The actor said his father knew he was going to host the show and was excited for him, but added that the circumstances marked “a weird time in history” for him.

Paul Rudd had ‘so many feelings’ hosting SNL for first time just after his dad died: ‘He’s not here’

The actor said his father knew he was going to host the show and was excited for him, but added that the circumstances marked "a weird time in history" for him.

By Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2022. Her work has previously appeared on MTV News, Teen Vogue, and NME.

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May 28, 2026 2:41 p.m. ET

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Paul Rudd hosting 'SNL' in November 2008. Credit:

Dana Edelson/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

- Paul Rudd recalled his experience hosting *Saturday Night Live* for the very first time just weeks after his dad died.

- The actor explained that he had conflicting feelings while shooting the November 2008 episode, which also featured Beyoncé as its musical guest.

- "My dad knew I was gonna host *SNL*, and he was very excited for me," said Rudd, who also remembered thinking, "And now it's happening! And he's not here."

Paul Rudd's very first time hosting *Saturday Night Live* was a bittersweet experience.

The *Power Ballad *actor, 57, says he felt a wide range of emotions while making his hosting debut on the show because his dad, Michael, had passed away just two weeks before.

"I had weird things going through my head, which is like, my dad knew I was gonna host *SNL*, and he was very excited for me," Rudd said on a recent episode of the *Therapuss* podcast, adding that he recalled thinking at the time, "And now it's happening! And he's not here."

Rudd continued, "It was kind of wrestling those thoughts with, 'Oh my God, I can't believe I'm hosting *SNL*. I wanted to do this my whole life. I've been a fan of this show.' And so it was such a mix of so many feelings."

Paul Rudd on May 19, 2026.

Cindy Ord/WireImage

The *Avengers* star — who hosted the Nov. 15, 2008, episode*, *which featured Beyoncé as its musical guest — admitted that he was unsure if diving headfirst into the gig so soon after losing a loved one "helped or hurt" him with his grieving process.

"It's like when you think back sometimes into the past, you think in terms of just these kind of generic [ways], like, 'Oh, that was a while ago,'" he said on the podcast. "When I think of the very first time I hosted *SNL*, I think that was a few weeks after my dad died. It puts it in a weird time in history. I have an understanding of when that was, and so it makes me kind of recall it in a different way."

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While he was still in deep mourning over losing his dad, Rudd acknowledged that the focus and dedication required for *SNL* offered him a bit of comfort. "I suppose in some way, yeah, it helped. I could not think about it for a while," he said. "You can't really think about anything while you're doing it. It's all kind of wrapped up together for me."

Rudd previously spoke about his complicated and conflicting emotions when he first hosted the show on a 2025 episode of the* Fly on the Wall *podcast with *SNL* alums David Spade and Dana Carvey.

"I was grieving, but I was also kind of half there, but I was so excited to host *SNL*. And so the entire experience was just kind of out-of-body," he said. "And I remember when it finished, I thought, 'How do these people do this every week?' Because it's such a sprint."

"I had a great time," he added, "but it was such an emotional experience."

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Rudd went on to host *Saturday Night Live* four more times, becoming one of a small group of stars who've earned a spot in the show's coveted Five-Timers Club. The list includes Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, John Mulaney, Justin Timberlake, and its most recent entry, *SNL* alum Will Ferrell.

Listen to Rudd discuss hosting the show for the very first time in the clip above.

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW SNL”