The 10 Richest SNL Hosts of All-Time
Saturday Night Live (SNL) is an American late-night television sketch comedy that has been airing since 1975. The show parodies American culture, politics, and current events. In each episode, there is a host who is usually a starring celebrity guest. The host delivers the opening monologue, performs in sketches with the cast, and then introduces featured performances by musical guests. Hosting SNL is a job, so they get paid, although the pay varies. According to Lyrics Story, the pay depends on how long they spent in the series. A host can make anywhere from $25,000 per episode to $525,000 per year. However, the point of this article is to mention rich personalities who were asked to be SNL hosts. So, without further ado, here are the top 10 richest SNL hosts of all time.
10. Amy Poehler ($25 million)
Amy rose to fame when she appeared on SNL from 2001 to 2008. In 2001, she was co-hosting with Tina Fey. According to Entertainment Weekly, the two hosts were the first and only all-female duo in the show’s history. They would then host “Weekend Update,” which was still part of SNL. Although Weekend Update lasted for two seasons, their episodes still get referenced decades later.
9. Jimmy Fallon ($35 million)
Jimmy hosted SNL from 1998 to 2004 and hosted “Weekend Update” with Tina Fey. He is better known as the man who bursts into laughter in his sketches. As an SNL host, he would get many movie offers. He was reluctant to leave because he felt he was successful because of the show. Ultimately, he left the show to focus on starring in movies.
8. Dolly Parton ($650 million)
In 1989, the country singer appeared as a host and a musical guest on SNL. Besides hosting, she appeared in numerous sketches. Since her appearance on SNL, she has continued to be a musical guest to this day. For instance, she has worked with Taylor Swift, Blake Shelton, and Johnny Cash. 1989 was also a great year for the star since she starred in the feature film Steel Magnolias alongside Julia Roberts and Sally Field.
7. Dwayne Johnson ($800 million)
By the time he began hosting the show in 2000, he was at the height of his professional wrestling career. Wrestling fans have generally revered him for his skills in cutting promos. It is likely the reason he was considered for the host position. Initially, most of the people who cameoed in his show were wrestlers like Triple H and Vince McMahon. As a result, movie producers felt he could act outside of the wrestling world. It explains why he has appeared in many films.
6. Madonna ($850 million)
She hosted the 11th premiere of the show in 1985; however, this episode would mark her first and last appearance in the show. In the episode, she starred with major stars like Joan Cusack, Robert Downey Jr, and Randy Quaid. Despite working with huge stars, many people agreed that she should have stuck with singing. However, she did not stop acting since she later appeared in several films.
5. Jerry Seinfeld ($950 million)
Jerry is considered one of the most skilled standup comedians of all time, so it is only natural that he would be considered for the host position for SNL. He became a host when SNL was celebrating 40 years of being on air. Instead of delivering zingers as most hosts do, he also had a Q&A session with the audience. For instance, Dakota Fanning, star of 50 Shades of Grey, asked about hosting tips.
4. Kim Kardashian ($1.4 billion)
When Kim was picked to be a host in 2021, there was a lot of skepticism. When you think of a comedian or an actress, her name is the last person you would think of. However, she was able to exceed people’s expectations. For instance, she was able to poke fun at her family and herself by talking about her infamous sex tape. She also proved that she could act by appearing in some sketches. The sketch that comes to mind is where the late musician Prince kicks her off the stage when she is too nervous about dancing in a club.
3. Donald Trump ($2 billion)
He first hosted SNL in 2004 during the first season of his hit reality show, “The Apprentice.” Later in 2015, he was asked to host the show in 2015. Critics considered his 2015 stint embarrassing. According to Vanity Fair, some people felt his opening dialogue was narcissistic. Others thought he failed to notice that the jokes were at his expense. Be that as it may, his SNL appearance inspired Alec Baldwin to impersonate Trump and even got awards for it.
2. Oprah Winfrey ($3.5 billion)
Oprah became an SNL host in 1986, around the same time she debuted her famous show, “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” In the sketch, she is asked by a producer to wear her Aunt Jemima costume. The producer then suggests other costumes, and she rejects them because she deems them stereotypical. Though others felt the sketch was racist, some felt it was poking fun at racism.
1. Elon Musk ($219 billion)
He is known to most people as the majority shareholder of Twitter, but he is also an investor, film producer, rocket scientist, and entrepreneur. When he hosted in 2021, he revealed that he was the first host with Asperger syndrome. Although his revelation was moving, there was already a host with Asperger syndrome in 2003, Dan Aykroyd. Despite not being known as a comedian, he managed to make people laugh when he claimed he would ship people to Mars to those he may have offended.
