Jennifer Aniston recently opened up on the Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard podcast about her decision to turn down a Saturday Night Live (SNL) offer. She revealed that her preconceived notions about the sketch comedy show’s treatment of women influenced her decision not to join. Despite initially rejecting the opportunity, she later hosted SNL twice, first in 1999 and again in 2004.
Jennifer Aniston talks about turning down SNL before Friends
During the Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard podcast, the Friends alum opened up about her decision not to join SNL early on. Aniston said, “I always thought I was such hot s—. The story of that is all very confusing.” She recalled meeting Lorne Michaels in New York City at the time. She also came across Adam Sandler and David Spade, who were right outside the room. Since then, the 56-year-old has known Sandler.
Explaining her reasons for turning down the SNL offer, Aniston added, “I don’t know why I had this self-righteous attitude of ‘I don’t know if women are treated the way they should be treated on this show.’ It’s a very male-dominated [show,] I would love to be here if it was in the Gilda Radner day.” Although she “semi-remembers” the SNL story, she recalls that soon after, she landed Friends, which earned her massive fame.
Molly Shannon, the former SNL cast member, shared insights on Aniston’s SNL gig during the show’s 50th anniversary in an interview with PEOPLE early this year. She recalled that the actress was very “laid back” while hosting SNL. “I remember being like, ‘Ooh, that’s so cool. Jennifer Aniston. And she had a big wedding ring on, and she was just [an] easygoing professional, [she] had been in television for a long time,” she added. Shannon also described her as “just easygoing and really fun.”
