The hosting stint of Steven Seagal on ‘Saturday Night Live’ turned out to be a complete catastrophe, with legendary showrunner Lorne Michaels labeling him as the worst host in the history of the popular television series.
Ever since its debut back in 1975, Saturday Night Live has seen a multitude of famous hosts gracing its stage.
However, Steven Seagal’s appearance still stands out as one of the most disastrous.
Let’s delve into the reasons behind why Lorne Michaels decided to permanently ban the actor from ever hosting SNL again.
Back in 1991, Steven Seagal was at the peak of his popularity.
Having commenced his acting career in 1987 with the film ‘Above the Law,’ he achieved further success with movies like ‘Hard to Kill,’ ‘Marked for Death,’ ‘Out for Justice,’ and ‘Under Siege.’
During April 1991, Seagal was extended an invitation to host Saturday Night Live, alongside musical guest Michael Bolton.
Throughout the night, he participated in various sketches, such as “Pumping Up with Hans and Franz” and “The Dark Side with Nat X.”
Despite being surrounded by the talented SNL cast, which included notable names like Dana Carvey, Chris Farley, and Mike Myers, Seagal’s performances fell flat.
His delivery lacked comedic timing and the right tone, leading to awkward pauses and only sporadic laughter from the audience.
The mastermind behind Saturday Night Live, Lorne Michaels, has been instrumental in shaping the show since its inception.
Over the past 48 seasons, he has welcomed numerous celebrities from diverse fields to host the show.
However, for Michaels, Seagal’s hosting gig marked a low point, prompting him to blacklist the actor from future appearances.
Michaels didn’t hold back in expressing his views when Nicolas Cage took the hosting reins in 1992.
During Cage’s monologue, where he humorously questioned if he was the show’s biggest jerk, Michaels quickly retorted, declaring that title belonged to Steven Seagal.
While Michaels did not elaborate on the specifics, SNL star David Spade shed light on the prevailing sentiment among the crew.
According to Spade, Seagal was notoriously challenging to collaborate with, refused to engage with the cast, and insisted on scripting his own sketches.
A notable incident involved a recurring sketch featuring Dana Carvey and Kevin Nealon as Austrian bodybuilders in ‘Pumping Up with Hans and Franz.’
Upon suggesting that Hans and Franz would overpower Seagal in the skit, the actor vehemently opposed the idea.
This led to a situation where Seagal reportedly locked himself in his dressing room due to dissatisfaction with the proposed sketch.
Reflecting on Seagal’s tumultuous SNL appearance, cast member Julia Sweeney described it as a spectacle of immense chaos and unrelenting awfulness that left an indelible mark on everyone present during that ill-fated night.
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