This season of Saturday Night Live is coming to a close, with Louis C.K. hosting the season finale this week. It's time to start looking towards the future. Who should host Saturday Night Live in Season 41? I don't exactly have a crystal ball, but I can make some educated guesses (and wishes) about who NBC should start courting. The 40th anniversary season saw some good hosts, including Chris Pratt, Dakota Johnson and Taraji P. Henson. As someone who champions diversity in comedy, the stars who host Saturday Night Live are very important to me. I love Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin as much as anybody else. Justin Timberlake had a great run. However, the host sets the tone for the show and limits the sketch material.
I'm sure we'll see at least one veteran comedian next year, and possibly a former cast member like Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, or Tina Fey. There's sure to be at least one athlete and one musician as well. However, since neither of those are my forte, I'm going to focus on the business aspect of Saturday Night Live — promoting films. Here are 13 suggestions and predictions for the upcoming season based on what movies are coming out and what television shows are hot.
Oscar Isaac
When Star Wars Episode VII — The Force Awakens comes to theaters this December, you can guarantee that SNL is going to snag one of its stars. Newcomer Daisy Ridley or London actor John Boyega might be more youthful choices, however I suggest Oscar Isaac take the helm. His star has been rising for years, and Saturday Night Live loves to take a stoic, leading man type and make him do silly things for a night.
Britney Spears
I'm not one to argue a Brittany comeback, and you can't deny that this girl is hilarious. Don't believe me? Watch her guest appearance on How I Met Your Mother, or her old SNL hosting gigs from the 2000s.
Gina Rodriguez
The Jane the Virgin star became hot stuff in the past year, and Saturday Night Live would be silly not to try and catch some of that.
Rashida Jones
I've wanted her to host for a while, to be honest. Rashida Jones is such an underrated comedienne and close to so many recent SNL greats that it baffles me that she's never hosted. Hopefully, her new series Angie Tribeca will be a hit, and we can make this happen!
Chris Evans
He's one of the only Avengers who hasn't hosted yet. Chris Evans is also hilarious and pretty much down for anything. He might be known today for playing the dry Steve Rogers, but Evans started out in comedies. With Captain America: Civil War premiering next May, this could be Chris Evans' time to shine.
Natalie Dormer
Most of the cast of The Hunger Games has hosted or appeared on SNL multiple times in the last couple of years. Why not call upon Dormer, who is also a huge star thanks to Game of Thrones, to represent the film?
Lupita Nyong'o
The Academy Award winning actress has two major motion pictures coming out in the next two years — The Force Awakens and The Jungle Book. It's time she stretched her comedy chops.
Ellie Kemper
The star of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and The Office is known for playing a certain kind of character. SNL would be a good chance for her to break out and do something different!
Jon Hamm
Mad Men may be over soon, but NBC loves them some John Hamm. He's hosted the show before and appeared on both live episodes of 30 Rock. I wouldn't be surprised if they called him in to host the Christmas episode or the season finale.
Uzo Aduba
This is more of a suggestion than a prediction, but of all the amazingly talented cast members on Orange Is The New Black, Uzo Aduba is without a doubt the most versatile. She has stage experience, no fear, and an amazing singing voice.
Steven Yeun
Any Walking Dead fan knows that Steven Yeun's days may be drawing to a close. Wouldn't hosting SNL help soften that blow?
Aziz Ansari
Aziz Ansari has never hosted Saturday Night Live. Can you believe that? He's got a Netflix series coming out this year, and he is way past due for a visit to Studio 8H.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Finally, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a good repeat host and the Snowden movie is sure to be big this winter. Let's get him back!
Images: Dana Edelson/NBC; Giphy (13)
