The Wealthiest Saturday Night Live Hosts, Ranked

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Saturday Night Live made headlines for their decision to ask Tesla CEO Elon Musk to host – but he is not the first businessman or even the first billionaire to come to 30 Rock. Over the years, many successful celebrities, from comedians and actors to pro athletes and presidential candidates have hosted, with varying degrees of success.

Steve Forbes

In 1996, Steve Forbes hosted an episode fought with backstage drama – alongside musical guest Rage Against the Machine. The iconic band is infamously anti-Wall Street, so they weren't thrilled to be sharing the stage with a tycoon like Forbes.

The band members draped the US flag upside down over their amps. Stagehands pulled the flags out of the shot before the broadcast began, and producers asked the band to leave the building. Tim Commerford, the Rage Against the Machine's bassist, crashed Forbes's dressing room, throwing pieces of the torn up flag.

While Rage Against the Machine were banned from ever returning, guitarist Tom Morello stated that many at SNL "expressed solidarity with our actions, and a sense of shame that their show had censored the performance."

As for Forbes, he offered this advice to Elon Musk: "Don't be bashful about some sketches about some sketches that may poke a little fun at you...Keep your day job, as I did, because it does not lead to big contracts or movie producers banging at your door."

George Clooney

George Clooney hosted SNL in 1995 for his role as Dr. Doug Ross on NBC's show ER. Riffing off this, during Clooney's monologue, Clooney pretended to perform an impromptu liver transplant on the stage.

Madonna

In 1985, Madonna hosted the 11th season premiere. While she has never returned as a host, she was the musical guest in a 1993 episode, and has made cameo appearances since. More often, she is portrayed by cast members, including Pamela Stephenson, Ana Gasteyer, Amy Poehler, and Kristen Wig.

George Steinbrenner

in 1990, New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner was the first businessman to host SNL, and he knew it. In his monologue he joked that they, "traditionally has two kinds of hosts, entertainers such as comedians and actors, and beloved figures from other walks of life. By no definition of the word can I call myself an entertainer. So I must fall into the other category.”

The episode is generally considered a weak one, and according to then-writer Conan O'Brien, it was due to Steinbrenner refusing many of their ideas for sketches.

Michael Jordan

In 1991, Michael Jordan hosted an episode jam-packed with cameos, including Reverend Jesse Jackson and Spike Lee (and Public Enemy as the musical guests.)

According to David Spade, he was such a massive star it actually slowed down the shoot: "He was such a superstar, he was signing so many autographs that there was a line out of his dressing room slowing down rehearsal, with basketballs The show had to stop it. It was the first time they had to do that."

Luckily, it seems like Jordan was also easy to work with: "He was the type of host, which was cool, who said, 'Just tell me what to do, show me what to do, I'll do my best.’"

Donald Trump

Donald Trump appeared twice on SNL, once in 2004 for his show The Apprentice, and again in 2015, when he was almost certainly the most controversial SNL host of all time. While this appearance drew the highest ratings for the show in four years, the episode itself is considered one of the weakest in the show's history, there were protestors outside 30 Rock, and many, including members of the SNL cast, continue to question the choice of host.

"It was not enjoyable at the time and something that only grows more embarrassing and shameful as time goes on," Taran Killam told NPR.

Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey has been impersonated by many of the SNL cast members over the years, but back in 1986 the media giant hosted her own episode. Parts of the episode are now difficult to find, as select sketches have been removed by NBC, but the monologue about Oprah's experiences at the Academy Awards is still available.

Elon Musk

Elon Musk is certainly the richest person to ever host Saturday Night Live. In 2021, Forbes placed him second on their 35th Annual World's Billionaires List, coming in after Jeff Bezos. His appearance on SNL was controversial, but the morning after the majority of the headlines weren't about the choice to have him host or his actual performance – they were about the Tesla CEO's monologue, in which he publicly stated for the first time that he has Asperger's.

Musk used the monologue as an opportunity to poke fun at his controversial image, saying, "To anyone I've offended, I just want to say — I reinvented electric cars and I'm sending people to Mars on a rocket ship. Did you think I was also gonna be a chill, normal dude?"

Sources: Forbes, NPR, Cinema Blend, Fortune, Rolling Stone, Far Out Magazine