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A-Lister Reveals Surprising Reason for Turning Down ‘SNL’

The blockbuster actor said he’s rejected hosting “a few times” because of it.

Spider-Man star Tom Holland has rejected every opportunity to host Saturday Night Live despite the iconic show’s repeated requests, citing one recurring issue.

Holland, 30, who has starred in projects ranging from multimillion-dollar blockbusters to West End theater productions, revealed in a conversation with SNL alum Amy Poehler on Tuesday that his severe dyslexia has kept him from hosting the legendary sketch comedy show.

“I’m heavily dyslexic, which is one of the reasons why—and I’d love to talk to you today about it, actually—I’ve never done SNL," Holland told Poehler, 54, on Good Hang.

“Because of the cue cards!” Poehler exclaimed.

“I’m just so petrified at the concept of trying to read something, and they change,” the Marvel star added.

Because SNL is written completely from scratch each week, with writers making changes to sketches sometimes even after the live show has already begun, hosts and cast members read their lines directly from handwritten cue cards.

For an actor like Holland, who was diagnosed with dyslexia at seven years old, reading the frequently changing cue cards during the live broadcast is more nerve-wracking than the acting itself.

“Well, I’m sure they have had many dyslexic hosts,” Poehler stated.

“Totally. It’s just that, for me, I can read fine,” Holland replied, adding, “but when I have to read out loud, it just becomes like a–it’s like a mental block, and I can freeze."

“So for me, my worst day at work is the read-through,” he continued. “At the read-through, I will try to highlight everything and learn my lines ahead of time, so that I’m more kind of skimming it than I am reading.”

In the conversation, Holland revealed that SNL has reached out to him to host “a few times,” all of which he’s respectfully turned down.

“And the truth is that I’m actually just really scared at the prospect of—I love the show and I love the idea of having fun and making a fool of yourself in such a fun creative way—it’s just that thing of the cue cards," he said.

“You have to remember there have been people that have hosted that have been fully on drugs,” Poehler retorted, laughing. “So, I think you can do it.”

“I love you talking about that, Tom, because it is true,” she continued, noting Holland’s career start in dance. “The way we learn, how everybody learns, is very different, and of course, then what that does is it makes you like be a physical tactile person. Of course, that’s how you become; that’s how you express yourself.”

Holland’s longtime partner and rumored spouse, Zendaya, has never hosted the sketch comedy show either.

As opposed to her partner, Zendaya’s issue is likely not one of apprehension but rather scheduling. As one of Hollywood’s most in-demand actors, with four high-profile films and HBO’s Euphoria releasing in 2026 alone, finding a free week to host the demanding show is nigh impossible.

It remains to be seen if and when the A-list couple will grace Studio 8H with their presence.

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Owen Mason-HillEditorial intern, Obsessed

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