The 2000s are often regarded by many Saturday Night Live fans as one of the best eras in the show's history. Many cast members introduced to television screens during this decade have become the face of comedy in the 21st century. From Tracy Morgan to Amy Poehler, these episodes featured many iconic characters.
However, no episode of SNL is complete without the effort of the guest host. This decade saw many new faces who would soon become icons of the show's history. It also featured many longtime hosts returning to perform some of their best sketches yet. These ten are among the best to host the show in the 2000s.
10 Anne Hathaway
Anne Hathaway hosted Saturday Night Live for the first time in 2008. Even as a first-time host, she fit amazingly well within the cast. Her later appearances in 2010 and 2012 only cemented this fact, but some of her funniest appearances came from her very first hosting gig in the show's history.
Among Hathaway's best sketches from this episode are her stint in the recurring Lawrence Welk Show sketch alongside Kristen Wiig's Dooneese. She also made a memorable appearance as Mary Poppins in a sketch based on the movie musical. Overall, Hathaway set herself up here to be a great host in the show's future.
9 Jon Hamm
The Mad Men star also made his hosting debut in 2008, becoming very close with the cast in just one episode. He would later return to host twice in 2010, the first of those two being the home to his best sketch on the show: Hamm & Bublé. However, his 2008 appearance was the first to show off the dramatic actor's comedy chops.
Jon Hamm proved he could play a perfect straight-man to Will Forte in the "Trick or Treat" sketch. He also fit perfectly as James Mason in the recurring "Vincent Price's Halloween Special", which was also the first appearance of Fred Armisen's Liberace impression. Overall, Hamm wowed audiences with his commitment to SNL's tone
8 Scarlett Johansson
2017 saw Scarlett Johansson earn her spot in the illustrious Five Timers Club, but her first two hosting gigs took place in 2006 and 2007. Within just two appearances, Johansson proved that sketch comedy was a natural fit for her. Her 2007 show also debuted her Ivanka Trump impression, which was reprised during Trump's presidency.
Many of Johansson's best sketches from these two appearances leaned into the show's weirder side. Both times, she assisted Fred Armisen in commercials selling both marble columns and chandeliers. She also hilariously played a submarine operator engaged in a love triangle with Seth Meyers and Horatio Sanz.
7 Taylor Swift
When Taylor Swift hosted in 2009, she had just recently made her musical guest debut the previous season. This time, she took on double duty as host AND musical guest, making a memorable episode for many of the show's cast members. Overall, she supports the 2009 cast well, and is a part of many iconic sketches from that season.
Her Twilight parody with Bill Hader, "Firelight" starring Frankenstein's monster, is a highlight. Her teen driving commercial featuring uncomfortable-looking headgear is also a stand-out. According to Seth Meyers, Swift wrote her own musical monologue, which was uncommon for non-stand up hosts, let alone first-timers.
6 Dwayne Johnson
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson went from WWE superstar to action move icon. Along the way, he stopped by Saturday Night Live three times during the 2000s, quickly becoming one of the decade's most iconic hosts. His 2009 gig also featured "The Rock Obama," the former president's Hulk-like transformation.
Johnson made memorable appearances alongside Tim Meadows' Ladies Man or Tracy Morgan's Brian Fellows. His best sketch appearance in these three episodes, however, is co-starring alongside Bill Hader in "Game Time". Johnson plays a wonderful straight-man to Hader, his not-an-alien co-host (spoiler: he's an alien).
5 Tina Fey
Tina Fey was a staple of the show in the 2000s. After being a writer for two years, she joined the cast in 2000 and manned the Weekend Update desk with Jimmy Fallon. By the time she left in 2006 to start her own show, 30 Rock, Fey was responsible for a complete change in atmosphere, having major influence on the show's legacy.
Fey made her first return as host in 2008, later becoming only the third female Five-Timer in 2015. However, in 2008, Fey fit right at home alongside a cast made up of mostly people she hired herself. Her best sketches from this episode include her appearance as Juno in There Will Be Blood-themed show, "I Drink Your Milkshake".
4 Will Ferrell
Like Tina Fey, Will Ferrell was another staple of the late-90s to early-00s cast. After leaving the show in 2002 to pursue a movie career, it wasn't long before Ferrell returned to his roots. He hosted twice during the decade, in 2005 and 2009, reprising some of his most popular impressions, like Alex Trebek and Robert Goulet.
However, these episodes also reminded viewers what they were missing in a Ferrell-less Saturday Night Live. The comedian interrupted the musical guests' performances with some much-needed cowbell. He also made a memorable appearance on Weekend Update as one of his best impressions, the late Harry Caray.
3 Justin Timberlake
The boy-band-star-turned-solo-artist-turned-movie-star hosted three times during the 2000s, in 2003, 2006, and 2009. However, these aren't his only appearances, as Timberlake also served as musical guest and has made dozens of cameos. However, in terms of Saturday Night Live history, Timberlake is an all-timer.
In 2006, he joined forces with The Lonely Island to sing "D**k in a Box", a crude R&B song that has become one of SNL's greatest sketches of all time. He's also co-starred with Jimmy Fallon as the quiet Robin Gibb in "The Barry Gibb Talk Show". Of course, it's also obvious to mention his popular recurring Dancing Mascot sketches.
2 Drew Barrymore
Drew Barrymore's first SNL hosting gig was in 1982, when she was 7 years old, making her the youngest person ever to host the show. By the time she hosted four shows throughout the 2000s, she had obviously grown up quite a bit. However, in all those years she never lost her knack for sketch comedy.
Her 2009 hosting gig is perhaps the best of the four, featuring sketches like "Celebrity Ghost Stories" and "Tampax to the Max Tournament of Champions". She also made a very memorable appearance alongside Kristen Wiig's character Gilly in the same episode. Barrymore has proven time and time again that SNL is a cakewalk for her.
1 Christopher Walken
The legendary actor became a four-time host in his first show of the 2000s. He would go on to host another three times before the end of the decade, and has remained one of the most memorable hosts of all time. To list his best sketches would take way too long, though there are definitely some particular ones to mention.
Aside from his iconic appearances in "More Cowbell" and "The Continental", Walken gives a brilliant performance as a homeowner with absurd responses to Tim Meadows' census questions. Any SNL fan could spend hours upon hours watching all of Walken's sketches from this era of the show and never get tired.