Nancy Pelosi says she 'regrets' she'll never host “Saturday Night Live”: 'I'm really funny'
The former speaker of the House told Julia Louis-Dreyfus that while she once dreamed of Studio 8H stardom, she "wouldn't even think of it" now.
Studio 8H is calling.
In a recent interview with Julia Louis-Dreyfus for her Wiser Than Me podcast, former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi revealed that "one of my regrets is I will never host at Saturday Night Live. I'm really funny," she added.
Dreyfus, who was a repertory player for three seasons on the sketch comedy program, immediately took Pelosi's "never" as a challenge, saying, "Well, Nancy, let's go." Though Pelosi insisted that "it's over, it's too late," and that she "wouldn't even think of it" now, Dreyfus doubled down: "I'm gonna convince you, you would be fantastic."
Dreyfus and Pelosi's conversation was wide-ranging, careening from talk of the DNC mainstay's origins in San Francisco Democratic party politics to her love of the Grateful Dead. During a discussion about George McGovern, the former Democratic senator from South Dakota who ran against Richard Nixon in the 1972 Presidential election, Dreyfus remembered that "back in the '80s, I was on Saturday Night Live for a couple of years, and he hosted when I was there."
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SNL is famous for its political impressions, from Dana Carvey's George H. W. Bush to Maya Rudolph's Kamala Harris. But politicians themselves have been hosting and making appearances on the program for as long as its been on air.
Many of Pelosi's colleagues have appeared on SNL, including Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Elizabeth Warren. Her great opponents too, most notably Donald Trump, who has hosted twice, including a controversial 2015 episode of the series that some former cast members have since denounced. It's not just former presidents and presidential nominees who have hit the stage in Studio 8H either — Gerald Ford's press secretary Ron Nessen guest hosted the 17th-ever episode of the series in 1976.
Dreyfus vowed to work on Pelosi's audition with her, but Pelosi laughed the offer off, saying, "No, I have crossed the bridge." But Dreyfus held firm, assuring Pelosi that she has "not crossed the bridge. I'm gonna help you with this."
Related: Saturday Night Live recap: Charli XCX hosts and serves as musical guest
The current season of Saturday Night Live is one of its most political yet. Season 50 opened with Rudolph, Carvey, Jim Gaffigan, and Andy Samberg playing Vice President Harris, Joe Biden, Harris' former running mate Tim Walz, and her husband Doug Emhoff.
SNL will continue to celebrate its 50th season through spring 2025. Fans can look forward to a new episode on Dec. 21 before the cast breaks for the holidays, a Christmas special featuring a montage of past holiday-themed sketches to air Dec. 18, and a 50th-anniversary special coming on Feb. 16.
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