February 12, 2025: Actor Jesse Eisenberg recently reflected on his time hosting Saturday Night Live (SNL) in 2011, revealing that while it was one of his greatest achievements, he made a mistake that has stuck with him ever since. Eisenberg appeared on Today with Jenna & Friends on Monday, where he shared his memories of the iconic comedy show and discussed the error he made during his hosting gig.
Eisenberg recalled his excitement when he was asked to host SNL, saying that as a teenager, he had dreamed of writing for the show. He had even prepared a packet and worked with an agent in hopes of one day being part of the SNL writing team. However, when he was invited to host the show, he mistakenly assumed that he would be able to write all of the sketches. “I didn’t know how it works,” he admitted. “It turns out, they have writers.”
The actor went on to explain that his eagerness to contribute led him to sneak scripts to various actors during the week of rehearsals. “I was just wanting to write. I’ve wanted to write my whole life,” he said. “I spent the week slipping scripts to different actors. I didn’t realize that was not the way you do that.” When asked if any of his sketches made it onto the show, Eisenberg humorously responded, “It was so unbelievably inappropriate and offensive of me that, no.”
Amy Poehler, who was a cast member on SNL at the time, also chimed in, saying, “You kind of worked too hard. Which is not, you know, if you’re going to go one way, it’s better to go that way than the other way.” Eisenberg jokingly responded, “Not according to the people who wrote the show! They wished I went the other way.”
Despite the mishap, Eisenberg has fond memories of his time hosting SNL, particularly his collaboration with musical guest Nicki Minaj. The two have since kept in touch, with Eisenberg even introducing Minaj at Madison Square Garden on occasion. “We text,” he shared, adding, “She sometimes asks me to introduce her, as you’re supposed to as a host.” He joked about pitching a collaboration with Minaj, to which Bush Hager replied, “As you get back to the writer’s desk and you’re writing your next film, let’s write a part for her.” Eisenberg agreed, saying, “That would be great. Yeah, sure.”
The lighthearted conversation highlighted Eisenberg’s genuine enthusiasm for both acting and writing, as well as his humorous self-awareness about the challenges of hosting such a major show.