Kate McKinnon spent more than a decade at Saturday Night Live surrounded by the funniest people in the world. During that run, one professional athlete made such an impression on McKinnon that the SNL legend dubbed him one of the funniest men on the planet. And season 51 just happens to be the perfect time for him to host.
McKinnon visited the Good Hang with Amy Poehler podcast and shared some of her favorite Saturday Night Live memories. After Amy Poehler revealed she loved when athletes hosted the show, McKinnon brought up former NBA star Charles Barkley.
"Now there's a funny athlete," McKinnon said. "Jesus Christ. He may be the funniest man alive." For basketball fans, this may not come as a surprise. Barkely gave some all-time quotes as a player and only ramped up the comedy in his post-player career as a broadcaster.
McKinnon also reflected on a specific sketch she did with Barkley when he hosted in March 2018. "And I did do one of my bar fly sketches with him. So I have his tongue has been in my mouth," McKinnon shared. "And it was nice."
Kate McKinnon isn't the only one at Saturday Night Live who thinks Barkley has the comedy chops necessary for the live sketch show. The Hall of Famer has hosted SNL four times: September 25, 1993, January 9, 2010, January 7, 2012, and March 3, 2018.
Season 51 would actually be the perfect time for McKinnon's favorite athlete to make a Studio 8H return. Seven years feels too long (even with a cameo in 2020), especially after Barkley appeared three times in eight years.
Barkley getting to host in season 51 would get him into the famous Five Timers Club. Not only that, but the basketball star would be the first professional athlete to get the honor. It would also land among the longest gaps between the first and fifth time hosting, joining Drew Barrymore, Woody Harrelson, and Martin Short as hosts who needed 20+ years to make the Five Timers Club.
It's also in NBC's interest to bring more attention to the NBA. The network returning to broadcasting games this season, reviving the NBA on NBC (which has its own SNL connection). Yes, Barkley works now works for a competitor in ESPN/ABC, but a rising tide lifts all ships. Barkley is a good ambassador for the league with crossover appeal. Just ask Kate McKinnon.