transition between the two groups. So it was an extraordinary show, but I was really nervous. Iād never done live anything. About 10 minutes before I went on, I was drinking an Orange Julius, and the whole thing fell all over my shirt. I didnāt have time to change my clothes, and I was all sticky and broke out in hives because it didnāt go perfectly. So yeah, it wasnāt this wonderful experience for me. It was more like, āOh wow, this is why I donāt like live theater.ā
The fact that Jodie Foster was already nervous because she was not only just 14 years old, but it was also all live. Throw in a getting a drink spilled on her, it would just add on to the nerves. Not to mention that she was at an age where things were already getting awkward, and she was growing up in the limelight. Thatās the one thing about live television. You never know what could happen. While Foster didnāt particularly like hostingĀ Saturday Night LiveĀ for a number of reasons, at least she managed to get through it.
1976 was the only time Foster hostedĀ SNL. Itās unknown why it is the only time she hosted, but considering she didnāt have the greatest experience when she was 14, itās likely that played a factor. She also mentioned that since she was just a kid, the writers didnāt know what to do with her and made her do some weird stuff. Despite the series being loved by many, there are definitely some questionable sketches and others that can be either a hit or a miss.
Having that experience at such a young age can be hard, and while Foster acknowledged that being onĀ Saturday Night LiveĀ was such a huge deal, getting an Orange Julius spilled on her was only just the beginning. Whether or not Foster would hostĀ SNLĀ now is unknown, but she is a pretty busy actress. Either because of her schedule or because she doesnāt want a repeat after all these years, fans shouldnāt expect her to return to Studio 8H.
Meanwhile, there are plenty ofĀ hosts and musical guests for Season 49Ā to look forward to. The series is currently on hiatus for the holidays but will be back in the new year with much more. Jodie Foster, on the other hand, will be kicking off 2024 with theĀ fourth season ofĀ True Detective, premiering on January 14 with aĀ Max subscription.