Some of our favorite SNL hosts are not actors, but nailed it anyway. People who play sports for a living are certainly no exception. See for yourself by sifting through this collection of great Saturday Night Live sketches starring professional athletes, either as themselves or showing some unexpected comedic talent by disappearing into their roles.
Yankee Wives (Derek Jeter)
There are actually many great highlights from when Derek Jeter hosted in Season 27, such as his debate with Red Sox fan Seth Meyers over whether or not he “sucks” on Weekend Update. However, when the former New York Yankees shortstop dressed in drag to roast himself as one of the team’s gossiping wives, it became an instant SNL classic.
Anal Retentive Fishing (Wayne Gretzky)
Legendary hockey player Wayne Gretzky proved to be a great scene partner opposite the legendary Phil Hartman as his recurring character, Gene. Gretzky is far too patient with Gene as his “anal retentive” antics begin to cause issues with their fishing trip, especially when he does nothing to prevent a sea monster from puling the athlete into the water.
The NBA On TNT (Charles Barkley)
Former basketball player Charles Barkley is one of the few pro athletes to host multiple times because, quite frankly, he is just that good at it. Take, for example, the NBC sketch from his third SNL gig in which the Inside the NBA analyst is portrayed by Kenan Thompson while Barkley himself impersonates a sleepy Shaquille O’Neal.
Bill Swerski's Super Fans (Michael Jordan)
Before leading the Space Jam cast, former Chicago Bulls shooting guard Michael Jordan first tried comedy when he hosted SNL, in which he poked fun at his seemingly endless brand deals in the monologue. The night’s best moment, however, sees “da Air Man” don a hula skirt for a ritualistic dance with Chicago sports nuts played by Cheers cast member George Wendt, the late Chris Farley, and others.
SNL Digital Short: United Way (Peyton Manning)
An SNL Digital Short that does not star any Lonely Island members, but is regarded as one of the best, features Peyton Manning in a performance that proves he could have been a good cast member. The former Denver Broncos quarterback shows incredible commitment playing a downright terrible role model for children in a fake United Way ad.
Aquarium Repairmen (Jeff Gordon)
NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon plays a man who hires two repairmen (played by Jimmy Fallon and Horatio Sanz), who address him as “a regular Jacques Cousteau over here” when he correctly names the breed of fish in his own tank. This turns out to be the first of many similar wisecracks in which they compare everything the dinner party guest say and do to a certain pop culture figure. It gets so out of hand, the goldfish don’t survive.
Read To Achieve (LeBron James)
Before LeBron James impressed audiences playing himself in Trainwreck, he shared the screen with Bill Hader in a sketch framed as a behind-the-scenes look at a PSA. The scene-stealer here, though, is Jason Sudeikis as a snarky PA who can’t seem to pass the current Lakers player a basketball the way he is asked to.
Touchdown At The Carnival (Tom Brady)
It’s nice to see an athlete with a storied track record like Tom Brady demonstrate that he has a good sense of humor about himself, just like he does in a sketch from when he hosted SNL in Season 30. The then-New England Patriots quarterback plays a carnival-goer who can’t throw a football inside a hole in the wall no matter how many times he tries.
New Disney Movie (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson)
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson headlined many classic sketches on his path to joining SNL’s Five-Timer’s Club such as this pre-taped bit poking fun at Disney’s live-action remake trend and his role in the Fast and Furious movies. The wrestler-turned-actor plays a bulky Bambi who starts a war against the local hunting community in one of the most popular SNL sketches on YouTube.
Sincere Guy Stu (Joe Montana)
The "Sincere Guy Stu" sketch subverts the age-old trope of revealing what characters are really thinking in overhead narration. Unlike Jan Hooks and Phil Hartman’s blossoming couple, the sincere comments voiced by former San Francisco 49ers Joe Montana’s character, Stu, are actually an honest reflection of his true thoughts.
Embarrassing Text Message Evidence Proves A Man's Innocence (Eli Manning)
Former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning stars in a courtroom sketch as a murder suspect whose lawyer (played by Jason Sudeikis) presents a series of text messages the client sent on the night of crime as evidence. However, the obviously innocent defendant eventually chooses to confess just to put an end to what becomes an increasingly cruel roast of his desperate attempts at talking to women.
Fernando's Hideaway (Mr. T And Hulk Hogan)
Wrestlemania stars Mr. T and Hulk Hogan (who also appeared in Rocky III together) co-hosted an SNL Season 10 episode in which they predominantly play themselves, like this in edition of a recurring talk show sketch starring Billy Crystal as Fernando Lamas. What makes this particular bit a classic is when Crystal ad-libs a hilarious comment about how the Hulkster’s “little things” bounce when he laughs.
Football Liar (Walter Payton)
Jon Lovitz reprises his pathologically dishonest SNL character, Tommy Flanagan, who meets host Walter Payton playing himself at a bar. He spends the whole sketch trying to impress the former Chicago Bears running back with increasingly elaborate lies until the end when Payton starts to return the favor and even drops Flanagan’s iconic catchphrase, “That’s the ticket.”
Democratic Debate '88 (Carl Weathers)
While better known today as an actor from the Rocky movies or The Mandalorian, Carl Weathers once played professional football as a free agent in the early 1970s, according to The Washington Post. When Weathers hosted SNL in Season 13, he gave a killer impression of Rev. Jesse Jackson debating with other democratic presidential hopefuls like Dennis Miller as Gary Hart, who was portrayed by Hugh Jackman in The Front Runner.
Tour De Force (Chris Evert)
Chris Evert’s Season 15 episode got a bit meta with a segment that, through backstage cutaways, shows cast members accusing showrunner Lorne Michaels of shamelessly exploiting the tennis champion’s limited range as a performer. However, I actually think she handled the sketch-within-a-sketch — framed as some coming-of-age musical drama — pretty well. I’m actually surprised she did not take up acting more regularly after this.
Sports Beat (Nancy Kerrigan)
Just a couple months after the attack against Nancy Kerrigan — which was later dramatized in 2017’s I Tonya — the figure skater hosted an SNL Season 19 episode that took multiple chances to address the incident. For instance, in one sketch, she appears on a sports-minded talk show with other Olympic medalists who also suffered horrific injuries, but — unlike Kerrigan — would only be met with more misfortune down the line.
Chris' Bedtime Story (George Foreman)
A Season 20 sketch sees Chris Elliott inviting himself into host George Foreman’s dressing room and asking him to read Goodnight Moon as a bedtime story. I must say, it takes a lot of guts for someone to present such a ridiculous request to a two-time heavyweight boxing champion.
Boston Teens: Ski Lift (Jonny Moseley)
This edition of the recurring “Boston Teens” sketch starring skiing champion, Jonny Moseley, appropriately takes place on a ski lift. The Olympic Gold Medal winner — who went on to host TV series like MTV’s The Challenge — plays a teen who gets caught in an argument between Pat Sullivan (Jimmy Fallon) and Denise McKenna (Rachel Dratch).
Teacher Trial (Ronda Rousey)
In this sketch, MMA fighter Ronda Rousey stars alongside Cecily Strong as high school teachers in court for their inappropriate relationship with a student (played by Pete Davidson). However, while on the stand, the student treats the questioning as more of a pat on the back as Kenan Thompson’s judge seems impressed and the mom (played by Kate McKinnon), understandably, watches in horror.
Science Presentation (John Cena)
In a sketch from Peacemaker cast member John Cena’s Season 42 episode, he actually stars as an athlete, but of a different sport than what he is known for. The former WWE star plays a college football player whose value to the team convinces the science department to assign him a presentation topic they know he can pass: bananas.
Michael Phelps Diet (Michael Phelps)
A faux ad promotes a diet similar to that of Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, who typically eats about 12,000 calories per day. However, it scrapes past an important detail regarding the amount of laps in the pool that the Gold Medalist completes for practice before hinting at the dire consequences from skipping that step.
Tennis Player Adoption (Andy Roddick)
The Oscar-winning 2021 biopic, King Richard, dramatizes Richard Williams’ pursuit to turn his daughters, Venus and Serena, into tennis champions — a story SNL poked fun at when Andy Roddick hosted. This sketch stars Kenan Thompson as Williams, who approaches the 2003 U.S. Open winner at Studio 8H with a request to become his adoptive father.
Men’s Product (J.J. Watt)
Football players are known for wearing grease paint under their eyes to prevent glare during a game, but what if it doubled as a rejuvenating skin product? That is the conceit of a faux ad for Olay Eye Black, endorsed by then Houston Texans defensive lineman, J.J. Watt.
American Girl Cafe (Travis Kelce)
After winning the 2023 Super Bowl, Travis Kelce proved to have winning comedic skills when he hosted SNL. Arguably, his night’s funniest highlight is a sketch starring the Kansas City Chiefs tight end as a creepy middle-aged male dining at the American Girl Cafe with no one but his own dolls, Claire and Isabelle.
Investigation Discovery Presents: White People Problems (Charles Barkley)
Charles Barkley stars in an SNL sketch as himself hosting a true crime docuseries, but not one that focuses on murder, kidnapping, or anything of that nature. The show, White People Problems, discusses topics that may seem like an issue to Barkley’s caucasian guests, but are seen as dramatically blown out of proportion to the Black people who were involved.
Hawaiian Hotel (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson)
A sketch pairs Dwayne Johnson with Fred Armisen as Hawaiian natives who make a living playing music for guests of a hotel restaurant. However, they spend most of their shift talking down to the tourists and taunting them with their personal grievances.
Sugar-Frosted Anabolic Steroids (Fran Tarkenton)
John Belushi once poked fun at star athlete endorsements with a faux ad for a breakfast cereal that was, literally, little chocolate donuts floating in milk. But when then Minnesota Vikings quarterback Fran Tarkenton tackled the subject on SNL, he went the extra mile with a faux ad for a breakfast cereal that was, literally, anabolic steroids floating in milk.
Kelly Cola (Alex Karras)
Before he became known for movies like the hilarious Western parody, Blazing Saddles, and the sitcom, Webster, Alex Karras’ claim to fame was playing for Detroit Lions as a Defensive Tackle. In one of the best sketches from his Season 10 SNL episode, he plays a soda company CEO so intimidating he causes Billy Crystal’s character sweat profusely.
Simple Rappers (Deion Sanders)
A year after NFL star Deion Sanders released his hip-hop album, Prime Time, he starred in an SNL sketch alongside Tim Meadows and Adam Sandler as a rap trio, but didn’t do much rapping. All the group seems to do is shout out common hype phrases to an otherwise catchy beat before cutting themselves off with “Peace, we outta here!” after mere seconds.
Marvin PSA/Knockouts (Marvin Hagler)
The late Marvelous Marvin Hagler was famous for delivering quite a few knockouts in his day — a specialty he cleverly addressed when he hosted SNL. In a faux PSA, the boxing legend graciously explains how to handle a KO, courtesy of himself, in the event that you might become his opponent.
Little League Trade (Bob Uecker)
After legendary catcher Bob Uecker retired from professional baseball, he took up a successful career as sports broadcaster and actor on Mr. Belvedere and the Major League cast, to name a few. Thus, he was an absolute natural in a sketch from his SNL episode as a little league coach who treats his own son (played by Billy Crystal) the way he might a pro.
The Black Shadow (Bill Russell)
Former Boston Celtics center Bill Russell — who passed away in 2022 — stars in a parody of the coming-of-age TV sports drama, The White Shadow, that flips the script in a ridiculous, yet poignant, way. In this case, it is the predominantly white high school basketball team that must come to the aid of their Black, middle-aged coach (played by Russell) when he get himself into trouble.
Many pro athletes have surprised the world by showing they have a knack for performing and a great sense of humor. In the case of the all-stars above, most of them got that chance by hosting Saturday Night Live.
