Jesse Eisenberg’s 2011 stint as host of ‘Saturday Night Live’ still lingers in his mind as one of the most “unbelievably inappropriate” mistakes he’s made in his career.
Reflecting on the experience during an appearance on ‘Today with Jenna and Friends’, the actor, 41, said despite rave reviews of his episode, he can’t shake the memory of one major blunder.
Jesse said: “I think they said it was the best episode they ever did.
“I only have bad memories because I did such a dumb thing.
“My dream when I was 17 was to write for ‘SNL’. I made a packet and everything and I got an agent.
“And then, when I got asked to host, which was 10 years later, I assumed I could write all the sketches.
“I didn’t know how it works. It turns out, they have writers.”
The actor, best known for his roles in ‘The Social Network’ and ‘Zombieland’, went on to describe how his enthusiasm for writing led to a series of missteps during his hosting week.
He added: “I didn’t realise – I’m an idiot – and I was also just wanting to write. “I’ve wanted to write my whole life. So I spent the week slipping scripts to different actors.
“I didn’t realize that was not the way you do that.”
When ‘Today’ co-host Jenna Bush Hager asked if any of his self-penned sketches made it to air, Jesse admitted: “It was so unbelievably inappropriate and offensive of me that… no.”
It wasn’t just ‘SNL’ writers who had reservations about Jesse’s approach, as the actor claimed someone assured him writing his own skits was acceptable.
He added: “It turns out I was sabotaged. I was assured, ‘Yes, of course. That sounds great,’ they said.”
Jesse also reminisced about his time with musical guest Nicki Minaj, who appeared on the show alongside him.
Despite the awkwardness of his hosting experience, the two have stayed in touch over the years, with Jesse saying: “We text. She sometimes asks me to introduce her, as you’re supposed to as a host.
“I’ll go to (Madison Square) Garden and say, ‘Next up, it’s Nicki Minaj.’”