SNL cast member Cecily Strong and Donald Trump
This Saturday, Donald Trump will host the iconic comedy show Saturday Night Live. Trump, who is running to be the Republican nominee for president, is looking to boost his visibility and popularity. But history shows that hosts do not have the last laugh.
Six other presidential candidates have hosted on Saturday Night Live (SNL) before their respective elections, yet none have gone on to win the White House.
As host, Trump will perform in a majority of the skits and give an opening monologue. This is different from a guest spot like those done by Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton, who appeared for just one segment. Back in 2007, Obama played himself in a Clinton Halloween party skit while Hillary, in a recent show, played a bartender, Val.
As Trump prepares to host and perform this weekend, should he be fearful of the "SNL curse" that befell these candidates?
Reverend Al Sharpton - hosted in 2003
Sharpton ran for the 2004 Democratic nomination, and his appearance on the show caused concern over federal election regulations. NBC affiliate stations were worried that because Sharpton was already on the ballot in some states, they would have to create equal air time for other candidates.
A rival, Joe Lieberman, requested equal time and NBC agreed to air reruns of a Lieberman town hall appearance in specific markets. Sharpton opened the show by bursting into a rendition of James Brown's "I Feel Good". He ultimately lost the primary to John Kerry in March 2004.
John McCain - hosted in 2002
McCain launched two presidential campaigns, losing the Republican nomination in 2000 to George W. Bush, and then losing the general election to Obama in 2008. In between he became the first sitting US Senator to host SNL.
In the opening monologue, he joked that Bush - the 43rd president by that point - was first asked to host the show, but that he didn't like to work weekends. He appeared on the show again in 2008 only three days before the election, performing alongside Tina Fey who played his running mate, Sarah Palin.
Rudy Giuliani - hosted in 1997
Giuliani appeared on SNL while serving as mayor of New York City, agreeing to host even before the mayoral election, regardless of whether he won or lost.
During his appearance he launched a joke campaign encouraging New Yorkers to hitchhike and performed a skit in drag. He eventually ran for the Republican nomination in 2008, but dropped out after a poor performance during the Florida primary where he came third.
Steve Forbes - hosted in 1996
Publisher Steve Forbes ran for the Republican nomination in both 1996 and 2000. The wealthy host made fun of his ability to relate to the people, saying "I'm human just like you. I may have run for president… but just like every average Joe out there, I get frustrated when I lock my cars inside my helicopter."
He failed to garner significant support in either election, dropping out early in the 2000 primary season.
Jesse Jackson - hosted in 1984
Jackson's appearance on SNL was poorly received by many critics. The New York Times wrote that "he said what he wanted to say, only he wasn't particularly funny when he said it."
He had been praised for his energy during the Democratic National Convention, and critics felt this was lacking in his sketches. Although he gained 18% of the vote in the primaries, he came third behind Gary Hart and Walter Mondale. Jackson would run again in 1988, losing out to Michael Dukakis for the Democratic nomination.
Ralph Nader - hosted in 1977
Nader was nominated for president four times, running for the Green party in 1996 and 2000, and as an independent in 2004 and 2008. He was known for writing "Unsafe at Any Speed," a book about auto safety, and the SNL cast made sure to reference his dedication to the cause. In one notable sketch, Nader played a man stress testing inflatable sex dolls as a reference to his investigations into airbag safety.
In each election, Nader failed to make a significant impact, with the highest percentage of votes attained reaching 2.74% in the 2000 election. The lowest was 0.38% in the 2004.
