Since it first premiered on October 11, 1975, on NBC, Saturday Night Live (SNL) has featured celebrities on individual episodes of the show as hosts. Has leading actor, Brad Pitt, ever been a host on the show?
Yes. Brad Pitt has been a host of the 71 times Emmy Award-winning show; SNL. Brad Pitt was the uncredited host of the 17th episode of the show’s 45th season. Keep reading to find out what led to Brad hosting the episode, what he did as host, and possible cameos he has made on the show.
What Led To Brad Pitt Hosting SNL
As at the time of writing this article, the world is battling the outbreak and spread of the COVID-19 virus. On the American scene, one of the persons at the forefront of the nation’s response to the virus is Dr. Anthony Stephen Fauci, who is a member of the Trump Administration’s White House Coronavirus Taskforce as well as the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. In an interview with CNN’s New Day, Fauci was asked who he would like to play him on SNL, and his response was Brad Pitt. Check out the video in the tweet below to hear him say so.
If provided with the same opportunity, we are sure you would not hesitate to mention your favorite celebrity. Brad was chosen to host SNL as Dr. Fauci.
Hosting SNL As Dr. Fauci
In a special Saturday Night Live at Home episode, which aired on April 25, 2020, Dr. Fauci’s wish becomes a reality. Acting as the respected physician and immunologist, Brad Pitt delivers the cold opening for the episode.
Brad Pitt, as Fauci started by saying, “First, I’d like to thank all the older women in America who have sent me supportive, inspiring and sometimes graphic emails…” He subsequently proceeded to address a number of “liberties” made by President Donald Trump concerning the Coronavirus while urging viewers to keep an “open mind.”
One such “liberty” addressed by Brad as Fauci is President Trump’s statement that the country would have a vaccine for the virus in a time frame that is “reasonably soon.” Brad’s Fauci responded by saying, “Relatively soon is an interesting phrase. Relative to the entire history of earth? Sure, the vaccine is going to come real fast…but if you were going to tell a friend, ‘I’ll be over relatively soon’ and then showed up a year and a half later, well, your friend may be relatively pissed off.”
After responding to a number of other “liberties,” Brad broke character and took off his wig and glasses and extended his appreciation to some special people. Brad stated, “And to the real Dr. Fauci, thank you for your calm and your clarity in this unnerving time, and thank you to the medical workers, first responders and their families for being on the front line.” You can watch Brad’s performance in the video below.
Dr. Fauci’s Response to Brad Pitt’s SNL Hosting
Dr. Fauci, in response to Brad Pitt’s acting as him, stated, “He did great…I’m a great fan of Brad Pitt, and that’s the reason why when people ask me who I would like to play me, I mention Brad Pitt. He’s one of my favorite actors.” He also added, “Everything he said on SNL is what’s going on. He did a pretty good job of putting everything together.”
We can only imagine what it feels like to have your favorite actor act as you. Dr. Fauci is one of the few lucky ones that know that feeling.
Apart from the special hosted by Brad described above, he had also made a cameo appearance on another of the show’s sketches sometime in 1998. The cameo was also on a cold opening and featured Brad acting as a therapist to David Spade. It can be seen in the video below.