Let the report present that I feel it’s wild that Jack Black hadn’t hosted Saturday Evening Stay in 20 years earlier than taking the stage final week to host an episode of Season 50. Nevertheless, there’s one other wild truth concerning the final episode of the sketch comedy sequence to air on the 2025 TV schedule that we additionally want to debate as nicely. And that’s the proven fact that Jack Black truly hosted the primary episode of SNL that Kenan Thompson was ever in.
So, there are ranges to this proven fact that make it fairly mind-blowing to me. The primary is solely that Jack Black hosted the very first episode of Saturday Evening Stay that Kenan Thompson was ever in. Whereas talking with EW concerning the host, the SNL mainstay opened up about this, and he spoke about how excited he was for the actor’s return to Studio 8H, saying:
He was my first host. I am a ginormous fan of his. I am simply enthusiastic about this week.
On October 4, 2003, Jack Black hosted Saturday Evening Stay for a second time, and John Mayer was the musical visitor. They kicked off Season 29, and that episode additionally served as Kenan Thompson’s debut on the present. Alongside him, Fred Armisen was additionally a featured participant, they usually have been a part of an all-star line-up that included Jimmy Fallon, Tina Fey, Will Forte, Maya Rudolph, Seth Meyers and plenty of, many extra. Discuss a nice SNL forged!
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After that, the A Minecraft Film star returned to host on December 17, 2005. Nevertheless, he didn’t come again to helm the present for a fourth time till 20 years later.
In that point, Kenan Thompson has change into the longest-running Saturday Evening Stay forged member. He turned this report holder again in 2022 throughout Season 47 when he hit 20 seasons on the present. Now, three years later, he’s at 23 seasons and 439 episodes (as of Jack Black’s 2025 episode).
Arguably, this makes the truth that the actor hosted the comic’s first episode even wilder for 2 causes. One is I really like that Black was there for the star’s very first episode and will come again and host throughout such a historic season the place Thompson is essentially the most seasoned forged member on the present.
The opposite is that I can’t imagine it took SNL this lengthy to convey the College of Rock actor again. Kenan Thompson thought that too, as he mentioned:
It is a very long time and it is robust as a result of he is considered one of our favorites for certain.
Hopefully, it doesn’t take SNL twenty years to convey Jack Black again. Nevertheless, if that’s the case, Kenan Thompson has mentioned the subsequent milestone he might hit is “the eternally forged member,” so regardless of how lengthy it takes to convey the host again, this comic may nonetheless be there.
Jokes apart, it feels like Saturday Evening Stay’s iconic forged member was thrilled to have the Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle star on the present. Based mostly on the next remark, it looks like he’d like to have him again, too, as he mentioned:
Nearly a maniac for comedy. He simply has Farley vitality, regarding the physicality, but in addition being actually good along with his method to comedy and joke telling. So yeah, man, I am excited.
Now, Jack Black has hosted SNL 4 instances – in 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2025.
With that in thoughts, and contemplating how beloved he’s, it’d be foolish to not convey him again and induct him into the 5 Timers Membership. If that occurs, I hope Kenan Thompson will get to be there, contemplating the lengthy and storied historical past these two have.