SNL's Most Hated Host: Actor Who Made Writers Miserable
One Saturday Night Live host became legendary for all the wrong reasons, treating cast and crew so poorly that decades later, they still remember him as their absolute worst experience.
Booking a first-time Saturday Night Live host is like rolling dice in Vegas – you never know if you'll strike gold with someone like John Goodman or crash and burn with a Steven Seagal. The cast and writers don't discover which way things will go until rehearsals start, and by then, contracts are signed and sketches are already written. There's no turning back once the process begins.
While unexpected hosts sometimes deliver amazing performances, the opposite happens just as often. Fortunately, when SNL clearly messes up by bringing in someone who can't handle the job, that person simply never gets asked back. Getting into the exclusive Five-Timers Club isn't easy, even though nearly 30 people have made it. The potential reward of finding the next Tom Hanks or Steve Martin usually makes the risk worth taking, even if it means occasionally dealing with disasters like Adrien Brody or Lance Armstrong.
A Doomed Episode from the Start
Robert Blake's November 13, 1982 episode was destined for failure before it even aired live. Looking back now, he's become one of SNL's most notorious hosts – not just for his terrible behavior, but also because he was later arrested for murdering his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley, in 2002. Though acquitted three years later, he was still found liable for her wrongful death in civil court.
Blake wasn't even particularly famous when he hosted. His most memorable film role was playing Perry Edward Smith in the 1967 adaptation of Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood," and his biggest TV success, the crime show "Baretta," had ended four years earlier in 1978.
The Dickhead Test
Writer and cast member Tim Kazurinsky had developed an unusual method for gauging potential hosts. He created a sketch called "The William Holden Drinking Helmet," named after the legendary actor who died from a head injury after falling while intoxicated. "If they laughed at that at least, I knew it would be a good week," Kazurinsky explained. "That was my little running gag to see if they had a sense of humor. Or if they were going to be a dickhead like Robert Blake."
Kazurinsky wasn't alone in his assessment. Fellow writer David Sheffield was equally blunt about Blake's performance: "My vote for the worst host is Robert Blake."
Cruelty Behind the Scenes
The most shocking example of Blake's behavior involved writer and performer Gary Kroeger, who handed the actor a sketch to review. Blake's response was both cruel and humiliating. According to Sheffield's account, "Blake sat there and read that, with his glasses down his nose, then wadded it up, turned to Kroeger, and said, 'I hope you got a tough asshole, pal, because you're going to have to wipe your ass with that one.' And he threw it, and bounced it off Gary's face."
Thankfully, musical guest Kenny Loggins proved much more professional and cooperative during that same episode. As expected, Blake never received another invitation to host SNL, earning himself a permanent spot on the show's unofficial blacklist.