Lonely Island member reveals “SNL” host who made him 'feel very uncomfortable'
Lonely Island member reveals “SNL” host who made him 'feel very uncomfortable'
Ryan ColemanMon, April 27, 2026 at 12:06 PM UTC
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Jorma Taccone, Andy Samberg, and Akiva Schaffer in 2025Credit: Fairchild Archive/Penske Media via GettyKey Points -
Lonely Island member Jorma Taccone is opening up about the Saturday Night Live host that left him "uncomfortable."
The Lonely Island comedian and SNL digital short producer named Ben Stiller and Steve Martin as favorite hosts, but singled Kevin Spacey out as a least favorite.
"Did not enjoy that," Taccone said of Spacey's stint hosting SNL in 2006. "Felt very uncomfortable around him."
Saturday Night Live is supposed to make us laugh, not make us uncomfortable.
But that's the exact word Lonely Island member Jorma Taccone used to describe working with one particular host on a 2006 episode.
Taccone was hired alongside his Lonely Island cohorts Andy Samberg and Akiva Schaffer in 2005 to produce digital shorts as the late-night comedy institution transitioned into the internet age. "In general, I liked almost every host that came to SNL" he shared on Friday's episode of The Daily Beast's Obsessed podcast.
But there was "one person," Taccone admitted, "who I wasn't super geeked on."
Kevin Spacey hosting 'SNL' in 2006Credit: Dana Edelson/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty
"I've never said this before," Taccone continued, before naming "Kevin Spacey."
The co-writer of classic shorts like "Lazy Sunday" and "Dick in a Box" noted that he "did not enjoy that, and felt very uncomfortable around him." Taccone did not elaborate further.
Spacey won two Academy Awards and was one of the most sought after actors in the business before he was fired from House of Cards in 2017 amid allegations of sexual misconduct toward actor Anthony Rapp, who was a minor at the time of the alleged incident. More allegations followed, but Spacey maintained his innocence on all counts, and was exonerated by a jury of the specific allegation of molesting Rapp in 2021.
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Entertainment Weekly has reached out to representatives for Spacey and Taccone for comment.
Spacey's first time time hosting SNL came a few months before the release of one of his signature films, 1997's L.A. Confidential. He returned to Studio 8H one year into Taccone's tenure, in 2006.
The May 20, 2006, episode featuring Spacey and musical guest Nelly Furtado was a momentous one for SNL, as it marked the final episode of mainstays Rachel Dratch, Tina Fey, Chris Parnell, and Horatio Sanz. Appearing in a white suit during his opening monologue — where he joked that winning his two Oscars, directing a film, and becoming the artistic director of the Old Vic Theatre in London pale in comparison to his big dream: "winning on American Idol."
Spacey proceeded to appear in a simple digital short called "Andy's Excuse," in which Samberg befuddles the actor with a farfetched explanation for his tardiness.
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Taccone was overwhelmingly positive in his other remarks about working on SNL. He singled out Steve Martin as an exceptional host, saying he "put him on a pedestal for forever, and he's so gracious and sweet." Ben Stiller was also "so fun" as a host. "Working with Ben was really great. I've never met a more hardworking dude in the business," Taccone recalled.
You can watch the rest of Taccone's interview on Obsessed above.
on Entertainment Weekly
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