Jennifer Aniston Unveils Her Surprising Decision to Decline an SNL Offer, Reflecting on Her Perception of Self-Worth
Need to Know:
- Jennifer Aniston reveals her rationale for saying no to Saturday Night Live prior to her rise to fame with Friends.
- "I can't quite explain why I held such a self-important belief about how women were treated on this show," she shared.
- The actress has since hosted the iconic NBC comedy series twice.
Jennifer Aniston is reminiscing about a pivotal moment in her early career when she had the chance to join the cast of the legendary sketch comedy show, Saturday Night Live.
In a recent episode of Dax Shepard's podcast, Armchair Expert, aired on October 13, Aniston, now 56, candidly discussed her decision to turn down an opportunity that many aspiring comedians and actors would jump at. She admitted, "I always thought I was such hot s---. It's all very perplexing to me now."
During her explanation, Aniston recalled a specific meeting with Lorne Michaels, the visionary creator of SNL. She mentioned that her encounter occurred in New York City, where she met up with both Adam Sandler and David Spade outside of Michaels’ office. This meeting was particularly significant since she had known Sandler, her co-star in films like Just Go with It and the Murder Mystery series, for a long time.
When Dax probed about how her long-standing friendship with Sandler predated her big break with Friends, Aniston quipped, "Absolutely! He was close friends with Charlie Schlatter, the actor who portrayed Ferris Bueller in the short-lived TV adaptation of Ferris Bueller's Day Off. I actually played Ferris' sister in that series!" Her lighthearted joke about meeting Sandler back in the days added a charming touch to her story.
Aniston further explained her reluctance regarding SNL, stating, "I can't pinpoint why I adopted such a self-righteous stance thinking, 'I don’t think women are accorded the respect they deserve on this show.' It felt deeply patriarchal, and I'd be much more interested if it had the spirit of Gilda Radner’s era."
“Honestly, I can’t recall all the details from that time,” Aniston added with a chuckle. "I think Friends became a reality shortly after that moment."
In a previous 2021 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Aniston provided insight into her bold conversation with Lorne Michaels, revealing, "I was quite young and perhaps naive. I walked into his office and expressed my concern about how women were treated on the show. I think I may have mentioned something about wanting it to embody the spirit of Gilda Radner and Jane Curtin's days."
Reflecting on her youthful audacity, she admitted, "It was indeed a boys' club at that time; I can’t believe I had the audacity to say that to Lorne Michaels! But yes, that did happen, and I’m grateful that I had the chance to host Saturday Night Live on two occasions. I truly cherish those experiences!"
During a segment on The Howard Stern Show in 2019, she recounted how she confronted Michaels about the noticeable lack of representation for women on the program, saying, "I genuinely believe that women deserve better treatment here. It was overwhelmingly male-dominated back then." She acknowledged her youthful ignorance, recalling, "In your twenties, you don't quite grasp the complexity of such matters. I wasn't lecturing; I was just expressing what I hoped the future would hold if I were to participate. Honestly, I was just a naive young person back then."
Aniston has hosted Saturday Night Live two times: first in 1999 and again in 2004.
To mark the 50th anniversary of this iconic show, former SNL cast member Molly Shannon recently shared her memories of Aniston while hosting. "I vividly remember thinking, 'Wow, that’s Jennifer Aniston!' She wore a stunning wedding ring and maintained such a relaxed, professional demeanor, clearly having been in the television industry for many years," Shannon recalled with admiration.
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Saturday Night Live can be enjoyed every Saturday at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC, while The Morning Show is available for streaming on Apple TV+.
