At the age of 60, it is evident by now, there really isn't much Tom Cruise won't do, aside from perhaps appear on SNL... Throughout the article, we'll take a look at some significant names that avoided hosting the show, clearly Cruise isn't the only A-lister. In addition, we'll take a look at theories as to why Tom Cruise never appeared on the show, as the actor has kept quiet as to why. Factors range from his religion, to tight PR team. FInally, we'll also take a look at how SNL hasn't avoided Tom Cruise type conversations on their long-running sketch show.
Tom Cruise Is Far From The Only A-List Celeb To Never Appear On SNL
Tom Cruise is far from the only major celeb to have never appeared on SNL. In truth, even some major stars such as Brad Pitt have appeared on the show in passing, but never for a hosting duty. This might be due time constrains, as rehearsing for SNL is a week-long process, and for some, that kind of time just isn't available.
Along with Brad Pitt who played Dr. Anthony Fauci during his SNL cameo, there are lots more who haven't hosted, including, Will Smith, Mark Wahlberg (who made a brief cameo), and Leonardo DiCaprio (who also appeared briefly in a monologue alongside Jonah Hill).
Julia Roberts is also another big star who has yet to appeared, though to her credit, she did reveal that stagefright was a big reason for her absence on the show throughout the years and her rise to fame.
According to Yahoo Entertainment, SNL is addressing this issue during the current season, getting new faces to host.
"Several first-time hosts will grace Studio 8H in the coming months, including Star Wars vet Diego Luna (who is headlining Rogue One prequel Andor for Disney+), Ted Lasso‘s Hannah Waddingham (who will be appearing in the highly anticipated Hocus Pocus 2) and The Flight Attendant‘s Kaley Cuoco."
Tom Cruise remains an exception, but fans have theories as to why he hasn't been featured on the long-running sketch show.
Scheduling And Maintaining His Image Might Be The Biggest Reasons For Tom Cruise Avoiding SNL
There are several theories, one of them, is the fact that Tom Cruise doesn't want to appear on such a stage, perhaps to protect his religious image...
However, among the more popular answers, is simply that the huge stars rarely host the show.
A Reddit user wrote, "The A++ List. And consider how many of them don’t host, and maybe only show up for a brief cameo. Brad Pitt. Leonardo DiCaprio. Julia Roberts. Will Smith. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Some top shelfers have gone through those doors, usually on their way up or down."
Among the other popular answers is scheduling, which seems to be very valid given Cruise's outrageous schedule, especially when he's promoting a film.
"Saturday Night Live is, by definition, live, late at night, and grueling. One has to essentially give up a week of their life. For somebody at the top of the Hollywood chain, this can be a lot to ask, as there are a lot of demands on their time, juggling several projects, and even when they’re free, the show may not be free to have them," the Reddit user stated.
Finally, another valid theory linked Tom Cruise and his image. Tom puts a lot of emphasis on his PR and keeping that side of the equations as clean as possible. When it comes to something like SNL, as we've seen in the past, things can go off the rails. In other words, it might be too risky for the Mission: Impossible star to relinquish such control.
SNL Isn't Afraid To Roast Tom Cruise Despite His Lack Of Involvement On The Show
Sure, Tom Cruise has never hosted, but that doesn't mean SNL won't take a shot as roasting th actor.
This took place in late 2020, when Cruise was on the other end of a Weekend Update joke. Michael Che said in the SNL skit, "Tom Cruise was recorded on the set of Mission: Impossible, yelling at the crew for violating pandemic restrictions. The crew was using camera tricks to appear that they were separated by six feet but in reality, they were 5'4."
Without a doubt, Cruise must've had a chuckle to this one as well.