Leslie Jones managed to make quite a mark during her five-season stint on Saturday Night Live and, since leaving the show in 2019, she's provided insight into her experiences working there. While Jones has been open about the highs of the gig, she's also been honest about some of the lows. More recently, the actress and comedian talked about being typecast in many of her sketches, despite wanting to be included in roles that were more dynamic.

Ahead of SNL's return on the 2026 TV schedule, Jones was a guest on The Sam Sanders Show. During a conversation about whether the sketch-comedy show was a great place for Black comics, the Top Five alum talked about her own experience and consistently being put in sketches where she was fighting or having to be angry:

While she's said in the past she originally didn't even want to be on the show, Leslie Jones apparently joined Saturday Night Live with the notion of wanting to showcase her abilities both as an actress and comedian. Although Jones' work on the show is quite enjoyable, she does make good points in that many of her characters do fit the mad or fight-ready descriptions.

When asked if she was OK with the sketches at the time, Jones admitted that her desire to be on the series was what took precedence. However, she also admitted it took a while for her to even realize she was getting the same thing to do every week. At the same time, though, she was also on national TV as part of a cast many others would die to be a part of. The comedian explained:

Though frustrated, Leslie Jones can see that Saturday Night Live is a machine. Writers figure out what audiences like about a cast member, and they'll continue to hit on what works. This is to say, she's not the only former SNL cast member to frequently be put into the same box, but that doesn't mean it's any less disappointing for her.

What seemed to be at the center of Leslie Jones' displeasure was her desire to "play" more and show the various abilities she has as an actress. Still, as she reiterated, being a product of the machine meant writers were reluctant to go outside of her "character" when it came to sketches, which further annoyed her:

When asked if Saturday Night Live was a good place for Black comedians, Leslie Jones said it was a great platform that can open a lot of doors for any comedian. There are plenty of success stories involving cast members who've had careers after being on the NBC staple. And, most notably, Kenan Thompson has even made being a cast member a long-term career.

It's been interesting to hear Jones be candid about her SNL experience. Since leaving the series, she returned to join the star-studded 50th anniversary special, and she still seems to have solid relationships with some former castmates. While it's unfortunate that her time on the show wasn't what she wanted, I'm glad she seems to have still maintained a solid connection to the series.

Saturday Night Live returns to NBC this fall, and I'm eager to see what upcoming hosts and musical guests are planned for next season. I may need to watch some old episodes with my Peacock subscription, because I've been needing some sketch comedy in my life as of late.

Live TV giveth, live TV taketh away. Leslie Jones has plenty of killer Saturday Night Live moments on her résumé, but she recently revisited one that went spectacularly sideways, a 2014 sketch with guest host Chris Rock that she now calls a full-on misfire. In a new interview, the Ghostbusters star reveals the honest 5-word response Lorne Michaels and Co had for her after the bomb.

On Vulture’s Good One podcast, host Jesse David Fox even framed the infamous sketch as “one of the biggest bombs in modern SNL history.” The Tennessee-born funny woman didn’t argue, but instead, she unpacked the story, adding a bit of context most fans never see. Jones recounted:

The premise itself wasn’t the problem. The sketch in question casts her and Rock as a couple who’ve been together so long their constant bickering has become its own love language, to the horror of their kid. On paper, it’s a classic relationship farce. But for whatever reason, the alchemy of a great sketch did not materialize in Studio 8H this particular Saturday night, and the sketch curdled like spilt milk on a summer day.

After the show, the Coming 2 America star was crushed, but the room didn’t let her sink. Castmates rallied; Vanessa Bayer sat with her and delivered an “it happens to everyone” reality check. Then Lorne stopped by with the most succinct note in show business:

Five words and zero judgment. And who would know better than Lorne Michaels, as the man has been at the helm of the popular sketch show for more than fifty years. The creator has seen it all, and if anyone can soothe the nerves after a bombing, it's the man who began it all.

Jones’ candid retelling lands because it shows how much invisible machinery performers juggle at 11:30 p.m.: color codes, prop hand-offs, quick changes, marks, sightlines, a live audience, and a clock that will not stop. It’s a miracle we don’t see more wipeouts. And yet that risk of collapse is exactly why SNL still crackles more than five decades in.

Leslie Jones left the show in 2019, but moments like this explain why she became a fan favorite—fearless on camera, honest about the hits and the bruises. Some sketches soar; others thud. But if we’ve learned anything, it’s this: it’s live. It happens. You can watch the sketch below—fair warning, it’s a pretty uncomfortable ride.

Saturday Night Live is currently in its 51st season. Catch it live Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. ET (10:30 p.m. CT), then stream episodes with a Peacock subscription.

The best Saturday Night Live hosts are the ones who really commit to the bit, and it sounds like Margot Robbie was one of them. Leslie Jones proved that, too, as she gave the Barbie star props for being willing to do “all the crazy things they wanted the pretty girls to do” on the show.

Leslie Jones was talking about situations on SNL where the hosts or cast members kept passing along sketches to the next episode because someone did not want to do it, on Vulture’s Good One Podcast. That led her to tell the following story about Margot Robbie being up for a bit that none of the other “pretty girls” wanted to do. The comedian explained:

It makes sense that some hosts don’t want to do some of the sketches that are pitched to them. However, it’s pretty clear that some of the best hosts are the ones who are down to try just about anything. Margot Robbie was one of those hosts, according to Jones, as she recalled one sketch where the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood star ended up transforming into someone very “ugly.” She explained:

When asked if she remembered what the sketch was, Jones said she didn't. She did explain that it involved singing, though, and in the bit, Robbie started dressed as a sexy person who transformed into someone who looked “really crazy” and “really ugly.”

While Jones couldn’t recall the sketch off the top of her head, EW noted that she was talking about “The Librarian.” In the sketch, a bunch of male students are talking about a librarian whom Bobby Moynihan’s character finds hot. Then, as it goes on and Robbie’s character starts to take her hair down and tease the boys, she starts literally losing her hair, she takes out her teeth to reveal she’s missing some, and she shows off tattoos of Haley Joel Osment (among many other things). She even kills Cecily Strong’s character and dances with a man holding a snake.

To be blunt, it’s anything but flattering. But it is really funny, and that's the point, as you can see below:

Flattering isn’t exactly the goal on SNL either. Funny is. So, Jones really loved that the I, Tonya actress was down for it all, as she said:

It was good, and if you want to go back and watch Robbie’s full episode – which was Season 42, Episode 1 – you can do so with a Peacock subscription.

Now, considering the actress’s bold and daring filmography, I’m not shocked she was so down to do anything on Saturday Night Live. What does surprise me, though, is that she hasn’t returned to host SNL, and she really should.

The episode we’ve been discussing here came out in 2016, and despite releasing huge and well-reviewed movies, like Barbie, in recent years, she has not come back to Studio 8H. Maybe, when her film on the 2026 movie schedule, Wuthering Heights, comes out in February, she’ll come back to SNL. I’m sure the cast would love to have someone so ready and willing to try anything.

Now, I hope the hosts of SNL Season 51 are ready to commit to the bit! So far, they’ve been up for the challenge, and this week, Nikki Glaser will take the stage, and I’m sure she’ll do just that, too. The following week, on November 15, we’ll get Glen Powell leading the episode, and considering his filmography, I’m sure he’ll give it 110% too. So stay tuned, folks, because you never know who will be ready to go all out for their episode of the NBC sketch show.

Saturday Night Live is a unique job in which every week the cast gets to work with a different celebrity. On a normal day, cast members might find themselves starstruck. Amid SNL’s 50th Anniversary Special, it was like all of Hollywood in one room, plus 50 years worth of SNL legends. Everywhere you looked, there were household names. Yet series alum Leslie Jones hilariously still managed to call Pedro Pascal by the wrong name, and oh, to be a fly on that wall.

Jones and the Mandalorian actor were far from the only surprising celebrity encounter that night. But I have to imagine this was an especially amusing interaction for Pascal. The former Saturday Night Live cast member recalled for Vulture the story of her meeting the Narcos actor at SNL50 and, while sharing her account, the comedian humorously dropped an f-bomb:

Man, I wish these two had crossed paths during Jones’ stint on SNL. This interaction itself would have been a great base for a sketch. Unfortunately, the Ghostbusters actress exited the late night sketch series in 2019, after five seasons as a writer and cast member for the show. Pedro Pascal didn’t make his debut as a guest host until 2023, at which point he was promoting The Last of Us. Considering how famous Pascal was at that time (and continues to be), I'm surprised Jones called him "Pablo" by mistake.

Speaking of the Materialists actor, he's been one of the best SNL hosts in the past few years, and I personally need him to host again ASAP. The Fantastic Four: First Steps star has starred in some of the best sketches to come out of the most recent seasons, like “Lisa from Temecula,” “Protective Mom" and one of my personal favorites, “Waking Up.”

The concept for that third sketch is so silly and dumb it ends up being really good. Pascal plays a car accident victim waking up from a coma with a valley girl accent, and the Gladiator II actor manages to nearly break everyone involved, something I remember Jones doing quite often during her time on the show.

These two would make an unstoppable comedic duo, and I really wish they had been in a sketch together during the SNL50. I can’t help but wonder if Leslie Jones would ever return to the show for a guest spot or even to host. Jones previously said she doesn’t miss the show at all, but who knows? Maybe working on the anniversary special created enough nostalgic energy to see her return someday, and I can only hope she invites Pablo -- I mean Pedro -- Pascal along.

Saturday Night Live airs on the eponymous night at 11:30 p.m. ET, and episodes are streamable with a Peacock subscription.

Being funny enough to make millions of people laugh is a gift that’s simply not afforded to many of us, but few would likely say that such a talent wasn’t gifted to Saturday Night Live alum Leslie Jones. The comedian was an important and certifiably hilarious member of the cast for five seasons, and not long ago opened up about being intimidated after landing the gig, even though she was “cocky as fuck” during her audition.

What Did Leslie Jones Say About Auditioning And Starting Work On SNL?

While Leslie Jones has certainly made waves away from a certain long-running sketch comedy show (by doing things like live-tweeting Zack Snyder’s Justice League and serving as a “chief superfan” commentator during the Olympics), the Ghostbusters actress is still best known for her time on Saturday Night Live. She served as a writer and on-screen performer from 2014 through 2019 and was Emmy nominated three times for her work during that tenure.

However, that doesn’t mean that the entire process of getting a spot on the famed series was 100% easy for Jones. She recently spoke to People about what it was like auditioning and then settling in to work, and talked about her first table read with the rest of the cast, noting:

The late night show has launched the careers of dozens of comedians into the stratosphere over five decades, but not only is it a really tough gig to create and perform a different live show weekly, but others who’ve been in the cast have spoken about how terrifying the audition process alone is. Andy Samberg admitted to throwing up at the time of his first audition, and even the longest-running SNL cast member ever, Kenan Thompson, called it a “miracle” that he made it through the process.

However, Jones (who got real about working on the series and her “bittersweet” decision to leave) was enough of a stand-up comedy gangsta to take no shit when she headed up to the stage for her audition. While it was the first table read that got to her, she does also note that her audition maybe didn’t thrill the way one would want:

What the talent known for impersonating Whoopi Goldberg (whom she and Thompson both tried to “kill” on the show) means is that she didn’t immediately land a full time SNL player role after her audition. She began as a writer who made occasional appearances, but that quickly led to her becoming a full-blown cast member and, eventually, a “cocky ass bitch” that few who’ve seen her perform will be able to forget.

As the much anticipated 50th Saturday Night Live anniversary special nears on the 2025 TV schedule, many past and present cast members have been reminiscing, including Leslie Jones and Molly Shannon. Between the behind-the-scenes documentaries that are available with a Peacock subscription and all the press, SNL big hitters have revealed some pretty unique and hilarious anecdotes. This, obviously, includes lots of stories about getting laughs and laughing. In the case of both Jones and Shannon, their tales are about breaking and laughing in the presence of Melissa McCarthy and Brendan Fraser, respectively.

In honor of Season 50, Jones, Shannon and more shared some of their highlights of not being able to keep it together during their tenure on SNL with People. Breaking almost feels like a time-honored inevitability on this show, and it's always delightful to see, what's even better is hearing why it happened, take a look:

These stories really are wild, and hard to fathom. However, they hilariously happened, and we're going to break them down a bit further.

Melissa McCarthy Broke Leslie Jones On SNL

It’s not shocking in the slightest that one of the Five-Timers Club members broke Leslie Jones. Melissa McCarthy has been a modern-day favorite; from her stint as former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer to her Matt Foley impersonation and all the committed oddball bits in between, there’s no question she can break some of the best.

What seemed to help this perfect storm for the Bridesmaids actress to make the former Super Market Sweep host laugh were her SNL castmates. Jones’ former peers, Kenan Thompson and Cecily Strong, used to tell her the wrong camera direction. So, when she did lose it, the camera caught her full-on. And then when she started laughing, she couldn't stop:

With all the upcoming SNL events, hosts and musical acts I'm hopeful that we'll see McCarthy crack a joke or two at some 50th event. Then, maybe, by some lightning strike of luck, she can maybe make Jones break again, because this whole story and moment is delightful.

Molly Shannon’s Wild Story About Brendan Fraser Hosting

I think only Molly Shannon could have a story about her, Will Ferrell, Brendan Fraser and Xena the Princess Warrior and have it make sense.

In the sketch in question, all seemed to be going well for the How the Grinch Stole Christmas actress until she accidentally pulled off a part of Fraser’s Xena costume. She then had a wild thought that made all involved with the bit break, and there was no hope of coming back, as she recalled fondly:

It’s wild to watch both the usual players and the special guest of the week perform live with very little practice time, especially knowing former SNL hosts' opinions about just how chaotic this gig can be. It's even better when live and spontaneous moments like this get caught on camera. The instances that break the cast have always been one of the best parts of the historic late-night show, and the situation involving The Mummy actor proves that.

Now, the anniversary show and the rest of the 50th season can’t come soon enough! This onslaught of SNL stories has me pumped, and watching Leslie Jones talk about how Melissa McCarthy broke her along with Molly Shannon’s recounting of the Brendan Fraser-Xena story makes me motivated to go find more Studio 8H fun.

Thankfully, that's not hard to do, as Saturday Night Live airs on its titular night at 11:30 pm ET and the 50th Anniversary Special drops on February 16 at 8 p.m. ET.

Hollywood is a tough place to get your big break. Many actors struggle for years before they finally hit it big. These stars put in the effort and stuck with it until they finally became huge stars after they turned 40. Stars like Steve Carell, Kathy Bates, Alan Rickman, and many more actors like them are household names now, but it took them years to get there.

Steve Carell

Like so many other people Steve Carell started his career at Second City in Chicago. He then kicked around television for a while, with roles on the Dana Carvey Show and eventually at The Daily Show. It's when he left that show to head the cast in The Office that his career exploded and he became one of the most beloved stars on earth.

Samuel L. Jackson

Samuel L. Jackson has one of the most impressive resumes in Hollywood, but it took him a long time to get there. His first credit came in 1972 when he was 24, but it would take another two decades or so, after a series of smaller roles in the late '80s, that he would land the role of Jules Winfield in Pulp Fiction and have his career completely explode.

Alan Rickman

The late, great Alan Rickman started acting in theater in the mid-70s, finding regular roles throughout the early '80s. Then, in 1988, at age 42, he made his feature film debut in a little movie called Die Hard. To this day, Hans Gruber is a legendary villain. He would go on to star in dozens of movies, most notably the Harry Potter films, before passing away in 2016 at age 69.

Betty White

Though Betty White had a little success in her 30s with her eponymous TV show for NBC in the '50s and minor hit Life with Elizabeth in the same decade, it really wasn't until after her 40th birthday in 1962 that she really rose to big stardom. After her 50th birthday, she was cast in the Mary Tyler Moore Show, and after her 60th birthday, she teamed up with Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty in the role she's probably best known for today in Golden Girls.

Morgan Freeman

Morgan Freeman was born in 1937, but it would take almost 50 years for the legend to truly break out in film. After working here and there as a dancer and as a stage actor in the 1960s and '70s, he scored his breakout role in 1987's Street Smart, starring alongside Christopher Reeve. His performance earned him the first of his Oscar nominations and by 1989's Glory, Freeman was a bonafide star.

Bea Arthur

Like her Golden Girls co-star Betty White, major success came later for the great Bea Arthur. Though she was a steadily-working actor starting in the 1940s, it wasn't until she played the character Maude Findlay, first in All In The Family, then her own spinoff called Maude, that Arthur reached the heights of fame. She was nearly 50 at that point, but her star never faded after that.

Brian Dennehy

Brian Dennehy didn't set out to be an actor. After serving in the Marines and graduating from Columbia University in 1965 with a degree in history, he caught the theater bug and started working in regional theater. In 1983, after a few smaller roles, he scored his first big role as the sheriff in First Blood at age 45.

Kathryn Joosten

Kathryn Joosten is best known for playing the beloved Mrs. Landingham in The West Wing and like her character, her real-life story is truly inspiring. She spent the first half of her life first as a nurse, then as a stay-at-home mom, raising two kids. At the age of 42, after divorcing her husband, Joosten began working in local theater in her hometown of Chicago. At age 53, she moved to Orlando and became a performer at Disney World. Soon after she moved to Hollywood and started landing parts in TV. Amazing.

Kathy Bates

Though she made her film debut in 1970, it would be more than two decades later, after working in theater and in bit TV parts, before Kathy Bates would become a star. It was, of course, he now-legendary performance as Annie Wilkes in Misery that would vault her to stardom. Truly one of the best female villains in Hollywood history.

Bryan Cranston

Most people certainly think first of Breaking Bad when they hear the name Bryan Cranston and with good reason. Cranston was 52 when he first starred as Walter White. Of course, that wasn't his breakout role, which came eight years earlier when he starred as the dad in Malcolm In The Middle ]. While he has been acting in movies and TV for years, it was that role, after his 40th birthday, that really put him on the map.

Viola Davis

EGOT winner Viola Davis found success on the stage first, winning two Tonys before turning 40. In 2008, at age 43, she was nominated for an Oscar for her role in Doubt, but it was 2011's The Help, for which she was nominated for another Oscar, that vaulted her to superstardom.

Rodney Dangerfield

Rodney Dangerfield has one of the best stories of perseverance in Hollywood history. Though technically his career started in the 1930s, his stand-up was so bland that he eventually gave up and became a salesman. In the 1960s, he re-invented himself and his act and it was a hit, with some of the best one-liners of all time. Suddenly the guy that got no respect was getting respect by talking about how he got no respect! It wasn't until 1980, at almost age 60, that Dangerfield landed his first starring role in a movie, in Caddyshack.

John Mahoney

John Mahoney started his career as the "old guy" at the Steppenwolf Theater in Chicago. After years as an English teacher, the future Frasier star gave up his career and started acting in his late 30s. By the late 80s, well into his 40s, he was landing roles in movies like Say Anything... and Moonstruck.

Jane Lynch

It's easy to say that Glee was the project that really made Jane Lynch famous, but she got her big break before that when she found her way into the Christopher Quest universe, where she was responsible for some of the wittiest one-liners in Best In Show.

Ricky Gervais

Ricky Gervais took a roundabout way to comedic fame. He started in music, moved to radio, and eventually found his way onto the popular British show The 11 O'Clock Show. It was in 2001, however, at age 40 when he co-created and starred in The Office. The rest is well-known history.

Michael Emerson

Michael Emerson took the very long trail to fame, and his story is inspirational. He struggled for years as an actor, first in New York, then later in Florida where he taught acting as well. He stsarted landing work in the theater in the late '90s, but got his big break in a guest spot on The Practice in 2001. Of course, he's best known for playing Ben on Lost.

Peter Dinklage

Though he found steady work in the early '00s, Peter Dinklage really shot to superstardom when he was cast as Tyrion Lannister in Game Of Thrones when he was 42. Today, that character is still, and will likely always be, one of the most beloved in TV history. Tyrion also happens to the character who appeared in the most episodes of Game of Thrones.

Larry David

Larry David's career had a lot of ups and downs in the early years. His first major gig was as a writer on SNL, though he didn't find much success there. At age 42, in 1989, he co-wrote a TV pilot for what became Seinfeld and his career took off. On screen, after playing a few minor roles onSeinfeld, he found even more fame with HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Melissa McCarthy

While she did have some big supporting roles in her 30s in Gilmore Girls and Samantha Who?, Melissa McCarthy's career exploded when she started as Molly in Mike & Molly, in 2011, at age 41, she co-starred in Bridesmaids, where she completely stole the show, earning an Oscar nomination in the process.

Margo Martindale

Margo Martindale has become one of the best character actors in Hollywood, but it took her a long time to get there. She worked in community theater for years before she regularly started landing TV roles in her late 30s. After her 40th birthday, her career took off with dozens of memorable supporting roles in both film and TV.

Leslie Jones

Saturday Night Live is generally thought of as a young person's game. Most cast members join very early in their careers and by the time they are 30, they are moving on to other things. Leslie Jones is an exception to that. She didn't join the cast until she was nearly 50, but she made an immediate impact. Since leaving the show, she's continued to star in things like 2016's Ghostbusters and Coming 2 America in 2021.

Ty Burrell

Modern Family took the world by storm when it debuted in 2007 and one of the leads of the show, Ty Burrell, became a huge star. This came after years in Hollywood in supporting roles and, eventually, a starring role in the short-lived show Out of Practice. It was Modern Family that made him a household name.

Octavia Spencer

Octavia Spencer started landing bit parts and supporting roles in the mid-90s, but it was 2011's The Help that put the Academy Award-winner on the map, after her 40th birthday. Not only did she win for her role in The Help, but she's been nominated for others as well, including for her work in Hidden Figures and The Shape of Water.

Patrick Stewart

While Patrick Stewart steadily found work in the theater and in smaller supporting roles in TV and film, it wasn't until he was cast as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1987 that he became a household name. He was 47 at the time and he's only gotten more famous as he's gotten older.

Billy Bob Thornton

Billy Bob Thornton basically made his own fortune in Hollywood after years of smaller supporting roles, he wrote, directed, and starred in Sling Blade. The movie was a low-budget masterpiece and he's been starring in big roles and winning awards ever since.

Hannah Waddingham

Many actors get their start in the theater, just like Hannah Waddingham. With a fantastic singing voice and wonderful acting chops, it makes sense that this is where Waddingham would first find success. It would take a couple of decades for her to equal that on screen with roles in shows like Game of Thrones, and, of course, her greatest claim to fame, Ted Lasso.

Richard Farnsworth

Without a doubt, the late Richard Farnsworth had one of the most incredible careers in Hollywood history. He had uncredited roles in some of the most famous Hollywood epics including Gone With The Wind, The Ten Commandments, and Spartacus. He didn't earn his first credited role until he was 46 in a movie called Texas Across the River in 1966. Then in the 1970s, he became a well-known character actor in projects like Roots, The Natural, and Misery.

F. Murray Abraham

After scoring a handful of supporting roles in movies in the 1970s, F. Murray Abraham became a household name after his Oscar-winning performance as Antonio Salieri in 1984's Amadeus. It was truly a career-making role and one that is still loved today by fans.

Liam Neeson

Liam Neeson was 41 when he starred in one of the greatest movies ever made, even if it's a movie you can only watch once. As Oscar Schindler in Schindler's List, Neeson immediately became world famous. It's safe to say that role will always keep him famous, too.

Lucille Ball

It's really hard to believe that Lucille Ball was over 40 when she became famous on I Love Lucy, but it's true. The comedian worked in show business for decades before she and her husband Desi Arnaz created the now-legendary TV show and her fame never faded for the rest of her life.

Tommy Lee Jones

Like a lot of actors from Texas, Tommy Lee Jones does things his way. The Harvard grad worked for decades, even winning a Golden Globe and an Emmy before he truly found fame and became a leading man in the 90s with movies like The Fugitive and Under Siege.

Ken Jeong

it's not often that someone switches careers from medicine to drama, but that's exacting what Ken Jeong did. Though he always had a love of acting, he originally pursued a more traditional career as a doctor, while acting and doing standup on the side. By the mid-2000s he was earning enough to leave medicine behind, and in 2011, at age 40, he broke out in a huge way in the Hangover.

While Saturday Night Live is constantly changing with the times, one segment that’s remained a constant throughout the decades is Weekend Update. The bit anchored by a cast member or two goes over the headlines of the week, and also features a cast of characters visiting the desk. From Bill Hader’s viral character Stefon and Gilda Radner’s legendary Roseanne Roseannadanna, the list of Weekend Update guests is extensive and incredible, here are 32 of the most iconic characters to appear on the SNL segment.

Stefon (Bill Hader) 

Do you need to know what “New York’s hottest club” is? Well, Bill Hader’s Stefon has you covered. Famously, this beloved character was written by Hader and John Mulaney, after he received a weird email, and the latter would add outrageous lines at the last minute to try and make the actor crack up. It almost always worked, leading to Stefon covering his hands with his face in that signature pose. Overall, the voice, the look, and all those absolutely wild club descriptions are what led to Stefon becoming one of the most iconic SNL characters. 

The Girl You Wish You Hadn’t Started A Conversation With At A Party (Cecily Strong) 

While I think it’s safe to say none of us would actually want to run into Cecily Strong’s The Girl You Wish You Hadn’t Started A Conversation With At A Party, when she showed up on Weekend Update to bug Seth Meyers, it sure was funny. Her sporadic thinking and sassy tone mixed with the fact that most people have probably been lured into a conversation like this makes her such a fabulous Update guest. 

The Iceberg On The Sinking Of The Titanic (Bowen Yang) 

For the anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, Bowen Yang played the iceberg that sank it. However, the iceberg was not there to talk about the tragic event, he was there to promote his new album Music. Eventually, he defended himself though, because, as he put it, the boat “came to where I live, and you hit me.” It’s an ultra-sassy and completely iconic sketch that has easily become a modern SNL classic.

Pete Davidson 

SNL helped launch Pete Davidson’s career in TV and movies, and some of his best bits came when he showed up as himself on Weekend Update. He’d come on to talk about his own life, politics, and more, and every time he’d kill it with his signature sense of humor. 

Marcello Hernández

Before Marcello Hernández’s killer sketches with Bad Bunny made many realize he should be a full-time player, it was his Weekend Update bits that had me convinced he was going to be an SNL star. In his first season on the sketch show (Season 48) he made a few appearances at the desk as himself. His infectious energy and comedic physicality are hysterical.

The Trump Brothers (Mikey Day and Alex Moffat)  

During Donald Trump’s presidency, Alex Moffat played Eric Trump and Mikey Day played Donald Trump Jr., and they would come onto Weekend Update to discuss their father’s political career. Day’s brother takes over, and speaks in a fairly diplomatic way, while Moffat plays the other brother, who never says the right thing. And that’s all funny, but what makes this bit iconic is Eric trying to mimic his brother and his silly comments about his dad and the state of the world. 

Peyton Manning Explaining Emily In Paris

While he wasn’t an A-list host during this episode (although he did nail it when he hosted), Peyton Manning was brought on to Weekend Update as a guest to talk about football in 2022. However, he’d been binge-watching the new season of Emily in Paris, and he needed to talk about it. Using NFL lingo to describe the “plays” that were going on during the Netflix show, he's the last person you ever expected to describe this series, explained it, and the lessons he learned while watching, in the funniest way. To this day, if Emily in Paris is brought up, you better believe that Peyton Manning’s recap is also at the top of mind.

Drunk Uncle (Bobby Moynihan)

It’s highly likely we all know someone who is like Drunk Uncle, which is probably why he’s so funny. Typically, around the holidays, Bobby Moynihan would play this inebriated family member, and he’d come to lament to Seth Meyers about technological advancements, kids these days, and his general frustrations with how the world has changed. 

Sarah Sherman 

Every time Sarah Sherman rolls up to the Update desk, you know you're in for a treat, because she’s about to roast Colin Jost! Sherman and the ensemble of Season 47 were one of SNL’s best casts, and that’s in part because of how committed they are to their bits. And let me tell you, this is on full display when you see the hilarious camaraderie between Sherman and Jost as she absolutely demolishes him. 

Cathy Anne (Cecily Strong)

Any time there was major breaking news (that was typically political) the lady who was always yelling out Michael Che’s window, Cathy Anne, would come up to talk about it. Using a silly Southern accent and wild hand gestures, Cecily Strong’s character would share her hot takes, and some absolutely unhinged stories. 

The Devil (Jason Sudeikis) 

These days we know Jason Sudeikis as the titular character on one of Apple TV+’s best shows, Ted Lasso. However, before that, he was playing tons of fun characters on SNL, including this Weekend Update staple, The Devil. He’d come on to talk about the controversial news of the week, and how it’s impacting his work as the leader of the underworld. 

Trend Forecasters (Aidy Bryant and Bowen Yang) 

If you need to know what is “in” and “out,” Aidy Bryant and Bowen Yang’s Trend Forecasters are here to help. The two self-proclaimed trendy characters would come on Update to aggressively go over the trends of the season, and passionately tell the audience what is “in,” before looking deep into the camera and dramatically explaining what is “out.” 

Garth and Kat (Fred Armisen and Kristen Wiig) 

Even though Garth and Kat were never prepared, they were always hysterical, and that’s why Fred Armisen and Kristen Wiig’s musical bit worked so well. For years, they’d show up at the desk to sing some holiday songs, however, the catch was, that they were never written in advance. What resulted was hilariously chaotic improvised tunes that only these two incredible comedians could have come up with. 

Jacob Silj (Will Ferrell)

Jacob Silj is the state department attache who suffers from voice immodulation. This means whenever Will Ferrell’s character came on to update the world about the state of politics he couldn’t control the pitch or volume of his voice. 

Nicolas Cage and Nicolas Cage (Andy Samberg and Nicolas Cage)

“Get in the Cage with Nicolas Cage” had been an ongoing bit Andy Samberg did for a long time, and then, in 2012, the legendary actor joined him for it. However, the twist is, the real Nicolas Cage is playing a clone of himself, and Samberg’s version is the “real” version. However, throughout the sketch, the real actor, who is well aware he’s a meme legend, roasts both himself and the comedian's impression of him. 

Jebidiah Atkinson (Taran Killam) 

Taran Killam’s 1860s newspaper critic Jebidiah Atkinson would appear from time to time to chat about his passionate takes on both historic moments, like the Gettysburg Address, and more modern pop culture topics, like holiday movies. His opinions were brutal and hysterical, and every moment was always topped off with him aggressively yelling “Next!” and throwing his note card into the wind.  

Adam Sandler's Hanukkah Song

“Put on your yarmulke, it’s time for Hanukkah!” Adam Sandler sang in 1994 to celebrate the Jewish holiday. During the tune, the comedian names various celebrities who are Jewish, half Jewish, a quarter Jewish and not Jewish to an extremely catchy melody.  It was a hit then, and it’s a hit now. Even after all these years, Sandler sings his legendary song live, and it’s always present during SNL’s holiday specials. Talk about iconic.

Jacob the Bar Mitzvah Boy (Vanessa Bayer)

It was always fun when Seth Meyers would welcome his podiatrist’s son, Jacob, to teach the audience about Judaism. Vanessa Bayer played the nervous boy who would bring his little folder to the desk, nervously read it, and then crack some cheesy, yet brilliant, jokes.  

Tim Calhoun (Will Forte) 

Will Forte’s soft-spoken Tim Calhoun would appear on Weekend Update every once in a while to explain why everyone should vote for him for president. However, the thing is, he’s not that good at talking, he would occasionally use song lyrics to convey a point, and he tended to lose his place in his notecards while speaking directly into the microphone using a very funny ASMR-like voice. 

Guy Who Just Bought A Boat And Guy Who Just Joined Soho House (Alex Moffat and Ryan Gosling)

While Ryan Gosling has been serving Ken-ergy ever since Barbie, he was also unintentionally showing off big Ken energy long before he got the role. This happened when he joined Alex Moffat on Weekend Update to play Guy Who Just Bought A Boat’s friend, Guy Who Just Joined Soho House. Greta Gerwig even admitted that she saw his potential to play Ken through his performances on SNL on the SmartLess podcast, specifically referencing this great Weekend Update bit where these two sleazy dudes talk about their bougie lives.  

Roseanne Roseannadanna (Gilda Radner)

One of Gilda Radner’s greatest SNL sketches was her bit as Update’s health correspondent Roseanne Roseannadanna, especially when she came on to talk about smoking. Yelling to the camera, Radner would give audience members advice and tell stories as her outspoken correspondent. Her character is so legendary Emma Stone even recreated the OG Update personality for SNL’s 40th reunion. 

Bennett Brauer (Chris Farley)

Chris Farley’s character Bennett Brauer rolled up to the desk to tell Kevin Nealon his latest commentary. Using lots of air quotes, he spent the majority of his segment commenting on himself, until he quite literally flew away. In true Farley fashion, it was a physical comedy masterclass.

Opera Man (Adam Sandler)

If you want to have your news sung to you, Adam Sandler’s Opera Man has you covered. With a thick accent, a white handkerchief and some very useful captions, the performer relayed the current events, ending every phrase with “oh” so they all rhymed. 

A Grumpy Old Man (Dana Carvey) 

He’s “old” and he’s “not happy” about the world being “improved.” Dana Carvey’s Grumpy Old Man bit has big “back in my day we had to walk uphill both ways” energy, and he brought that aggressive vibe to the Update Desk in the funniest ways. 

Baby Yoda (Kyle Mooney)

Whenever there was Star Wars news to talk about, Kyle Mooney’s Baby Yoda would visit the Update desk to chat about his fame and success. The over-the-top prosthetics the comedian wore were truly impressive and juxtaposed with Baby Yoda’s hype beast mentality, the bit is hysterical. 

Dr. Wenowdis (Kate McKinnon)

Any time Weekend Update needed a medical expert, especially in 2020 or 2021, Kate McKinnon’s Dr. Wenowdis would show up to tell us if “Wenowdis” or “this, we do not nowdis.” While the bit itself is very funny as the comedian talked about various medical situations, what makes it iconic is when both McKinnon and Colin Jost would break and start laughing over it all. 

Bailey Gismert (Heidi Gardner)

Heidi Gardner’s Bailey Gismert is Update’s teen movie critic, and she’s the star of her YouTube channel “Bailey at the Movies.” She’s kind of a nervous wreck, but what teen wouldn’t be if they ended up on Weekend Update? And while she’s there to talk about movies, it almost always ends with her trying to flirt with Michael Che. 

Leslie Jones

Over the course of Leslie Jones' run on Saturday Night Live she appeared on Weekend Update to share her thoughts on topics like “her perfect man,” “vacation,” “being hacked,” “summer beach bodies,” and so much more. She was also the segment’s “relationship expert,” and her commentary on love, dating and relationships was always entertaining. 

Emily Litella (Gilda Radner)

During the first season of SNL, Gilda Radner’s Emily Litella would appear on Update to give her editorial replies. However, she typically misunderstood what she was responding to, which would lead to her creating a response centered around the wrong topic, like violins instead of violence, for example. 

Rebecca LaRue (Kristen Wiig)

If you need a flirting expert, Rebecca LaRue probably isn’t your gal, despite her title, but boy is she funny. During the viral SNL sketch, Kristen Wiig used her physical comedy skills to make the audience crack up as she waved her arms in the air, winked constantly, and tried desperately to flirt with Seth Meyers.

Tommy Flanagan (Jon Lovitz) 

Jon Lovitz’s Tommy Flanagan, the president of Pathological Liars, would come on Weekend Update to talk about the news and how lies play into them. The thing is, he’s also lying the whole entire time.  

Mr. Subliminal (Kevin Nealon) 

Before he started anchoring Weekend Update, Kevin Nealon played Mr. Subliminal. As he shared his take on news, at the end of each sentence, he’d share his hot takes by sliding in one-word quips. 

As you can see, there are so many iconic characters played by legendary comedians, actors and even athletes. Weekend Update has been a constant on Saturday Night Live since the beginning, and it along with the cast of characters who sit at the desk, help make the sketch comedy show what it is. 

Saturday Night Live has been home to hundreds of incredible cast members over the years, but few have brought the uniquely vibrant energy that Leslie Jones always exudes. The actress and comedienne spent five seasons with the long-running NBC late-night series, first as a writer and then as one of its stars. She reflected on her time with SNL in her new memoir, Leslie F*cking Jones, and then in talking about the release, has revealed more details about the highs and lows of working on the Emmy-winning series.

In an interview with NPR’s Fresh Air, Leslie Jones opened up about her experience on SNL, including how she often felt like she was being asked to play the same type of character, one that was basically just an extension of herself. As she put it:

Leslie Jones said she wasn’t the only cast member who experienced comedic typecasting of that variety on SNL. In her experience, fellow former castmates like Taran Killam were also being limited in the types of roles they could play, which was eye-opening for her. 

But it sounds like Jones hasn't taken those arguable limitations personally, and doesn't fully believe it was a personal affront, since she wasn't alone in having her potential dulled for the sake of highlighting only certain talents. Because it wasn't (and still isn't) just one person or group that needed to be pleased by what made it to the screen, but a web of them. Here's how she put it:

It sounds like working on SNL was challenging at times, because she wasn’t always able to show her full range as a performer. But it’s great that she has the ability to talk about her experience now and share what it’s like behind the scenes without anger. It’s not surprising at all that Leslie Jones would be so direct about her experiences with SNL – she has frequently and bravely spoken her mind about working in the entertainment industry. For example, she didn’t hold back her displeasure when a new Ghostbusters reboot was announced in 2019, three years after she and her co-stars faced backlash for their all-female version in 2016. 

As an entertainment industry veteran, Leslie Jones has more than earned the right to speak her mind. She joined the SNL cast in 2014 at the age of 47 after spending years working as a stand-up comedian, and during her time on SNL, she made a name for herself with her fiery appearances on the long-running segment Weekend Update, as well as hilarious impressions of celebs like Omarosa Manigault Newman and Whoopi Goldberg – whom she was apparently instructed not to kill off in one sketch. 

She's gone on to host Supermarket Sweep for its truncated run on ABC, and apparently has zero regrets about leaving the NBC sket show behind, saying:

Her memoir, Leslie F*cking Jones, can be purchased in bookstores nationwide now. And you can rewatch all of Leslie Jones’ best SNL sketches if you have Peacock subscription. 

The 2016 Ghostbusters reboot that starred Melissa McCarthy, Kristin Wiig, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones was a target for online harassment that was very well known at the time. But in her new memoir, Jones opens up about just what she had to go through as part of the film. And it turns out it’s all even worse than we thought, as Jones specifically suffered actual death threats for being in the comedy movie.

Leslie Jones at one point took down her Twitter account as a result of the harassment, but in her new memoir, an excerpt of which was recently published in Rolling Stone, she reveals that the reason for her doing that was to deal with multiple attempts to hack her account. She had even been in direct contact with Twitter’s then-CEO Jack Dorsey about the issue, and people had been put in place to monitor the account. Jones says she was sent actual death threats, something she still has trouble understanding. Jones said…

It’s hard to argue that people getting this angry about a movie is more than ridiculous. There seemed to be a group of people who felt Ghostbusters, was some sort of unimpeachable piece of art and not a silly movie about professional exterminators. There’s no movie that should elicit death threats for its cast but somehow there are people who thought this was ok.

Jones also takes Ghostbusters: Afterlife director Jason Reitman to task in the book. When his Ghostbusters legacy sequel went into production he said the movie was going to give the franchise back to the fans. Jones called him out at the time for the comment, which seemed to be directed at exactly the sort of people who had become filled with rage over the all-female reboot. Reitman later walked back the comment, voicing support for the reboot film.

It turns out Leslie Jones’ issues with Ghostbusters weren’t limited to off-the-set either. She says she was initially offered only $67,000 for her role, far less than her co-stars. She eventually was paid $150K but only after fighting for the raise. 

Jones does have positive memories from Ghostbusters, she says the experience of filming in Boston was great, that the crew, as well as the locals, were always friendly, and she and co-star Kate McKinnon apparently became good friends on the set. So it wasn’t all bad. Still, with the backlash that we’ve seen Halle Bailey deal with on The Little Mermaid and Rachel Zegler is currently experiencing regarding Snow White, it’s clear the terrible behavior is still happening, and we have to wonder if what they’re dealing with is much worse than we realize.  

Impersonating celebrities on TV can sometimes cause actors’ brains to go in some unexpected directions when it comes to the real-life Hollywood stars they’re playing. Case in point: past and present Saturday Night Live headliners Leslie Jones and Kenan Thompson are both so well-versed in portraying spoofed-up versions of The View moderator Whoopi Goldberg that they attempted to go completely meta with a sketch at one point in which the real EGOT winner would appear, only to be (fictionally) shot during “Weekend Update” segment. Why didn’t it happen? It turns out creator Lorne Michaels has a low-key “no killing Whoopi Goldberg” rule.

In her new book Leslie F*cking Jones: A Memoir, the stand-up comedian delves into all manner of stories from her life before and during her Hollywood successes, with SNL obviously playing a huge role in helping her become a household name. The book features an entire chapter titled “Killing Whoopi Goldberg,” amusingly enough, and lays out quite an amusing tale that shines a light on one of the seemingly few lines that Lorne Michaels wasn’t willing to cross for the sake of comedy. Pointing out that she got a bit stoned ahead of the sketch conception, Jones said she and Thompson were jazzed about the idea of bringing the Ghost star into “Weekend Update” to fictitiously fool Colin Jost. Here’s how she wrote it (via EW): 

Sounds like pure farce to me. Jones further explained that the sketch then would have featured the growing horror experienced by Colin Jost and Michael Che as they came to grips with the injured bleeding woman being the actual Whoopi Goldberg, with that footage then sporadically cutting to pre-taped video footage of Lorne Michaels being out and about in his daily life, from playing golf to taking a shower to riding a horse. 

But despite the jubilation shared by Leslie Jones and Kenan Thompson that was inspired by their comedic genius, they quickly found that their fellow SNL colleagues weren’t quite as confident about the sketch’s chances of success. Head writer Bryan Tucker apparently called the idea “crazy” without much amusement, and there was a similar vibe when they went on to pitch it to the “Weekend Update” squad themselves. Though the two actors may have been in hysterics, others once again were not so quick to join them.

So they put their heads together anew to write up a more finalized and detailed version of the scene to pitch at that week’s table read. Which apparently was going well enough, to the point where Lorne Michaels was even reading his “We’ll be right back, baby,” line from the sketch at the table. But that was apparently where the idea completely died on the vine, with the creator pulling the plug then and there. As Jones put it:

She also pointed out that neither Colin Jost nor anyone else in the sketch technically killed Whoopi Goldberg. They just shot her. Who knows what would have happened within the reality of the scene after it ended on the show itself?

For those curious, Leslie Jones did get to pitch the idea to Goldberg herself, who was apparently down to have made it happen, even though it wasn't meant to be. 

Like the majority of scripted projects at the moment, Saturday Night Live’s forward progress with its new season has been stalled due to the WGA writers strike and SAG-AFTRA actors strike, though The View is still going strong with its new season every weekday morning. For those aiming to see 50 years of sketch comedy at the touch of a button, a Peacock subscription is just the ticket.

Chadwick Boseman was a recognizable performer even before his Marvel debut but, after the success of Black Panther, the actor rose fast to superstardom. The 42 star seemingly became one of the biggest movie stars in the world overnight, and his superhero flick became a cultural phenomenon. Shortly after, the actor hosted Saturday Night Live in one of the most memorable episodes in recent memory. Apparently, we have Leslie Jones to thank for the iconic installment, because she was the one that convinced him to appear on the network mainstay. 

The veteran comedian opened up about her time with the sketch show that made her famous and her tenure on it during an interview with People. The Ghostbusters star explained that it was important to her that the show be welcoming towards Black hosts, especially considering SNLs complicated history when it comes to diversity. This welcoming attitude played a big role in how she convinced Boseman to appear on the show at the height of his fame. She said:

The result was an incredible episode, which included many memorable sketches. Popular skits like an installment of “Black Jeopardy” with Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa and a hilarious superhero-inspired parody centered around the Wakanda Forever salute were featured. SNL is a famously high-pressure environment, but the 21 Bridges actor navigated the show and the humor seamlessly. He truly was a jack-of-all-trades, able to effectively deliver a great comedic performance that stands firmly alongside much of his other celebrated work.

Leslie Jones’ experience at SNL and her experience working with the Get on Up star is one of many stories told in her new memoir, Leslie F*cking Jones. She previously said that she aims to be very open and honest in her autobiographic account of her life as a Black, female comic, who's navigating post SNL-life as a successful stand-up. She also talks about her bond with Kenan Thompson, who she felt a kinship with as one of the only other African American cast members on the show. Among the points made is their shared goal to have more Black performers featured on the NBC show.

Securing Chadwick Boseman as an SNL host clearly meant a lot to her, as she mentions the moment within such a personal story. Boseman died at 43 from colon cancer in 2020,  but all of his performances, including his week with SNL, still remain in the public consciousness. Despite that fact that he'd given so many serious performances, Leslie Jones saw his comedic potential, and he delivered. It was a major get for the NBC staple, which was able to feature a major star during an incredibly significant cultural moment. I think the show, and the world, is grateful these two met at that Black Panther after-party. 

Fans of the late actor can revisit his iconic performance in Marvel Studios' Black Panther, which is available to stream now with a Disney+ subscription. You can also check his incredible hosting stint on Saturday Night Live, as it's streamable for Peacock subscribers. 

In one of the most scandalous moments in Oscar history, the 94th Academy Awards witnessed the shocking onstage altercation between Hollywood A-listers Will Smith and Chris Rock. The incident, which unfolded on live television, sent shockwaves through the entertainment industry and stunned audiences worldwide. Now comedian Leslie Jones, a close friend of Rock, is shedding light on the aftermath and how the "humiliating" Oscars slap profoundly impacted the Spiral producer’s personal life.

The former Saturday Night Live star has been a fixture in the stand-up comedy scene for years, known for her hilarious, albeit raunchy, stand-up routines and memorable sketches on the late-night small screen. But beyond her career, she shares a deep friendship with fellow comedian Chris Rock, a bond that was tested on the grandest stage of all – the Oscars. In a candid interview with People, Jones didn't hold back when discussing the shocking incident that unfolded during the awards show. She told the outlet:

The incident, which saw Will Smith slap Chris after a joke made at Smith's wife Jada Pinkett Smith's expense, left a lasting mark on the comedian. It wasn't just a matter of a heated exchange but a moment reverberating through his personal life. The Ghostbusters actress continued: 

The Oscars slap incident sent shockwaves through Hollywood, dominating conversations for weeks. It prompted discussions about the potential personal repercussions for those involved. Leslie Jones, who provides further insights into this incident in her upcoming memoir, Leslie F*cking Jones, slated for release on September 19th, offers a candid look back at her first encounter with the Everybody Hates Chris star in the mid-1990s. Throughout the years, as she navigated the demanding world of stand-up comedy, encountering various obstacles along the way, their friendship flourished. The Fargo alum played a pivotal role in championing her, even recommending her as a potential SNL cast member and convincing her to audition. The comedian recalls:

Chris Rock wrote the foreword for the Our Flag Means Death performer's upcoming memoir, and according to her, "He's just always there to give me the perfect advice when I need it."

In July 2022, Will Smith released an apology video addressing his relationship with Chris Rock. However, during his highly anticipated stand-up special, Selective Outrage, the Bring the Pain comedian didn't hold back, bluntly stating, "Fuck your hostage video." Rock also didn't hesitate to call out the I, Robot actor and his wife. In the Coming 2 America star’s opinion, one positive outcome of the incident was seeing Rock take to the stage to share his feelings and process the trauma. She commented:

To delve deeper into Leslie Jones's captivating rise to stardom, grab a copy of her unfiltered memoir when it becomes available on September 19th. And if you want to hear more of Rock’s perspective on the Academy Award moment, his latest special is available for anyone with a Netflix subscription. Until then, check out our schedule of 2023 movie releases to plan your next trip to the cinema. 

On December 8, 2022, The Daily Show hit the end of another era, with host Trevor Noah, who replaced Jon Stewart, leaving the show after seven seasons. Noah will now be spending more time traveling for both pleasure and to do stand-up comedy, but as far as The Daily Show is concerned, it was announced a few days ahead of the comedian’s exit that numerous celebrities will be filling as guest hosts for the foreseeable future. Cut to the beginning of 2023, it’s been announced who will be kicking off this portion of the Comedy Central series’ run.

As had previously been shared, Leslie Jones will be The Daily Show’s first guest host post-Trevor Noah, with her time behind the desk lasting from January 17-19. After that, Wanda Sykes will take over from January 23-26, followed by D.L. Hughley from January 30-February 2, Chelsea Handler from February 6-9, and then Sarah Silverman from February 13-16. But these five celebrities are just the opening salvo of guest hosts, with others on the way including Hasan Minhaj, Al Franken, John Leguizamo, Kal Penn and Marlon Wayans, though no dates for them have been announced yet. Of these individuals, Minhaj is the only one with past Daily Show experience, having previously worked as a correspondent from 2014-2018.

So we now have mid-January-mid February covered on The Daily Show, and with those additional celebrities, that should take us around mid-late March. However, Chris McCarthy, president of Comedy Central and CEO of Paramount Media Networks, previously said that this guest host rotation would unfold until sometime in June. So along with current Daily Show correspondents and contributors, like Roy Wood Jr. and Dulcé Sloan, set to also get guest hosting turns, you can count on more celebrities being announced for that position in the coming months. As McCarthy put it, this period is being used to “really experiment and try different things.”

After that, The Daily Show will go on break until September, when it will “relaunch” with the new permanent host. That being said, Chris McCarthy and The Daily Show showrunner Jen Flanz have said that they’re exploring the possibility of transitioning the series to having multiple anchors/hosts, so it’s entirely possible that the show could end up looking a lot different come this fall. What’s important to remember at the moment, though, is that just because someone is guest hosing The Daily Show doesn’t mean you should consider this their audition to keep the job. This is simply an opportunity to try their hand at hosting this popular cable series in the middle of their other gigs and obligations.

Keep your eyes peeled on CinemaBlend for more news about what the future of The Daily Show holds in store, including which guest host will follow Sarah Silverman in late February. Our 2023 TV schedule is also available to peruse if you’re curious about other programming on the air now or coming up.

In just two days, The Daily Show hits the end of an era, with Trevor Noah departing the satirical news program after hosting for seven years following Jon Stewart’s exit. Needless to say that ever since it was announced that Noah was leaving The Daily Show on December 8, there’s been the question of who will succeed him as the Comedy Central series’ permanent host. As it turns out, we’ll have to wait to a lot longer than expected to learn that answer, because for a good chunk of the next year, SNL vets and a swarm of other talent will be filling in as guest hosts.

Just like the transition period between Craig Ferguson and James Corden on The Late Late Show, or how Jeopardy! brought in numerous fresh faces to fill in following Alex Trebek’s passing, The Daily Show will be moving ahead with guest hosts to fill in for Trevor Noah in 2023, starting with Leslie Jones, who was a Saturday Night Live cast member from 2014 to 2019, on January 17. Here’s the full list of the announced participating talent (in no particular order other than Jones being first):

• Leslie Jones
• Al Franken
• Sarah Silverman
• Chelsea Handler
• Wanda Sykes
• D.L. Hughley
• John Leguizamo
• Kal Penn
• Marlon Wayans
• Hasan Minhaj

Additionally, current Daily Show correspondents and contributors are set to be guest anchors on The Daily Show, with Roy Wood Jr. and Dulcé Sloan being specifically mentioned as in the mix (let’s also not forget that Hasan Minhaj is a former Daily Show correspondent). Executive producer and showrunner Jen Flanz told Vulture that while many, if not most, of these guest hosts will fill in for a week at a time, some may only appear for one night because of their busy schedules/previous commitments. 

Chris McCarthy, president of Comedy Central and CEO of Paramount Media Networks, added that this guest host rotation will unfold between the beginning of 2023 to around June and allow the show “to really experiment and try different things,” meaning that more talent will be announced in the coming weeks. Then The Daily Show will “relaunch in the fall,” i.e. the permanent host will take over in September 2023 and have “a full year to settle in before the 2024 presidential election.”

This isn’t the first time that The Daily Show has had guest host, with one of the more notable examples being when John Oliver sat behind the desk for a few weeks when Jon Stewart took time off to direct Rosewater. That said, Jen Flanz noted that as far as she can remember, “This is the first time we’re really having outsiders into our house.” Flanz also noted that anyone who’s coming in to guest host The Daily Show shouldn’t be seen as candidates to be the permanent host. This is simply an opportunity for various celebrities to pop in and try out hosting The Daily Show for a spell rather than make a full commitment to the gig.

In October, a few weeks after Trevor Noah revealed he was leaving The Daily Show (which apparently ruffled some feathers behind the scenes), the exiting host said he was excited to travel around the world again to do stand-up comedy, as well as do more producing work and spend more time “back home” in South Africa. By November, it was announced that Trevor will begin his Off the Record tour on January 20, which will see him visiting 28 cities in the United States, and international dates will be unveiled later. 

As far as picking a new permanent host for The Daily Show goes, Roy Wood Jr. has been rumored to be in contention for the job, and Chris McCarthy mentioned that these coming months will be a great time for them to “test out those ideas” on evolving the show. Speaking of the Daily Show format, McCarthy and Jen Flanz also said they’re exploring the possibility of transiting the series from the single-anchor format to having co-anchors or multiple co-hosts, i.e. along the lines of SNL’s “Weekend Update” or Good Morning America, but nothing has been decided yet.

For now, you have three more nights to enjoy Trevor Noah behind the desk at The Daily Show. After December 8, the series won’t return until Leslie Jones kicks off the guest hosting run in mid-January. Look through our 2023 TV schedule to learn what other programming there is to look forward to in the new year.

Raunchy comedy certainly isn’t for everybody, and things can become particularly cringe-heavy if audiences find themselves subjected to sexually explicit humor in the presence of their parents or children. At least one person in attendance at former Saturday Night Live star Leslie Jones’ set at George Washington University had some strong thoughts in that vein about the entertainment on display during Alumni and Families Weekend. Jones' act got slammed by one visiting mother in attendance, as the comedian began singling out members of the audience with some personal zingers during the show, and eventually called the complaintant a MILF in front of her 18-year-old son.

Leslie Jones headlined George Washington University’s annual Fall Comedy Show, bringing her characteristic spicy humor, which even included commentary on “the softness of dick skin,” according to a review in the student newspaper, The GW Hatchet. She also reportedly told a group of coeds to “start sucking some dick” after they said they didn’t have boyfriends. Which brings us to the aforementioned attendee was said to look “visibly upset” over being called a MILF during the act, as well as when Jones implied the son's friends were attracted to her. The woman took the comedian to task via the school’s Parents Underground Group on Facebook, allegedly saying:

It might seem easy to suggest that if the family wasn’t comfortable with the brand of comedy that Leslie Jones was dishing out, they could have just left the show. While it is true they could have done just that, I can also see how they would want to avoid drawing any further attention to themselves. Honestly, I’d give it around a 0.00001% chance that they’d have made it out without the Supermarket Sweep reboot host putting them on the spot in some way that would have also angered the mother. 

The review noted that other Saturday Night Live cast members have performed at the annual event, including Michael Che and Mikey Day, and while it’s unclear what kind of tone the private Washington, D.C., university typically sees from the comedians it brings in, college comedy shows in general can get pretty raunchy, and often without much blowback. 

Leslie Jones herself reportedly pointed out that her material was inappropriate for another family, who were sitting in the front row with their children, one of whom had yet to reach teen-dom. The Coming 2 America actress apparently roasted them, saying: 

Other attendees who were interviewed following the show weren’t as bothered as the woman who griped on Facebook, with one father saying that was on par with the kind of comedy Leslie Jones is known for. His wife said she was “surprised” by the content, but neither of the parents seemed upset by it, the student newspaper reported.

Comedians do take a risk when making members of the audience the subjects of their jokes. There’s no bigger example of how that can backfire than Chris Rock getting slapped by Will Smith at this year’s Academy Awards. However, the Ghostbusters actress was delivering the caliber of humor that she’s known for, and it seems in this situation, the mother in the audience was merely caught off guard in an embarrassing situation next to her son, whose opinion wasn't reported on. 

While Leslie Jones is no longer part of the longtime NBC sketch comedy show, see all of SNL’s confirmed guest hosts for Season 48, and check out our 2022 TV schedule to see what else is coming up soon.

Leslie Jones may have departed Saturday Night Live a few years ago, but she’s still been delighting the public in a number of ways. Whether it be through her hosting gig on the latest version of Supermarket Sweep or her tendency to live-tweet massive superhero movies, she’s still keeping a firm foot in the public eye. But it would seem she’s doing far more than generating massive laughs, though. The actress and comedian is also taking the time to contribute to worthy causes, which was most recently evidenced by a last-minute donation that caused a middle school librarian to cry “happy tears.”

To give a bit of context, Brittany Gendron, a North Carolina-based librarian, was aiming to raise money for supplies that would aid her middle school library in the fight against COVID-19. According to The Charlotte Observer, pressure was setting in as the school's open house was steadily approaching. This led Gendron to make an appeal to Leslie Jones on social media with a heartfelt message and a list of her needs. Well, that same day, Jones saw the message and later responded that she “cleared the list.”

Moved and surprised by Leslie Jones' response, Brittany Gendron went back to Twitter to share an emotional reaction. Check out the heartwarming response down below:

Celebrity/fan interactions over social media can vary, but moments like these are incredibly special. Leslie Jones’ contribution was generous enough, but what’s even more amazing is that other social media users reportedly began to contribute supplies after seeing the posts. Considering the rise in COVID-19 cases as of late and the fact that her county’s school board has made masks optional, the librarian can’t be happy enough with the contributions.

Leslie Jones is far from the only celebrity to have made charitable contributions amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier in the pandemic, X-Men star James McAvoy made a large donation to help the UK combat COVID. Meanwhile, fellow X-Men star Ryan Reynolds repurposed an ad, aimed at Hugh Jackman, in order to help out-of-work bartenders affected by the pandemic.

In addition to giving to worthy causes on her own time, Leslie Jones is also working with a show that seems to be all-in on providing for those in need. Supermarket Sweep actually donates unused food to local charities and food banks. Even the food and pet supplies are sent to a pet welfare organization. Honestly, I can’t think of a better way for the fan-favorite game show to contribute to the public.

Leslie Jones has already proven to be a lovable star, and this recent act of kindness just further solidifies it. As she continues to land new roles, let’s hope she continues to pay it forward.

You can see Leslie Jones when Supermarket Sweep returns on September 26.

Zack Snyder’s Justice League took over the internet when it dropped on HBO Max earlier this year, with the Twitterverse giving a play-by-play of the four-hour affair. One set of tweets that stood out were from actress/host Leslie Jones’ account. As per usual, Jones’ live tweets about the film went viral. Following that, the comedian has explained the role she wants in a Justice League sequel.

When it comes to live-tweeting any and every event, movie or television series, Leslie Jones is the reigning champ. Jones even got a shout-out from Justice League director Zack Snyder after her tweet fest for the HBO Max cut. Now she's jockeying for a role in Snyder’s next film. A determined Jones said about getting a role in Justice League 2:

Leslie Jones' live-tweeting of Justice League made for a lively weekend, but that’s typical for many of her live-tweet sessions, especially with live events. As the comedic actress pointed out, Zack Snyder’s Justice League is a long-term commitment, so she should be rewarded for her enthusiasm and time.

During her Tonight Show interview, host Jimmy Fallon asked Leslie Jones what role she would want in the Justice League sequel. What the actress/host said about the hypothetical role might surprise fans. Jones told Fallon:

Playing a villain in a superhero movie would be a huge departure for the comedic actress. When most people think of Leslie Jones, they think about her time on SNL or standout roles in big-budget comedies. Taking on a villain role would put Jones’s career on a different trajectory.

The only hang-up is it might be hard for viewers to see Leslie Jones in a dark role after years of making people laugh. Maybe it would work if the role mixed humor with a serious moment, like The Joker. It would be nice to see the comedian step outside her comfort zone, much like comedy greats Whoopi Goldberg, Eddie Murphy and Robin Williams. To hear Jones’ full answer, watch the clip below:

But it's unlikely Leslie Jones’s dream role in Justice League 2 will never happen. Zack Snyder recently admitted a second Justice League movie isn’t in the cards right now. He claimed Warner Bros. is very much “anti-Snyder’" when it comes to his vision of the DCEU. Despite the divide, the director and cast have continued to post behind-the-scenes photos from the HBO Max film. So, Leslie Jones and other DC fans may never get to see her as a DC supervillain. If that changes though, we'll let you know.

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It's almost hard to believe it, but Zack Snyder's Justice League has been released for nearly a week. What started as a pipe dream finally became a reality, and the public was able to see the titular director's sprawling, four-hour vision for the project. Comedian/actress Leslie Jones also tuned in and live-tweeted The Snyder Cut aka #LongAssMovie. And now Jones and Snyder had a cute exchange about her viral hot takes.

Leslie Jones is known for her A+ social media presence, amassing over a million followers on Twitter. This is partly due to her hilarious live-tweets, where she records small clips of her reactions to various form of media. Her tweets about Zack Snyder's Justice League quickly made their way around the internet, and the director himself reached out. Check it out below.

Talk about delightful. While Leslie Jones made some criticisms about the contents of Zack Snyder's Justice League throughout her hours live-tweeting, it definitely came from a place of love. And Snyder himself appreciated her tuning in, and sharing her takes on the streaming epic to the Twittersphere.

The above exchange coms to us from (you guessed it) Twitter. Both Leslie Jones and Zack Snyder are known for being extremely active on social media, using platforms like Vero and Instagram to directly communicate with the public. Now their paths have finally crossed thanks to Justice League, and Jones is ready for a role in any possible sequel.

Zack Snyder's Justice League is available exclusively on HBO Max. You can use this link to sign up for the streaming service.

In their cute online exchange, Leslie Jones is ready to sign the dotted line for Zack Snyder's Justice League 2. But there are some specifics regarding the SNL star's role in said (imaginary) project. For instance, she wants to play a villain. What's more, she demands any future installment in the franchise also be at least four hours. Bring on #LongAssMovie2.

While Leslie Jones might be ready to join the cast of a Justice League follow-up, we probably shouldn't hold our collective breathe regarding that possibility. Warner Bros. made an official statement that seems to end those talks, referring to Snyder's DCEU movies as a completed trilogy. Still, that hasn't stopped fans from already calling for a restoration of the SnyderVerse.

Zack Snyder's Justice League is unique because it's not officially part of the DC Extended Universe canon. So it's likely that the various narrative seeds the filmmaker was planting will never come to bloom. But given the Snyder Cut's reception, perhaps Warner Bros. can be convinced to pick up on certain characters or plot lines. Only time will tell.

DC fans can watch Zack Snyder's Justice League now. In the meantime, check out our 2021 release list to plan your next movie experience.

The prospect of a four-hour sit down to watch Zack Snyder’s Justice League was, to some, a pretty daunting thing to behold. But when it came to comedian/game show host/internet commentary star Leslie Jones, the epic length movie was an opportunity to have a lot of fun live-tweeting the events that came to pass. Which is why, if you really want to, you can go online right now and watch all of Ms. Jones’ comments on Zack Snyder’s magnum opus. That includes some pretty hot takes.

Much as she has with other cultural touchstones, Leslie Jones took to Twitter and asked the fans if she should even approach Zack Snyder’s Justice League, in the name of live tweeting goodness. Thankfully she went for it, and it’s highly recommended you go and watch all of the videos she tweeted throughout the course of the film. But if you want a Joss Whedon-style compression of some key moments, we’re about to give you a handful of the stuff that came up. The first of which sees Leslie asking some questions about Superman and Lois Lane’s relationship that are reminiscent of those asked in Mallrats:

That’s a pretty long-standing question in the world of not only Zack Snyder’s Justice League, but also the entire Superman mythos. But whatever the answer, it looks like Lois is indeed going to have Clark’s child, and he’ll become the new Batman… provided the Snyderverse is allowed to continue. And if so, it’s best to make sure this new Bats doesn’t carry the same sort of psychological baggage the rest of the Justice League has on their hands. Listen to Leslie Jones take that topic on, below:

Naturally, Zack Snyder’s Justice League shows this brilliant fighting force in a bit of a rough shape. And they’re bound to make a mistake or two, especially when it moves the plot along for the sake of tension. But if Leslie Jones was running the Justice League, we might have much shorter movies. She made her case to head up DC Comics’ big superhero team, as follows:

Was it a questionable decision to revive Henry Cavill’s Superman from the dead? Zack Snyder’s Justice League almost assuredly believes so, especially given the new Knightmare scene. And that comes up in this next video, as Leslie Jones puts that decision on blast. She also drops the fact that Ben Affleck’s Batman doesn’t have super powers, yet he still thinks he can play with the metahumans:

Look, there’s a lot of Leslie Jones commentary on Zack Snyder’s Justice League, so you should seek it all out. There’s too many great gags to lay out in one story, especially when it’s just going to get in the way of watching it all on your own time. So I'm just going to lay down one last tweet, in which Jones provides some commentary on Steppenwolf’s demise, while calling out Darkseid for round two:

As you can see from the above collection of tweets, Leslie Jones had some thoughts about Zack Snyder’s Justice League. And this isn’t even including her thoughts on why Amazons can be caught sleeping on the job, and how Star Labs really should be more open with the President about the discoveries they make. That’s exactly what makes Ms. Jones’s tweets so entertaining, as she really enjoyed Zack Snyder’s Justice League, even as an outsider to the finer points of comic knowledge that are key to what makes it all tick. For that alone, Marvel Studios should be looking at her wish to become part of the Deadpool franchise, and trying to get some of Leslie Jones’s comedic good will on their side.

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After ended its last incarnation back in 2003, Supermarket Sweep has sprung back to stunning life on ABC, with Saturday Night Live alum Leslie Jones as host and executive producer. Fans seem to be more than excited to have the beloved game show back on the air, especially since the show seems to be staying true to the format of its predecessor. Of course, some viewers may still have questions about one aspect of the fan-favorite show.

Given the heavy use of food on Supermarket Sweep, some may have wondered whether or not the featured food that sits on the shelves and goes into people’s carts is real. Well, according to Good Housekeeping, the ABC reboot does indeed use real food. The site also confirms that at least some of the meat used is real. But still begs the question of what happens to the food after it’s on the show.

Well, Good Housekeeping learned that a majority of the show’s meats are actually donated to the Rancho Wildlife Foundation and other local wildlife organizations. According to the site, “95 pallets of perishable and non-perishable foods were donated to local charities, of which included the L.A. Food Bank, FoodCycle L.A., L.A. Mission, and Downtown Women's Center.” Not only that but a large portion of the leftover pet food and supplies was given to pet welfare organization The Rescue Train.

This is a practice that’s also been adopted by the recently revived U.K. version of the show. When speaking about it to This Morning, host Ryan Clark-Neal discussed the production’s intention not to let food go to waste if it can be avoided:

Supermarket Sweep’s efforts are definitely commendable and is another great way to make good use of the food on the show. It’s also well needed, especially since many are experiencing tough times due to COVID-19. Likewise, many celebrities have been finding different ways to lend a helping hand over the past year.

Earlier this year, famous frenemies Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds extended their “feud.” Only this time, the two used it as a means to help older adults and lower income families that have been affected by COVID-19. Some of the cast of NCIS also helped out this past summer by reuniting to raise money for the Project Angel Food Lead with Love Telethon.

It’s been comforting to see positivity like this during these times. Supermarket Sweep, in particular, is already bringing so much joy to viewers watching at home, and it’s even better know that it’s serving as a big help when the cameras aren’t rolling as well.

Leslie Jones exited Saturday Night Live ahead of Season 45, and she is not looking back. In fact, the fan-favorite comedian has gone on to reveal that she does not really miss the show, and for a keen reason. Since leaving SNL, Jones has a new series -- the revival of Supermarket Sweep, which she will also host. As far as her days on the sketch comedy go, Jones is not yearning to return to them.

Last year, Leslie Jones broke her silence regarding her departure from comedy recruiter Saturday Night Live. At the time, Jones shared that she felt she had left the show a “better performer.” As for missing the show, well, that's an entirely different emotion. The beloved comic shared her feelings about whether or not she missed Saturday Night Live, and this is what she told ET:

And that's why Leslie Jones doesn't miss Saturday Night Live. When she explains that it felt like “two jobs,” you can completely understand where he's coming from. Fans have witnessed a lot of the show's stars come and go through the years, and the workload has been unquestionably immense for those who make it. Among them have been Chris Rock, who got Jones an audition for the series in the first place.

Leslie Jones has since revealed she almost turned down starring on Saturday Night Live. But in the end, she went on to do it, and the result sounds like an exhausting undertaking. Jones’ sentiments regarding Saturday Night Live are something her former colleagues have similarly voiced. For instance, Jones’ former co-star, Pete Davidson, shared that he almost quit it, before later saying he would stay as long as he could.

While Jones decided that it was time to move on, some of her colleagues seem to feel right at home at SNL. For instance, her co-star, Kate McKinnon, did end up returning despite speculation she might leave too. Still, Jones, has gone in an exciting new direction as the host of Supermarket Sweep, finding herself a new network home in the process. The revival will arrive on NBC’s rival network, ABC, and Jones seems more than ready to call the shots.

As for Jones' previous show, it's currently experiencing a new normal, thanks to the coronavirus. The pandemic caused SNL to do remote episodes before it returned to the studio for its current season. Following its comeback, the show also found an ingenious way to recruit live audience members by paying them.

Speaking of getting money, you can see a happy Leslie Jones hosting Supermarket Sweep when it premieres Sunday, Oct. 18, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. Jones’ old show, Saturday Night Live, airs live starting at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC. The grocery competition and the sketch comedy are not the only shows airing new episodes, as you can check out this fall’s schedule for more viewing options.

In a year that completely altered the way that people do their grocery shopping (not to mention just leaving one’s house in the first place), ABC is gearing up to revive the classic series Supermarket Sweep as part of its ever-expanding game show lineup. This new iteration of Supermarket Sweep ostensibly looks like the same show that audiences fell in love with in the ‘90s, only it’ll be anchored this time by the always energetic SNL vet Leslie Jones.

During a Supermarket Sweep panel held by ABC during its two-day lineup of virtual press conferences, Leslie Jones joined executive producers Alycia Rossiter and Lenny Marcus to finally talk at length about the new revival. When I asked the group about their decisions about must-see changes and must-keep similarities, Rossiter explained why Jones herself is the biggest and most important difference between this Supermarket Sweep and all previous versions.

That’s right, fans can largely thank Leslie Jones for Supermarket Sweep returning to TV in the first place, since she was a driving force behind putting the pieces in place to make it happen. The fact that it’s all based on her own history as a mega fan, as opposed to being a less wholesome cash-grab, makes it sound like a far more organically sound project than some of the other revivals that have made it to primetime in recent years.

EP Alycia Rossiter continued, further affirming Leslie Jones to be the standout change amidst the many complications involved with updating the grocery-based game show. In her words:

Leslie Jones clearly wasn’t interested in being the same kind of by-the-numbers host that David Ruprecht was during his tenure heading up Supermarket Sweep – not that he didn’t have his own noteworthy moments – and wanted to bring her familiar boisterousness to the process. Fans can probably expect to hear Jones hollering even louder than some of the contestants about their shopping choices whenever the show debuts.

In response to my question, Leslie Jones also threw herself in the mix as a key update for the show while also teasing other changes that are coming. Here’s how she put it.

It was indeed confirmed by EP Lenny Marcus that Leslie Jones will be handing out $100,000 prizes to Supermarket Sweep winners, while the original series’ grand prize was nowhere near as large. It can be assumed that the revival will also feature some bonus prizes and more ways for contestants to win big.

Fans will get a chance to see how well Leslie Jones does as more-than-host whenever Supermarket Sweep debuts on ABC on Sunday, October 18, at 8:00 p.m. ET. While waiting in the checkout line for it, be sure to head to our Fall TV 2020 premiere schedule to see what other new and returning shows are on the way.

For many comedians and all-around funny people, joining the cast of Saturday Night Live is something they dream about for years, maybe even multiple decades, before getting a shot at starring on the famed sketch show. And, those people usually try very hard to make their SNL dreams come true. Alas, it turns out that the same can not be said for former cast member Leslie Jones, who literally went through the audition process just so she could turn down the potential offer.

While it sounds completely insane for anyone in the entertainment industry to audition for a gig (which could likely lead to one of the biggest things they'll ever do in their career) solely for the purpose of saying no to such a massive opportunity. As you might imagine, though, Leslie Jones does have her reasons. She recently revealed that not only did she not think she was cut out for sketch comedy, but that going in for the audition was just as means to an end for her, and that end was not Saturday Night Live.

Here's what Jones told Howard Stern recently when she appeared on his show:

Alright, I have to admit, this still sounds a bit nutty. But, I think we can all admire the size of the ovaries on a woman who says, "Sure, I'll audition for SNL. But only because it might lead to other, bigger, brighter, things for me. My dope-ocity is really too much for some little sketch show." You go on with your bad self, Leslie Jones!

So, after discovering Leslie Jones for the first time, superstar comedy god (and former SNL player) Chris Rock actually went out of his way to suggest her to the show's mastermind, Lorne Michaels. Of course, as Jones noted in her interview, Rock didn't talk to her first about this move and when she found out about it her reaction sounds like it landed somewhere between annoyed and actually very pissed.

But, as we all know, Leslie Jones did go through the audition process and did, eventually, say yes when she was offered a job as a writer on Saturday Night Live, beginning to work there behind the scenes in early 2014. After making one appearance on Weekend Update in Season 39, she went on to be promoted to featured player early in Season 40. Jones stayed on board for five seasons, becoming a well-loved member of the cast and a celebrity in her own right with her sincere fangirl tendencies leading many folks to stay glued to her Twitter feed.

But, all good things must come to an end, and Jones announced that she was leaving SNL last August, right before Season 45, so that she could pursue other career opportunities. She now heads into her gigs as the new host of Supermarket Sweep and one of the stars of Coming 2 America as a two-time Emmy nominee because of her work on Saturday Night Live, and she's made it clear that, even though she didn't want to do the show at first, it did make her a better performer. So, it's good to see that everything worked out for the best.

Leslie Jones' Supermarket Sweep debut will come to ABC sometime this year, and you can also see her in Coming 2 America on December 18. In the meantime, Saturday Night Live is currently airing Season 45, and you can see what else is on TV this winter in our 2020 premiere guide!

As recent history has taught us, revivals and reboots are not just for scripted television. Game shows have gotten in on the action too! Last year, it was announced that Saturday Night Live vet Leslie Jones would host and executive produce a reboot of Supermarket Sweep. At the time, the series did not have a TV home quite yet, and now it does!

After reported interest from Netflix, ABC, Fox, and NBC, it is the Alphabet Network that won Leslie Jones’ Supermarket Sweep! ABC announced it will be the one to broadcast Jones’ upcoming reboot with a premiere date still pending. Hopefully that means Jones will not be away from television for long after leaving Saturday Night Live.

When is Supermarket Sweep going to get started? Production is slated to begin this spring. It is currently set to span ten episodes. Leslie Jones previously opened up about leaving Saturday Night Live. Her new show will also mean leaving NBC for ABC. I have to imagine NBC fought hard to get the Jones-led reboot.

The Game of Thrones enthusiast's Supermarket Sweep coming to ABC is another sign that the game show genre is still going strong on the network. ABC acquiring Leslie Jones’ Supermarket Sweep comes after it recently announced a special return run of the long-running game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, per Deadline.

Jimmy Kimmel will host a series of Millionaire charity specials with celebrity guests. The specials are to celebrate the show’s 20th U.S. anniversary. The series begins Wednesday, April 8. Between Supermarket Sweep and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, ABC is set to get nostalgic!

It has been more than sixteen years since TV viewers got to enjoy an episode of Supermarket Sweep. In 1999, Pax revived the series. It ended in 2003. Now it is heading back to one of the big three networks and with the fantastic Leslie Jones as its host!

For those who may need a refresher on Supermarket Sweep’s premise, you have come to the right place. Leslie Jones will host as three teams comprised of two people square off. They will all work to leverage their grocery shopping knowledge in a bid to win considerable cash prizes. Competitive grocery shopping at its finest!

In recent years, ABC revived The Gong Show with Mike Myers in-character as Tommy Maitland and worked to keep the game show genre alive with other shows as well. The Alphabet Network getting on-board with Leslie Jones’ Supermarket Sweep reboot makes perfect sense. Hopefully, Disney+ will make episodes available to stream after they air! That would be another draw to the still-new streamer.

Supermarket Sweep does not have a premiere date on ABC yet, so stay tuned. Jimmy Kimmel’s celebrity-starring charity run of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire will start on Wednesday, April 8, on ABC. While you wait to get swept up in the supermarket excitement of Leslie Jones' reboot, check out this winter’s premieres.

For a while, it looked like Saturday Night Live would make it to Season 45 without going through any major casting shakeups, it was revealed recently that Leslie Jones has exited the sketch series ahead of the new season's production. Nearly a week went by without Jones making any public declarations about the matter, but fans knew the comedian wouldn't be on the silent end forever.

Leslie Jones took to social media to share her thoughts about leaving, which came mostly in the form of heavy appreciation for those that surrounded her, both on the screen and off of it. In her words:

Taking to Twitter with her gratitude, Leslie Jones is wrapping up a five-year run on Saturday Night Live that was filled with some pretty major career highs, such as landing one of the four lead roles in Paul Feig's Ghostbusters reboot alongside SNL co-star Kate McKinnon. Granted, that film's production was marred by a stiff rise in toxic internet culture, which bled into unnecessary personal attacks on Jones for various reasons. (She's not so pumped about Jason Reitman's upcoming Ghostbusters flick, either.)

Beyond that temporary blight, though, Leslie Jones has become a household name in the best of ways since starting up on SNL back in 2014, where she began as a writer before quickly being bumped up to featured player later that year for Season 40. Her evolution as a performer was a noteworthy one, and she will no doubt be a shining light on every project that comes next. (More on that in a sec.)

Though Leslie Jones was fairly critical of Kenan Thompson in the time before she joined SNL (which she was also critical of for its lack of diversity), Jones and Thompson ended up becoming really strong friends by the end. Speaking of, she continued her social media farewell to SNL with the following:

Will Leslie Jones return for an SNL hosting gig at some point? Probably not during Season 45, since that might be a little too soon. But considering she's exiting with (seemingly) nothing but appreciation for everyone on the show, I can't imagine she'll stay away forever. After all, she's a huge Game of Thrones fan, and there will likely be lots to talk about and make fun of whenever the prequels and spinoffs have made their way to HBO.

Check out Jones' Twitter post below to see the excellent video highlighting her time on SNL.

In the meantime, though, Leslie Jones already has a follow-up project to potentially take the place of her sketch comedy work. She's being tapped to head up a revival of the classic game show Supermarket Sweep, which is currently being shopped around to networks and streaming services. She's also joined the cast of the long-awaited sequel Coming 2 America, with Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall returning to reprise their characters.

Saturday Night Live Season 45 will kick off its fall run on NBC starting on Saturday, September 28, at 11:30 p.m. ET.

Leslie Jones might be done with Saturday Night Live, but that doesn't mean we've seen the last of her on our TV screens. The comedian has just nabbed a pretty sweet gig that could keep her on television for many years to come. Jones has just signed on to become the newest host of the classic game show Supermarket Sweep.

Leslie Jones will also be executive producing the rebooted game show, and, according to Deadline, while the new and improved Supermarket Sweep doesn't have a television home just yet, plenty of networks and streamers have been intrigued enough to bid on it, including Netflix, ABC, Fox and NBC. So, it sounds like we might be seeing Jones lead the game show before too long.

Why Leslie Jones is so high on Supermarket Sweep is anyone's guess, but it's possible that she was just a fan of previous versions of the game show. Supermarket Sweep began on ABC, running from 1965 through 1967. It was then brought back by Lifetime and ran on that network from 1990 through 1995, and was then revived again on Pax in 1999, with that iteration ending in 2003.

In case you didn't catch any of the previous versions of Supermarket Sweep while you were home sick from school / work in the past 50 or so years, it's actually a pretty cool and straightforward show. In it, three teams answered questions to have time added to their clock, and then they sped around a grocery store to collect as many products of the highest value as possible during their set amount of time, with the team that garnered the most expensive cart winning.

The former SNL star might also just know a good thing when she sees it, because it seems pretty clear that America can't quite quit the fast-paced fun that is Supermarket Sweep (even though it sounds like things got kinda gross on set after a while). The potential combination of a property Jones enjoyed watching herself with a show that appears to be nearly guaranteed to stick around for at least a few years would be hard to pass up.

It's pretty hard to deny that Leslie Jones would be an awesome game show host. Her energy and enthusiasm have made her a stand out during her five seasons on SNL, which is why she was Emmy nominated three times for her role on the late night comedy. Also, her fervor for, well, basically everything, on Twitter led her to becoming a pop culture favorite and a job commentating to her heart's desire for the past two Olympic games on NBC.

Lest you think that this is all Leslie Jones has on tap in the near future, though, know that she's also working on a stand up comedy special for Netflix, which will drop sometime in 2020, and has several movies in the pipeline. These include the long-awaited sequel Coming 2 America with Eddie Murphy and Queenpins with Kristen Bell.

As was mentioned earlier, Supermarket Sweep doesn't have a network just yet, so right now we don't know when we can expect the game show to debut. But, stick with CinemaBlend and we'll be sure to give you all the details as they become available. In the meantime, check out our 2019 fall TV premiere guide to keep up with everything coming to the small screen in the next few months.

While Saturday Night Live is technically an ensemble series with a huge cast of comedic actors, it has arguably had two leading ladies for the past several years: Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon. Both became big names on the big screen while still starring on SNL, so it may have only been a matter of time before one or both left. Well, now Leslie Jones is leaving the series behind. There is good news, though; Kate McKinnon will still be around to deliver the laughs. That should help make up for the loss of Leslie Jones!

Although standard Saturday Night Live deals run for seven years, Deadline reports that Leslie Jones made the decision to leave after only five, as contact options are picked up on a yearly basis and actors can request to be released early. She's reportedly leaving to focus on new opportunities, including a standup comedy special on Netflix, a part in the long-awaited Coming To America sequel, and more movie projects.

Leslie Jones was a key member of the cast, and she'll undoubtedly be missed by many. Honestly, I still go back and watch her Naked & Afraid: Celebrity Edition sketch with Peter Dinklage if I need a comedy pick-me-up. She scored two Emmy nominations over her five years on the show, became a regular guest on Weekend Update, and nailed some impersonations, including Whoopi Goldberg.

It's too bad for fans that it wasn't announced sooner that Leslie Jones wouldn't be around for the upcoming Season 45, as there wasn't the chance to say goodbye to her on screen. Still, I'd bet that she'll be back to host at some point! Hopefully it just won't take her as long to come back as it took Eddie Murphy to come back as host. She was one of the biggest names on the show, and she'll be missed.

Upcoming SNL Hosts: All The Hosts And Musical Guests For Season 45

At least we'll still have Kate McKinnon! Her return was far from a sure thing, as her contract was up following Season 44. Rumors abounded that she would be out ahead of Season 45, and the odds off that seemed pretty good that she was out. She has another TV show in the works, and she has worked on some major movies. Assuming she had the seven season contract, Season 44 would have been the end of it.

That said, Kate McKinnon's work on SNL won her the Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy trophy twice already, and she's up for the award again at the 2019 Emmys. I wouldn't be surprised if SNL and NBC pulled out all the stops to keep McKinnon on board into Season 45, especially with Leslie Jones leaving.

Kate McKinnon will be present at least into her eighth season. It's reportedly not clear at this point if McKinnon will be back full-time, but some McKinnon is better than no McKinnon! Find out when Saturday Night Live returns to the airwaves along with a bunch of other shows on our 2019 fall TV premiere schedule.

A little over 30 years ago, Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall made comedy history with the box office smash Coming To America. Now, a legacy-quel is on the way with Coming 2 America, the story of Prince Akeem’s eventual ascension to the throne of Zamunda.

Of course, as luck would have it, soon-to-be King Akeem has found out that he has a long lost son in America, and must return to find him and bring him into the family business. With a legacy-quel as exciting and as prolonged as Coming 2 America, there’s bound to be familiar faces returning, as well as newcomers taking their place in the cast of this exciting continuation.

Which means it’s time to run an updated cast list rundown of who’s coming back and who’s new to the game. As Coming 2 America is still in the works, we’ll have to update this rundown as developments come in. But as of this moment, here’s who we have in the film so far:

Eddie Murphy - Prince Akeem

Almost the king of his home nation, Prince Akeem is going to return to America in order to find his long-lost son, LaVelle. And naturally, Eddie Murphy will be returning to the role he made famous back in 1988. Murphy will soon be seen in the Netflix original Dolemite Is My Name, which is also directed by Coming 2 America helmer Craig Brewer.

Arsenio Hall - Semmi

For a while, everyone was wondering if Coming 2 America would bring Arsenio Hall’s Semmi back into the fold as well. Naturally, what good would this return to the world of Zamunda be without including the prince’s best friend in the world? Hall’s most recent performance was as himself in the Netflix original movie, Sandy Wexler.

Shari Headley - Lisa McDowell

With Prince Akeem marrying the love of his life at the end of Coming To America, Lisa McDowell became a part of the royal family of Zamunda. And just recently, Shari Headley was confirmed as returning to the role in Coming 2 America, alongside Eddie Murphy’s Prince Akeem. In addition to being a series regular on Tyler Perry’s The Haves and The Have Nots, Headley was also seen in last year’s Goosebumps: Haunted Halloween.

John Amos - Cleo McDowell

Another recent addition to Coming 2 America’s cast is Lisa’s father, Cleo, once again played by actor John Amos. Whether Cleo decided to stay in America to run his fast food chain, McDowell’s, or if he’s decided to franchise a store to the Zamundan people, is yet to be seen. But in either case, another returning cast member is on their way to the sequel!

James Earl Jones - King Jaffe Joffer

You might have thought James Earl Jones would have sat out Coming 2 America, but if The Lion King can get him to be Mufasa again, then clearly anything is possible. Which is exactly what happened here, as Jones will once again play King Jaffe Joffer on screen. Sadly, it’s probably not going to be a sizable role, as the king is apparently going to die soon in the world of this legacy-quel’s story, and his dying wish is apparently for his long-lost grandson to become a prince.

Vanessa Bell Calloway as Imani Izzi

Speaking of Prince Akeem's past, the most recent returning cast member returning for Coming 2 America is Imani Izzi herself, Vanessa Bell Calloway. Once betrothed to marry the prince, she was eventually spurned in the favor of Lisa McDowell. Ms. Calloway was most recently seen on Showtime's Black Monday, with roles in films like Blumhouse's Thriller and the cop drama Dragged Across Concrete also making up her recent filmography.

Wesley Snipes - General Izzi

One of the interesting additions to the Coming 2 America cast is legendary screen actor Wesley Snipes. Reported to be playing the role of General Izzi, there’s not much to know about his character at this time. However, he just might be the son of Coming To America’s Colonel Izzi, the father of the young woman who Prince Akeem was betrothed to marry in the 1988 original. Surely that failed marriage couldn’t have started a family grudge, could it?

Leslie Jones

Here’s where our casting breakdown gets a little more speculative, as we don’t have names or totally confirming details to put to the faces. That being said, SNL’s Leslie Jones has been cast in Coming 2 America, in the role of Lavelle's mother. Apparently at some point in Coming To America, Prince Akeem and Jones' character had a one night stand, and Lavelle was the end result.

Tracy Morgan - Reem

On top of having a pair of SNL legends as his parents, the character of Lavelle is going to have another playing his uncle/fellow hustler Reem. Tracy Morgan joined the cast of Coming 2 America to play this very role, which puts him in the same metaphorical room as Leslie Jones and Eddie Murphy. Morgan's casting finds him coming off of a guest spot on Jordan Peele's The Twilight Zone, as well as the lead role on TBS's continuing sitcom The Last O.G.

Kiki Layne

What we do know about Kiki Layne’s role is that she’s the daughter of Prince Akeem and Lisa’s wedded union, so she’s practically going to be a princess of Zamunda. Other than that, and the burden of not being a male heir to the empire, the If Beale Street Could Talk star’s part in the film is a mystery. Though it’s good to know someone of her pedigree will be able to help land the dramatic, as well as the comedic, components of the film’s story.

Jermaine Fowler

Allegedly the same sources at Collider that first pegged Leslie Jones as LaVelle’s mother have stated that Sorry To Bother You’s Jermaine Fowler will be playing LaVelle. That seems like a reasonable assumption, but we’re still not sure when that will be confirmed. Should this be the case, it’ll be interesting to see Fowler square off with Eddie Murphy after so many years of not knowing his on-screen father.

Rick Ross

Last but not least, recording artist and Superfly actor Rick Ross will be rounding out the cast of Coming 2 America in an undisclosed role. However, it’s definitely noteworthy that Ross also did a music video with Jared Leto’s Joker for Suicide Squad; so if he could keep it together for a short shoot with that nutty funster, the man could probably knock this out of the park.

Again, as soon as any further confirmations are known pertaining to new and existing Coming 2 America cast members, you’ll want to turn to this list for those updates as they progress. For now though, this is an exciting cast that will surely be worth waiting to see on the big screen.

Coming 2 America takes the throne on December 18, 2020 (it was previously scheduled for August 7, 2020), but there’s still plenty of action left in 2019’s release schedule, so take a look and see what’s new and exciting in the coming months.

No one who has followed Saturday Night Live cast member Leslie Jones on Twitter, or seen / heard her talk about anything she loves, really, can deny that the woman is a fount of enthusiasm when she's into something. Well, it just so happens that one of the things Jones loves is Game of Thrones, and this weekend will see star Kit Harington hit the stage as host for the first time. That's great news for Jones, but maybe not such good news for Harington, as it appears to have inspired a bit of intense role-playing he might not have been so prepared to do. Take a look:

Oh, Leslie! You started off so strong with your pitch perfect interpretations of Hodor dying at that door, a toy Jon Snow and his crew of fallen Troll dolls trying to outlast the Night King and his army of undead on the ice, and Dany's poor undead dragon taking down the bubble wrap wall. But, then you just had to drag the real, live Jon Snow, a.k.a Kit Harington, into your madness when you pulled out all the cardboard stops to stage the scene between Jon and Dany in the throne room at Dragonstone. (Cardboardstone?)

While I'm sure Leslie Jones was hooping that the scene would eventually lead to some personal time between herself and Kit Harington in a fake ship's cabin, it turns out that tricking the man into coming with her as soon as he got to the SNL reception area and then holding the the poor dear hostage for four hours ended up in a bit of a backfire. Of course, that just meant that she was able to stage the best scene of all by putting Harington in a full body nude suit, making him wear a (semi) disgraced Cersei wig and forcing him to do a shame walk that no Game of Thrones fan ever thought they'd see. Oh, well, at least they both got to eat some donuts.

I have to say, this is one of the better promos for an SNL host that the show has had in a long time. While the actual show will probably see at least one Game of Thrones parody skit, pairing Leslie Jones' fangirl fervor for the hit fantasy (which the show has used to great effect before) with an annoyed, befuddled and truly trapped Kit Harington was a definite win when it comes to trying to convince folks to tune in to the long-running sketch show. I gotta say, now I really hope to see at least a couple of non-GOT skits with these two on Saturday night. They work well together, right?

We can see what other shenanigans Kit Harington and Leslie Jones get up to when he debuts as host on Saturday Night Live on April 6.

Who you gonna call when you have a complaint about the new Ghostbusters movie? Jason Reitman, maybe. He's the one directing and co-writing the new movie set in the same universe as the original films. Leslie Jones, one of the stars of the 2016 Ghostbusters reboot, isn't happy for their film to be left out. She responded to a fan who tweeted Reitman asking if he'd bring back the four women who starred in the reboot:

Leslie Jones is not shy about speaking out. Then again, non-fans weren't shy about speaking out about the Ghostbusters reboot either. The film was considered controversial for being a reboot of the classic franchise, and for gender-swapping the ghostbusters.

The 2016 movie made $229,147,509 worldwide, off a reported production budget of $144 million, according to Box Office Mojo. That's less than the $295M the original Ghostbusters made in 1984 off a reported $30 million budget, not even adjusting for inflation. Ghostbusters 2 made a little less at $215 million in 1989, but again that's not adjusting for inflation so in today's numbers that would've been a lot more. Assuming people today would've gone to see it, and the people today who are excited for Ghostbusters 3 may want to curb their enthusiasm until they hear the full cast details.

Jason Reitman is the son of original Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman, which has a nostalgia factor on its own. A first teaser for the movie has already been released, and OG Ghostbusters stars Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson reacted to it. However, it's not clear if they will be returning to their original roles.

Because that's what fans seem to really be hoping for -- a Ghostbusters 3 reunion for Dan Aykroyd's Ray Stantz, Ernie Hudson's Winston Zeddemore, and Bill Murray's Peter Venkman. That may actually happen. Sadly, Harold Ramis passed away in 2014 so we wouldn't be able to get Egon Spengler back.

But The Hollywood Reporter's Borys Kit said on Twitter that the main characters of the new Ghostbusters will be four teens: two boys, and two girls. (It's basically Stranger Things when they dressed up for Halloween?) Fans may not like that idea as much, or they may be fine with it as long as it's somehow connected to the original universe in an obvious way. Maybe the teens are the kids of the original characters? Sequels/revivals do seem to love that angle.

While some fans are happy to skip over the reboot, others really did enjoy the movie buried underneath all of that internet squabbling. Maybe Ghostbusters should take up that idea of setting up a multiverse and checking in on the alternate realities out there. After all, this is a world of supernaturals, so it would make perfect sense to enter another dimension.

The new Ghostbusters -- which is apparently being hashtagged as #GB20 if you want to keep up -- is aiming for a release in 2020. In the meantime, 2019 has plenty to offer the world, so check out our packed movie schedule so you don't miss anything.

While it was released back in April, cinephiles and Marvel fans alike are still reeling from the shocking events of Avengers: Infinity War. The Russo Brothers brought together all of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's biggest characters in the epic battle against Thanos, and the shared universe will never be the same. Fans have been keeping the film's contents under wraps, allowing more casual moviegoers to see the blockbuster in their own time. This is exactly what happened to SNL star Leslie Jones, who recently watched Infinity War at home. Jones also live-tweeted the experience (as she's wont to do), and had some absolutely hilarious reactions. Check out some of the highlights.

One of the first LOL moments to come from Leslie Jones' Infinity War live-tweeting happened when Chris Evans' Captain America appeared onscreen for the first time. Jones has an unapologetic crush on Steve Rogers (and the actor who plays him), so she was noticeably excited when he popped up to save Scarlet Witch and Vision during the film's first act. The comedian/actress spends much of her recap referring to Cap as her "husband", which added another layer to her already hilarious reactions.

In fact, Chris Evans saw the above tweet, and responded himself. While he's not nearly the comedian Leslie Jones is, he holds his own with a hilarious response, saying:

The First Avengers has jokes, you guys. While Chris Evans doesn't get a ton of chances to flex his comedic muscles through his long tenure in the MCU, he can luckily use social media to show that Steve Rogers actually can relax.

While Leslie Jones live-tweeted throughout _Infinity War'_s long runtime, some of her best material came from the epic final Battle of Wakanda. Arguably the funniest short video came from Scarlet Witch's big moment during the epic fight scene. As Thanos' forces break through the Vibranium-powered shields, Wanda joins the conflict and kicks some major ass. Leslie Jones actually predicted Okoye's line, wondering where TF she was during the rest of the battle. Check it out.

Someone hire Leslie Jones to write Marvel dialogue. Because she was basically word for word with Danai Gurira's Okoye on that line. She posted endless video responses to the giant battle, including yelling at Thor for his poor aim and penchant for monologuing.

Like the rest of us, Leslie Jones was also thoroughly devastated when Thanos eventually snapped his fingers and wiped out half the galaxy. Everyone knows the most devastating loss as a result of the snap was Tom Holland's Peter Parker. After begging for his life, we were left to watch in horror as Spider-Man faded away. And Leslie Jones was not here for it.

Same, Leslie. Same.

The shocking ending of Avengers: Infinity War left us all in shock, and Leslie Jones is obviously included. Once the credits began to roll, she took to Twitter in a fury that nobody warned her that so many of our favorites were biting the dust.

Leslie Jones also posted quite a few times about Avengers: Infinity War's post-credits scene. Helping to set up Brie Larson's debut in Captain Marvel, audiences watched as Maria Hill and Nick Fury faded into dust. But not before Fury signaled Captain Marvel-- a character Jones has little to no knowledge of. Just check out one of her final Infinity War-related tweets.

Not one to miss out on a joke, Leslie Jones was sure to include a random DC reference to really shake things up. And I'm sure it drove some hardcore comic fans crazy.

You can do your own live-tweeting by getting Avengers: Infinity War on Blu-ray on August 14th. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Leslie Jones is ready to make a few alterations to Saturday Night Live next season. In a new interview, the SNL superstar revealed she is ready for a change of pace when it comes to content for the show's 44th season. And it may include less screen time for Alec Baldwin. The comedienne is ready to focus on the funny in a different way next season, saying:

There is certainly a lot to make people laugh outside of politics, and Leslie Jones hoping the show focuses on that makes all the sense in the world. Jones offered her insight in an interview with The Wrap. The actress joined Saturday Night Live back in 2014, two years before the 2016 presidential election. In the years since, the show has enjoyed a healthy dose of political humor.

In fact, political satire has been pretty huge for Saturday Night Live over the years, but so have the iconic characters the show has created. If the sketch-comedy show spends most of its time on politics, it takes away the opportunity for actors on the cast to create characters that are all their own. A chance they do not get doing political impressions.

As her earlier statement indicated, Leslie Jones does not want to do away with the show's political satire altogether. She just wants to spread the love a little. Explaining her hopes for the next season of Saturday Night Live, Jones said:

Leslie Jones' desire to get to the bottom of whatever is funny and explore it is one of her many assets as a comedian. Not only has Jones found success in films and television; she is also well-known for her enthusiastic Olympic commentary.

Further in her interview, Leslie Jones talks about the repetitive nature of every comic attempting a "Trump joke." As Jones points out, it is an attempt at humor that will not exactly help you stand out among the sea of aspiring comedians. Has Saturday Night Live itself gotten too comfortable in relying on political satire to nourish its material? Fans may have different responses. And without a rival sketch comedy show that focuses on it less, there is no way to know for certain.

It will be interesting to see how much of a reduction in political humor there will be when the long-running sketch comedy series returns. Based on Leslie Jones' comments, it sounds like a chance for the show to recalibrate with regard to the frequency of its politics, not do away with them entirely. It is a move that would be good news for those who enjoy that facet of the show, and good news for those who do not.

Saturday Night Live will return for its forty-fourth season this fall. In the meantime, you have a lot to look forward to! For new upcoming and returning television shows you can anticipate watching in the coming months, check out CinemaBlend's guide to TV's summer premieres.

Back in 2016, Hollywood announced to the world that phone apps were now fair game for feature film adaptation with The Angry Birds Movie. The animated kids film didn't land with critics, but as an inoffensive kids film with name recognition, it performed well enough at the box office to warrant a sequel, and thus a franchise. Angry Birds 2 isn't scheduled to hit theaters until next year, but it is already adding to the fun voice cast from the first film. Joining the returning cast of Jason Sudeikis, Peter Dinklage, Josh Gad, Danny McBride and Bill Hader are Sterling K. Brown, Leslie Jones, Lil Rel Howery, Awkwafina, Dove Cameron, Rachel Bloom, Eugenio Derbez, Beck Bennett and Brooklynn Prince.

Primarily a TV actor for years, Sterling K. Brown's breakout roles in American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson and This Is Us have seen his stock rise as he finds himself an increasing big screen presence. He will be in the bonkers-looking action flick Hotel Artemis this summer, as well as the continuation of the the Predator franchise, The Predator, later this year. While we don't yet know his role (although I assume it will be a bird, or a pig, one of the two), Sterling K. Brown seems well suited to voiceover work in a kids movie like this. He has a recognizable and soothing voice, and I could totally see him playing a wise bird giving sage advice, or a father figure-type character like on This Is Us.

Of all the new people added to this cast, Leslie Jones seems the best suited to the animation realm. Her boisterous and animated personality should bring a lot of fun and humor to Angry Birds 2. The actress has already had some fun in this realm when she voiced a character in 2016's Sing, a movie that new Angry Bird Beck Bennett also starred in. The voice cast is crucial to bringing the humor and excitement to a movie like this, and listening to Leslie Jones play off Jason Sudeikis' straight man Red should be fun.

Next up is Lil Rel Howery, the comedian and actor who burst onto the scene in Jordan Peele's Get Out. A lot of the humor Lil Rel Howery brought in that movie was just via the phone conversations he was having with Daniel Kaluuya's Chris, so the actor can clearly provide laughs just with his delivery.

Rachel Bloom is no stranger to voice work either, having worked on series like Bojack Horseman and Robot Chicken. Her lead role on the musical comedy Crazy Ex-Girlfriend has also shown her versatility so perhaps her casting indicates that Angry Birds 2 will be bringing in a musical element.

This new voice cast, announced by producer John Cohen on Twitter, clearly shows that the sequel film is aiming for an even more diverse array of voices for the animated characters. There's definitely a focus on up-and-coming talent, too. Awkwafina will be in Ocean's 8 and Crazy Rich Asians this year, and Dove Cameron is currently on Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Mexicana actor Eugenio Derbez will bring some latin flavor to the proceedings, and casting The Florida Project's Brooklynn Prince means we'll probably be getting some younger characters in the movie.

Looking back at the first film, Angry Birds 2 may not be for everyone and it will certainly be geared towards a younger audience. It will all depend on the script and direction, but Angry Birds 2 will have no shortage of talent. Angry Birds 2 is scheduled to fly into theaters on September 20th, 2019.

Adam Rippon may have turned down official NBC correspondent duties this week, but that doesn't mean he can't have some fun talking about ice dancing with Saturday Night Live cast member and Olympic superfan Leslie Jones. The comedian has joined the roster of commentators for the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, and, just like with her stint at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, she's bringing her hilarious A game. Take a look!

Well, if you were wondering why NBC brought Leslie Jones back for these games, or why they offered a job to figure skater Adam Rippon, you now have your answer. The two are pure gold when it comes breaking down why we love to watch Olympic figure skating. I mean, sure, it's nice to get the inside scoop on all the spins, lifts and twizzles the ice dancing couple need to do, but who can honestly argue that what really matters to most of us isn't whether or not we want to wear their costumes to the club? None of us, that's who.

NBC correspondent Scott Hamilton surprised Leslie Jones, who was already in awe over how "dope" it was that she was given a headset, with the reveal that Adam Rippon would be coming on to help her give commentary on ice dancing duo Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir's gold medal winning performance. In true, ultra-enthusiastic Leslie Jones fashion, this elicited a loud "AAAADDDDAAAAAAAAAAM!" from Jones, who was all smiles as she hugged Rippon, then gave him the once over and mused, "You're so cute!"

The two bonded immediately over how "fine" they think Terry Gannon, who's been announcing the figure skating events for this Olympics, is and then they dive into the performance. Pairs pull out all the stops in ice dancing, and can frequently offer up some pretty hot numbers, which leads Jones to wonder if Virtue and Moir "are getting into trouble for how sexy they are." That comment led to the magnificent revelation that Adam Rippon often watches Tessa Virtue and feels like, wait for it... his hair is growing.

Seriously, if you don't love the off-the-cuff madness that is Leslie Jones and Adam Rippon discussing how much they love Team USA, you might as well give up all hope of enjoying anything in life right now. Jones, of course, became well-known for her wild opinions on Olympic events during the Rio games, and was up to her old tricks when the Winter Games got underway, and NBC decided to bring her into the fold. Adam Rippon quickly caught people's attention during his many interviews before and after his performances for these games, and recently had to turn down an offer to become part of NBC's correspondent team so he could stay on Team USA.

The best part of the clip might be the ending, which sees Leslie Jones, who spent a large part of the video talking about how hot Virtue and Moir are, scream at the conclusion of their dance and proceed to fan herself, sweat and proclaim that "if they weren't dating, they're dating now. That's for sure!"

We haven't seen any additional team ups with Leslie Jones and Adam Rippon commentating at the Olympics, but NBC would be crazy not to continue to pair these two funny and frank folks as the games continue to roll on. You can watch the Olympics through February 25 on NBC and many of its networks. For more on what you can catch in the coming weeks, check out our midseason premiere guide.

The cast members of Saturday Night Live have to be ready for anything when the show goes live, and that includes being sick. Leslie Jones wasn't prepared for that when James Franco was on the show back in December, and her lack of anticipation led to an incredibly gross story which almost ended in her throwing up on Franco and some of of the cast on live television. Watch Jones tell the story, which concludes right around the 1:40 mark, on Late Night With Seth Meyers below:

Leslie Jones is a trooper for making it through that Saturday Night Live sketch without vomiting, since most people wouldn't have held strong in her situation. Unsurprisingly, not vomiting was about all Jones could do as the cast tried to keep the sketch going while she gathered all her strength to prevent from being the cast member who blew chunks on air. This included jogging in place, making very aggressive and semi-pukey sounds, and not grabbing James Franco by the throat and shouting at him for spitting fake blood into her mouth.

There's no way of proving for sure whether or not James Franco intentionally waited to spit the blood before Leslie Jones started speaking, although the smirk he had throughout the Saturday Night Live sketch is highly incriminating. Franco's not the only one who smirked though, as everyone but Jones tried their best not to fall apart and die of laughter while she suffered on stage. Jones didn't appear to be the only one suffering though, as Kate McKinnon appeared anxious at times throughout as Franco slung blood every which way. To be honest, it's a miracle the fake blood only ended up getting in Jones' mouth!

The pictures shown in the clip from Late Night With Seth Meyers are helpful in telling the story, but in no way do the sketch justice. Watching the sketch after hearing Leslie Jones' story shows all the hilarious and horrifying details just as she told them, but it's even better with context. While the whole thing is gold from start to finish, the highlight has to be when Kenan Thompson decided his co-star had suffered enough and attempted to give her an exit, to which Jones struggled to ensure everyone she's fine before she dry-heaved for the umpteenth time:

Hopefully, Leslie Jones will not have to deal with any more blood skits in the future. Unfortunately, that wasn't the first time Saturday Night Live did an excessive blood skit, so there's always a chance someone could work it back in at a later date just to screw with Jones. Let's hope not, though; Jones might be able to hold it together once, but who knows what will come out of her mouth (swears included) if she's ever in a skit with a lot of blood again!

Leslie Jones will have another chance to puke live from New York as Saturday Night Live is all-new on NBC this Saturday, January, 20 at 11:30 p.m. ET. As for Late Night With Seth Meyers, the late show airs weekdays at 11:35 p.m. ET. Those looking for some new television to watch should visit our midseason premiere guide.

Leslie Jones has become one of the biggest names in comedy in recent years thanks to her work on projects like Saturday Night Live and Ghostbusters. As it turns out, however, she got off to a pretty rough start in her early years of comedy. Although she was lucky enough to open for Jamie Foxx for her second performance ever, she apparently bombed pretty hard. Luckily, Jamie Foxx (whose killer sense of humor cannot be denied) had some fantastic advice for her. Jones recounted the experience, saying this:

According to Jamie Foxx, Leslie Jones just needed some life experiences before she could bring the laughs to a crowd of people. Jones shared the story during an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, and I'm glad it didn't end after "You have nothing" and "you have no stories." The advice was sounding pretty harsh up until the reveal that Foxx was advising her to go out and live her life to get some material worth joking about.

Well, Jamie Foxx's advice clearly did wonders for Leslie Jones' career. She may not have made it in showbiz when she was still a teenager, but she's certainly made it now. Jones just scored an Emmy nomination in the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a comedy category for her work on Saturday Night Live. She's up against some tough competition, including fellow SNL actresses Kate McKinnon and Vanessa Bayer. Kathryn Hahn and Judith Light of Transparent are in the running as well, along with Anna Chlumsky of Veep.

Whether Leslie Jones wins the Emmy or not, she's not going anywhere any time soon. She'll be back as an SNL cast member in the 2017-2018, and she's doing a little campaigning to appear in the next Deadpool movie. If that's not enough, she's a hilarious presence on social media. Her live-tweets of the Olympics and Captain America: Civil War were worth plenty of laughs, and it's always worth checking to see if she's posted Twitter commentary on the latest Game of Thrones episodes. Hopefully she'll continue to bring her comedic chops to the big and small screens for years to come.

Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for the latest in TV news, and don't forget to take a look at our fall TV schedule for everything you'll be able to watch in the coming months. If streaming is more your style, we have a handy Netflix premiere guide with all the dates you could possibly need. Drop by our breakdown of all the 2017 Emmy nominees to see who is in the running for a trophy this year.

We all mess up from time to time. Sometimes we forget someone's name, and sometimes we get confused during a conversation. However, we usually do it within the confines of a casual group of friends, and we don't often make these embarrassing errors in the presence of Hollywood royalty. Sadly, that wasn't the case for Saturday Night Live veteran Leslie Jones, and the Ghostbusters star recently made an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to confess that she once made the mistake of referring to Dustin Hoffman as Al Pacino upon meeting the Tootsie actor, saying:

As far as cringe-worthy moments go, I would argue that this is pretty notable. Leslie Jones has experienced a massive rise in stardom within the last few years, and it has been great to watch the comedienne take on bigger projects with bigger names. However, on the flip side of that development, it has also put her in some fairly compromising positions. She could've used IMDB at that moment, but alas, she was left with her foot firmly in her mouth. It's a good thing Hoffman is a seasoned comic actor in his own right, as she seems to indicate he played it off well enough.

In all fairness to Leslie Jones, there are reasons to get Dustin Hoffman and Al Pacino mixed up. Though both of them have become legendary actors in their respective ways, they have arguably resembled one another for a long time -- particularly back during the 1970s. Don't believe me? Just look at a side-by-side comparison of Al Pacino in The Godfather and Dustin Hoffman in Straw Dogs, which debuted only a year apart.

Dustin Hoffman and Al Pacino have also experienced similar career paths over the course of the last 40 years. Both rose to fame for hard-hitting dramas in the 1970s, and gradually moved into more unique and offbeat roles as they progressed through their respective careers. It's certainly an understandable mistake for Leslie Jones to make, though that probably doesn't make it any less embarrassing for her.

Check out the video from The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon below to hear more of Leslie Jones' story about getting Dustin Hoffman and Al Pacino confused.

One thing is clear: we have a feeling that Leslie Jones won't make that mistake a second time. For now, make sure to stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more news related to all of your favorite movies and performers, and take a look at our comprehensive movie premiere guide to keep yourself up to date on the rest of the major theatrical releases left on the schedule for 2017!

The hunt for a Cable may still be underway for Deadpool 2, but now the highly anticipated sequel might have something even better on its hands. Like many people all over the world, Leslie Jones is a big fan of film, and would love to appear in the sequel. She's already done half of the work for the writers by creating her own character, superpowers and all. The Ghostbusters actress let her wishes be heard last night while talking to Seth Myers, and you can watch the video below.

Leslie Jones appeared on Late Night with Seth Myers for a special New Years Eve show, and in the tradition of setting personal goals for the new year, Seth Myers brought up that Leslie Jones once said she'd love to be in Deadpool 2. Jones confirmed that she would absolutely love a role in the comic book movie sequel. She thinks the first movie was hilarious, and it doesn't hurt one bit that Ryan Reynolds is "one of the finest pieces of specimen." She would totally be down for being Deadpool's sidekick and just setting up the jokes for him.

Seth Meyers asked the SNL star if her character would have superpowers or not, and Jones replied that she just wants to be loud. Jones has definitely never had a volume problem, but in _Deadpool 2 _she wants to take it one step further; she wants to be so loud that people's clothes just fly right off, like an X-rated Black Canary. It sounds like she would fit right in with _Deadpool_'s booze swigging, wise-cracking crowd.

All of this is super fun, and I would definitely be up to see Leslie Jones in _Deadpool 2- _even if it's not totally as the role she's describing. Jones had a very publicly difficult 2016, but she hasn't let it keep her down. She's moved on past the hate she got from _Ghostbusters_ and her leaked personal photographs, even making fun of her situation multiple times on Saturday Night Live. I imagine getting a role in Deadpool 2 would be a great way to put the past behind her.

Deadpool 2 is being directed by David Leitch with Ryan "one of the finest pieces of specimen" Reynolds returning to the title role. There are still plot details being kept under wraps, but the film will at least partly tackle the idea of sequels. It was also confirmed that Deadpool's reluctant pal Cable would be appearing in the sequel, as well as the mutant mercenary Domino. No casting for the movie other than Reynold's has been announced, but figures crossed that Jones finds her way into the sequel.

With or without Leslie Jones (but hopefully with), Deadpool 2 is expecting to release in theaters on March 2, 2018.

Although a lot of people are mourning the negative aspects of 2016, there's actually a lot of great things that this year gave pop culture fanatics! From incredible music and captivating films to inventive television and laugh-out-loud memes, let's take a look back at all the pop culture that totally owned 2016.

Lin-Manuel Miranda

Without a doubt, the most ubiquitous element of pop culture all throughout 2016 was Hamilton, the runaway hit musical that launched its creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda into the spotlight. Though the hip-hop-inspired musical about the founding fathers originally entered Broadway at the end of 2015, it reached it's peak public acclaim this year. Because of that, Lin-Manuel Miranda was pretty much everywhere this year --- from dominating the Tonys, to helming a PBS documentary, to hosting Saturday Night Live. Not to mention composing the soundtrack for Disney's latest hit, Moana.

Pokemon Go

Back when the Pokemon games and TV show first came out in the '90s, they inspired a rabid obsession among kids eager to catch 'em all. As the franchise grew, so did its audience, and in 2016, the Pokemon craze was rekindled and took over the world yet again thanks to the new gaming app Pokemon Go. For months, you couldn't wake anywhere without noticing passersby running after a Pikachu they spotted a block away.

Westworld

The TV show that everybody was talking about as 2016 drew to a close was HBO's new shock-a-minute, sci-fi hit Westworld. The expansive universe of a theme park filled with artificially intelligent robots lent itself to thousands of fans eager to try and figure the puzzle out themselves.

Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively

The happiest couple of the year must be that of Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively. Not only did both husband and wife star in a hit film in 2016 --- Reynolds broke box office records in Deadpool and Lively wowed critics in the thriller The Shallows --- but they also welcomed their second daughter a few months ago. They also established themselves as members in two of the most powerful entertainment families in Hollywood: the Marvel cinematic universe and Taylor Swift's squad.

Star Wars

Though Star Wars: The Force Awakens technically came out at the tail end of 2015, its success revived fervor in the decades-old franchise that lasted throughout 2016. The smash success of Rogue One this year further proved that the intergalactic adventure saga is going to be a pop culture behemoth for years to come.

Beyonce

In what has become her signature form of releasing music nowadays, Beyonce surprised the world in February by dropping a brand new song and video called "Formation," which quickly took over the radio, the charts, and the world after she performed it during the Super Bowl halftime show. A few months later, she surprise-dropped the feature length visual album Lemonade on HBO, securing that 2016 was the year Beyonce ruled.

Chicago Cubs

Sports fans witnessed an event that many thought was impossible this year: the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series. The team's win ended a 108-year losing streak and broke an infamous curse placed on the Cubs.

Leslie Jones

It hasn't exactly been an easy year for Leslie Jones, but it's been a formative one. After the comedian had made a name for herself as one of the breakout stars of Saturday Night Live, she became the target of racist and misogynistic hate online after signing on to the Ghostbusters reboot. Though she had to go offline for a little bit, Jones roared back at her haters and laughed her way to the top.

Kate McKinnon

Leslie Jones' Ghostbusters costar and fellow Saturday Night Live castmate Kate McKinnon also had an incredible year, thanks in part to the ripe-for-parody political climate of 2016. McKinnon had been a standout on SNL for years, but her Hillary Clinton impression this year is what made her one of the main reasons to stay in on Saturday nights and tune into the show.

Hatchimals

In the past, there have been insane toy crazes over Furbies, Tamagotchis, Beanie Babies, and more, and this holiday season proved no different. The big toy in 2016 was Hatchimals, a Furby-like robotic toy animal shrouded in an air of mystery since they are sold within eggs that the user has to hatch. After launching in October, the toys immediately became the most in-demand product for kids all over the world.

Stranger Things

Westworld may have owned the TV climate at the very end of 2016, but the biggest breakout show of the year would have to be Netflix's '80s-tastic, sci-fi series Stranger Things. Appealing to both the younger-skewing Netflix bingers and older fans nostalgic for the "adventuring children" movies of days gone by like The Goonies or E.T., Stranger Things turned out to be the perfect recipe for a pop culture phenomenon.

Simone Biles

The Olympics in Rio this summer produced a number of big winners, like Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt, Neymar, and more, but the athlete who most flipped and tumbled her way from Olympic champion to pop culture icon was Simone Biles. Along with taking home four gold medals for her incredible gymnastics performances, Biles won over the world thanks to her relatable personality and adorable crush on Zac Efron.

NES Classic

Nintendo keyed into pop culture's nostalgia craving big time a few months back when it released a new and improved version of its original gaming system. Though the re-released NES Classic has HD graphics and can now fit in someone's palm, it's still a blast from the past for gamers longing for the good 'ole days of jumping over barrels thrown by a giant gorilla.

Samantha Bee

I think it's safe to say that the insane election cycle this year wasn't exactly fun for anyone, but it was great for late-night comedy shows. And in that already crowded space of men sitting at desks telling topical jokes, it was newcomer Sam Bee that stole the spotlight with her gut-bustingly hilarious and brilliantly incisive new series Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, which was met with unanimous critical acclaim.

Chewbacca Mom

It was a big year for Star Wars, and nothing proved that more than when a woman turned a toy Chewbacca mask into one of the biggest viral videos of 2016. The infectious laughing that the woman erupts into after putting on the automated mask offered viewers an unexpected font of joy in the middle of a tough year.

Joe Biden

Sure, the big political names of 2016 were Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, but it was Vice President Joe Biden that won out when it came to being adored on the internet. As President Obama prepares to leave the White House, tons of memes about Biden pulling pranks on incumbent Trump have given social media users something to laugh about.

One of the more delightful new occurrences to come out of our social media obsessed world is live tweeting. This gives the opportunities for comedians and funny people everywhere to shoot from the hip and let the world know their first thoughts when watching a popular TV series or movie. And perhaps no one is better at this than SNL and Ghostbusters actress Leslie Jones.

After taking a brief hiatus from social media after being harassed and hacked, Jones recently took to Twitter to live tweet Captain America: Civil War. She'd apparently been way too busy to see the MCU entry when it was originally in theaters.

Part of what makes Leslie Jones' live tweets so enjoyable is seeing her genuine shock and crazy reactions when watching dramatic moments. For Captain America: Civil War this came in the form of Chadwick Boseman's debut as Black Panther. In fact, you can see her initial reaction to the Wakandan Prince here.

"Is that a big ass cat?!" is officially my new mantra. It's going on my tombstone.

Leslie Jones' new fascination with Black Panther didn't seem to let up as the run time of Captain America: Civl War continued on. In addition to being a badass superhero with a vibranium suit, Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa also had another superpower that Jones seemed especially excited about. Namely, it was that handsome face of his.

Does anyone else want the folks in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to only refer to Black Panther as Cat Dude? Sure, it might take away a bit of street cred from the hero, but the MCU has never been a franchise that avoided comedic moments.

Aside from Leslie Jones' new obsession with Black Panther aka Cat Dude, she also felt very strongly about the actual Civil War, particularly the epic airport fight sequence. But rather than pick apart the plot or choose either Team Cap or Team Iron Man, she was much more concerned over the logistical nightmare that an airport battle would cause. Seriously, what about all the commuters who are trying to hop on a flight?

She does have a point. Leslie Jones also spent some time fantasizing about being a Marvel superhero. And if she were on the big screen kicking ass, she'd apparently make a lot more sound affects than Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow does.

One of Leslie Jones' more famous live tweet events are usually about HBO's Game of Thrones. She feels very strongly about the events of Westeros- so much so that she couldn't resist putting a GOT reference in while watching Captain America: Civil War. Bravo, Leslie Jones.

The Olympics are currently underway over in Rio and while we're all cheering loud for team USA, maybe no one is cheering louder than Leslie Jones. The Saturday Night Live and Ghostbusters star is apparently a big fan of the global sports competition and has been live commentating on the Olympics on Twitter. It's pretty hilarious and apparently the people who run the Olympics are starting to take notice.

The Hollywood Reporter has been following along with Leslie Jones' tweets and has chronicled the story. A Twitter user reached out to Jim Bell, the NBC Olympics executive producer, and told him that he needs to get Jones to Rio for some commentating, citing that it'd bring the USA more gold medals and give NBC a rating boost. NBC should never turn their head away from better ratings, and so Bell reached out to Jones over Twitter.

Jim Bell is more than likely joking, but there is a big appeal in seeing Leslie Jones fangirl over the competition. She'd definitely have to tone down her language, though, and I'm pretty sure they don't let you scream "GO, GO" in the middle of the competition. One certainly has to admire Jones' enthusiasm and patriotism for the games. We've collected a few of her Tweets, so you can see for yourself how funny it'd be if Jones actually were to go to Rio. Fair warning: some of these are NSFW.

So, yeah, she definitely would have to stop cursing, but what do you all think? Would you tune into the Olympics if it meant you could hear Leslie Jones cheer on team USA? Let us know in the comments below.

The topic of the reboot of Ghostbusters has been a controversial one since its inception. However, what actress Leslie Jones has had to deal with goes far beyond the bounds of artistic differences. Yesterday, the Ghostbusters actress was inundated by tweets from people spouting unapologetic racism, and when she tried to shine a light on the situation she then had to deal with a fake account tweeting in her name. The entire internet is not terrible, however, as Ghostbusters director Paul Feig came to Jones defense and rallied support around her.

The whole mess began yesterday when Leslie Jones began tweeting images of some of the overtly racist material she was being sent in order to show people what was going on. Stuff like this...

Some of the other Tweets are even worse. Eventually, however, it just became too much for her to handle as the hate and vitriol seemed to be never ending. Somebody even went so far as to create a fake account under her name in order to tweet the same sort of hate at other people. Eventually, she was forced to step away from social media.

Luckily, there also nice people on the internet who aren't terrible racists. Ghostbusters director Paul Feig publicly came out in support of Leslie Jones and did what he could to rally support for the actress using the hashtag #LoveForLeslieJ as a way for people to oppose the hate.

Overnight the #LoveFor LeslieJ hashtag was trending, and was also picked up by a number of high-profile names including comedian Margaret Cho, Josh Gad and Anna Kendrick among many others.

So the good news is that there are still good people in the world who will try to drown out the hate. We're all welcome to dislike a movie. That's fine, nobody gets hurt over a movie. But nobody deserves this.

Although Dwayne Johnson still arguably represents the greatest success story to come out of the professional wrestling world, John Cena has slowly carved out an equally respectable niche for himself in the comedy realm. After leaving WWE, Cena started to branch out and try new and different things with his career with some truly amazing results. His latest gig saw him hosing the ESPN ESPY Awards last night, and while he did a great job, he was likely incredibly nervous about the opportunity. To help alleviate that stress, Cena brought in an expert life coach -- with hilarious results. Check out the video below to see for yourself.

In a short but brief sketch, the folks at ESPN have taken it upon themselves to show how a guy like John Cena prepares to host a major event such as the ESPY Awards. Sure, he's a big guy with a recognizable profile, but even Cena needs a confidence booster from time to time, and that's why he has hired life coach Leslie Jones. The video goes on to chronicle their preparation for the ESPY ceremony as Jones gives Cena loud, exuberant pep talks, and suggests a standard headlock as the solution to most problems that could occur during his stint as the host. It all seems to go well -- until it's revealed that Jones puts Cena in some fairly compromising positions for her own personal enjoyment.

If you find yourself surprised by John Cena's inherent knack for comedy, then you definitely haven't been paying attention. Over the last year or so the pro-wrestler turned actor has made a serious name for himself with strong comedic performances in movies such as Amy Schumer's Trainwreck and the Tina Fey/Amy Poehler comedy Sisters. He seems to have become incredibly adept at using his insane physicality as well as his innate ability to ad-lib to his advantage by crafting personas that represent a hilarious caricature of his typical tough guy façade. If the guy wants to keep doing comedies we most certainly won't complain.

It also doesn't hurt that this video pairs him with one of Hollywood's strongest up-and-coming comedians. Leslie Jones hasn't been in the public eye for very long when compared to other comedians of her stature, but her status as a member of the Saturday Night Live cast, coupled with her upcoming stint in Ghostbusters has brought her immense levels of newfound renown as a leading female comedian.

Those of you who watched the ESPY Awards last night already know that John Cena's employment of a life coach definitely worked. He brought endless laughs, and reminded us that he has talents as a performer that extends far beyond biceps and piledrivers. Although he probably should consider finding himself a new life coach (at least one who isn't Leslie Jones) we simply can't wait to see what he does next.

For more information about all of the most highly anticipated summer debuts, make sure to check out our comprehensive summer premiere schedule.

Season 6 of Game of Thrones featured some major plot twists that were hard to watch without yelling at the characters. Rickon Stark's demise was one such plot twist as he literally ran for his life away from Ramsay Bolton. The little guy was so panicked at escaping Ser Flays-A-Lot and reaching his big brother Jon that he didn't even seem to consider zig-zagging. I can personally vouch for the fact that shouting "Serpentine, damnit!" at the TV was not enough to divert his course. SNL star Leslie Jones crossed paths with the guy who played Rickon, and she seized her opportunity to yell at him for not zig-zagging. Check it out!

Leslie Jones posted the video of her encounter with Art Parkinson on her Twitter, and it's definitely worth re-watching a few times. How many Game of Thrones fans could really say that our first instinct on seeing the guy who played Rickon wouldn't be to lecture him about zig-zagging when being hunted by an expert archer? Technically, it's a good lesson for anybody to learn. Art Parkinson should take note, even if Leslie Jones did only address him by his character's name.

Of course, Art Parkinson may well be sick of people telling him that Rickon should have zig-zagged. The poor kid is probably going to spend the rest of his career being reminded that his character on Game of Thrones died because he ran across a field in a straight line. The "Battle of the Bastards" episode that saw Rickon's tragic demise received an impressive 10/10 ranking on IMDb, and aired in a season that has drawn fantastic ratings from HBO subscribers, and took place on a show that is one of the most-pirated on television. A lot of people saw Rickon fail to serpentine his way to safety, and a lot of people will probably be re-watching the episode in the future. Parkinson will likely be called "Rickon" and shamed for not zig-zagging for years to come. Given how impassioned Leslie Jones was in their encounter, he may continue to hear it from her if they cross paths again.

Leslie Jones has never been afraid to speak her mind, so it's really no surprise that she'd want to give Rickon Stark/Art Parkinson a piece of her mind. The comedienne yelled at SNL bigwig Lorne Michaels during her audition for the show, and she recently took to Twitter to epically rant about some of the criticism that's been leveled at her new Ghostbusters film. If she felt that Rickon should have serpentined, "Rickon" was going to hear about it.

This is actually the second time that Leslie Jones has called a Game of Thrones actor by their character's name on camera. She co-starred with actor Peter Dinklage in the hilarious Naked and Afraid: Celebrity Edition sketch on SNL, and Dinklage was "Tyrion" from almost beginning to end. It was funny then with Dinklage, and it's funny now with Art Parkinson. Now that we're in the midst of a hiatus between Seasons 6 and 7 of Game of Thrones, we'll need all the laughs we can get to pass the time. Check out our breakdown of what we know so far about Game of Thrones Season 7 for a peek ahead.

No film in recent memory has had the uphill battle experienced by Ghostbusters. Paul Feig's reboot of the 1984 classic has been bashed in all corners of the internet relentlessly ever since it was first announced, and that hatred has only intensified with the film's imminent release this coming weekend. As it turns out, Leslie Jones has had enough of the haters, and she recently took to Twitter to air her grievances. Check out her amazing rant below to see for yourself.

The Saturday Night Live star took to Twitter early this morning and commenced a four tweet rant against those who have opposed the upcoming Ghostbusters reboot. More than anything else, she seems concerned about the notion that people have said undeniably sexist things about the upcoming film, but close inspection soon reveals that many of these critics have daughters of their very own -- something that does not sit well with her at all.

Her passion for the subject is plain to see from the very beginning, and it only gets more intense as the tweets continue to flow in. Following her opening salvo, she moved on to address the overall concerns regarding the type of message it sends when we tell little girls that they cannot be Ghostbusters. It opens up an uncomfortable topic regarding the type of message we are sending to our daughters.

Based upon her tweets, she seems intent on calling out the hypocrisy of those who proudly raise daughters while lambasting a female-driven remake of a classic comedy. In her eyes, those who would take to the internet to spew racist or misogynistic rhetoric towards something as seemingly harmless as a movie should ponder how they would feel if they had to show those sorts of comments and posts to their own children.

To cap off the entire rant, she implores those who hate the notion of an all-female Ghostbusters to try and imagine what they would do if their daughter came home crying because used those types of comments against their own child. Clearly frustrated, she laments the fact that people simply do not think about the content of their statements before clicking "send" online.

It's hard not to sympathize with Leslie Jones' point of view on the matter. Ghostbusters has received opposition at every conceivable turn despite the fact that it features some of the strongest comedic performers and filmmakers working today. Preliminary reviews of the movie are actually pretty good thus far, so we will soon know for certain whether or not the upcoming reboot can effectively win over the long-time haters.

Stay tuned for any and all updates related to Paul Feig's Ghostbusters as they become available. The long-awaited yet endlessly reviled reboot will hit theaters later this week on July 15.

Who ya gonna call? When it came to the state of the Ghostbusters franchise, we really didn’t know for the longest time. Rumors had persisted for years that a third Ghostbusters film was coming. That much we knew. But nobody had any clue whether it would it involve the original team of Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson, or not? Would Bill Murray be alive, or a ghost? Could original Ghostbusters helmer Ivan Reitman return to direct? Or would the baton be passed to a new generation of Ghostbusters?

Eventually, these questions – and many others – were answered… but in the process, a fresh wave of interrogations came along with each new piece of information. A new Ghostbusters team has emerged at Sony. Since the future appears very bright for the studio’s Ghostbusters franchise, let’s take a moment to slap on a proton pack and assess where we stand. First, you can take a look at the most recent trailer for the new film below:

Now, cue up the Ray Parker Jr. CD and dive into our What We Know So Far for the Ghostbusters reboot.

What Is The Ghostbusters Release Date?

Ghostbusters is heading to theaters on July 15, right in the middle of one of the biggest movie-going months of the year. And, because of that, it’s going to have some mighty competition at the box office. Opening on July 1 are The Legend of Tarzan, The Purge: Election Year and the Steven Spielberg fantasy The BFG. A week after that will see the release of animated comedy The Secret Life of Pets, while films opening after Ghostbusters are potential blockbusters Star Trek Beyond, Ice Age: Collision Course and Jason Bourne. Any of these films could take away potential audiences for Ghostbusters.

What Is The Ghostbusters Rating?

Ghostbusters hasn’t actually received an official rating from the MPAA yet, but there’s no reason to worry that you won’t be able to let your kids see the fantasy packed action film. Even though director Paul Feig has become known for R rated comedies Bridesmaids, The Heat and Spy, he’s said that he wants to keep the film to a PG-13 rating, and since that’s his intention, that’s probably where the film will land on the rating spectrum.

The New Team, Led By Melissa McCarthy

After months of deliberation – and details leaked by the Sony email hack – the studio finally decided to go with an all-female squad for the next Ghostbusters film. This was a rumored concept for some time, and once the decision was made, casting kicked in to high gear. Because the franchise was handed to Paul Feig (more on him later), the Bridesmaids and Spy filmmaker dipped into his pool of ideal castmates and pulled out some very familiar faces, starting with Melissa McCarthy. The hire makes a lot of sense. In addition to Bridesmaids, Feig and McCarthy have collaborated on the immensely successful The Heat (also with Sandra Bullock) and last summer’s hilarious Spy. Like a rabbit’s foot, McCarthy has brought Feig luck when it comes to his big-screen endeavors… and they don’t come much bigger than a reboot of Ghostbusters. Recently, Feig admitted to IGN that while his new comedy will be an ensemble work, McCarthy’s character acts as the team leader. Does that make her the new Dan Aykroyd, or the new Bill Murray?

Kristen Wiig

Because there were so many possible directions for a new Ghostbusters movie as Sony moved its chess pieces around the board, we heard a LOT of possible names who wanted to slip into the overalls and sling proton beams at troublesome spirits. Even when it became clear that the studio wanted to push ahead with the all-female version of the team, names like Jennifer Lawrence and Emma Stone were circulated. Eventually, though, Paul Feig went right back to his Bridesmaids well and hired Kristen Wiig to run alongside Melissa McCarthy. Wiig’s biggest hit as a movie actress came with Feig at the helm -- Bridesmaids earned a whopping $169 million domestically back in 2011, though the Saturday Night Live vet has had the most success lending her voice to animated films like Despicable Me 2 and How to Train Your Dragon. Feige told IGN that Wiig’s character will be the audience’s portal into the story. Now we’re anxious to find out what he means by that.

Leslie Jones

The traditional Ghostbusters team had four members, so McCarthy and Wiig needed running mates. The Ghostbusters reboot found them in Saturday Night Live cast members. Leslie Jones is a larger-than-life personality who has been carving out a distinct niche on SNL. She’s boisterous and flirtatious, overpowering and yet aware of her flaws. She hasn’t yet found massive movie-screen success, though she absolutely stole scenes in Chris Rock’s hysterical Top Five -- a supporting part that no doubt got her in the conversation when it came to Ghostbusters casting. Part of the mystery of the rebooted Ghostbusters comes with seeing how the chemistry of the ladies will gel. They certainly have distinct personalities, including ….

Kate McKinnon

This hire makes us extremely excited, as most everything that Kate McKinnon attempts on SNL turn to gold. She’s best known for her brilliant portrayal of presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton, though a recent episode with Ryan Gosling showed McKinnon’s versatility and dead-on comedic timing. Find the Alien Abduction skit on Hulu. It’s one of the funniest things McKinnon has done on the late-night sketch comedy show. Also, as you can see in the group photo of the cast in character, McKinnon appears to be playing a far-out hipster version of a modern Ghostbuster – or the animated version of Egon that was part of the iconic Ghostbusters series on TV. She’s not, but just seeing her in character has use completely ramped up for the original voice we believe she can bring to the project. She might not be alone. Rumors persist that fellow SNL funny lady Cecily Strong has landed a key role, though that’s not confirmed at the moment. That’s a lot of funny for one man to juggle. Let’s talk about how Paul Feig plans to do it.

Paul Feig

As we mentioned earlier, Sony finally went with Paul Feig as the director of its next Ghostbusters movie, likely choosing Feig when they ultimately settled on going in an all-female direction. Prior to that, Sony had entertained staying in business with Dan Aykroyd and Ivan Reitman. They even entertained the notion of rebooting the franchise with 21 Jump Street standout Channing Tatum and red-hot Chris Pratt. But Feig, who started in television on Freaks and Geeks and Arrested Development, has developed a signature brand of rude-talking, self-confident female comedies centered largely around Melissa McCarthy. Bridesmaids was a smash hit in 2011. The Heat packed audiences in during Summer 2013. And Spy was a bit of a surprise hit over the summer, earning north of $235 million worldwide. That’s huge box office for an original comedy. What will Feig do with this new Ghostbusters property? For more on his ideas, check out the next section.

Katie Dippold

Banking on the chemistry they mined with The Heat, Feig re-hired screenwriter Katie Dippold to help him flesh out the first adventures of this new Ghostbusters team. Dippold wrote for MADtv and Parks and Recreation, and has been saying in interviews that the new Ghostbusters will be as scary as it is funny. But there are still so many questions left to be answered. What is the actual story about? We know that it will be set in New York City, with Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig playing former colleagues who penned a book on the supernatural, even though it got them laughed out of their former education circles. From what we have heard, the dup will be called upon to save the day when ghostly activity starts to occur. Can the reboot use the Ray Parker Jr. theme song? And will Feig’s movie be the only Ghostbusters film in our future? Probably not. More on that in a bit.

The Walking Dead Influence

I’m not sure you could ever mistake the original 1984 Ghostbusters film as being scary. Despite the fact that it centered around the capturing of spooks and spirits – and had a handful of CGI-interesting creatures – the movie always chose "funny" over "terrifying." Well, Paul Feig wants to strike a different balance. He has been saying in multiple interviews, including this one with Rolling Stone, that he views AMC’s smash-hit thriller The Walking Dead to be a real influence on what he’d like to do with the reboot. Said Feig:

Buried within that statement, one finds several clues about the possible plot of Feig and Dippold’s Ghostbusters. Could we see this new team of ‘busters on a mission to retrieve (or possibly return) a sacred item, having to plunge through fresh horrors in order to complete the task at hand? Just don’t expect things to get too horrifying. Feig also has been saying that he’s aiming to keep his movie in the PG-13 zone, so as to maximize appeal to as many demographics as possible. So the foul-mouthed Melissa McCarthy on display in Bridesmaids and Spy will have to sit this one out.

The Original Gang

How did we get to this point, where we have a rebooted Ghostbusters movie, with four women in the title roles? It wasn’t always supposed to be this way. For years, there were several stops and starts on the Ghostbusters franchise as original stars like Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis tried to make headway on a screenplay for Ghostbusters 3. We have stories on this site dating all the way back to 2007 (though rumors persisted even before that), where a treatment for a movie known largely as Ghostbusters Go to Hell circulated, where Manhattan would transform into a hellacious version of Satan’s lair.

The main obstacle to a traditional Ghostbusters reunion appeared to be Bill Murray, who flat-out didn’t want to do it. One great story involved Murray shredding a copy of a Ghostbusters 3 script, then mailing the remains to Harold Ramis. There were so many casting rumors, from Bill Hader and Anna Faris to John Hodgman and Will Forte. Then, Harold Ramis died, and while no one really has said this on the record, the desire to reunite the original team probably died along with him. No Egon, no need to call it Ghostbusters, or pretend it has any link to the original movies.

That being said, the surviving original members found ways to contribute to this new vision. First, Dan Aykroyd admitted he filmed a cameo. Then, Bill Murray hopped on the bandwagon, followed by Ernie Hudson. The movie asked Rick Moranis, though he declined. Maybe they can find room for him in the planned spinoffs. Spinoffs? Here, I’ll explain.

Ghost Corps

Reports are still vague, but shortly after Sony announced that Paul Feig was helming a female-driven Ghostbusters movie, plans for a male-centric reboot also went into effect. Currently operating under the larger umbrella of a "Ghost Corps," this concept will work from ideas generated by Ivan Reitman and Dan Aykroyd, with the goal of producing more Ghostbusters branding opportunities. The first project, according to early reports, will be produced (and possibly directed) by Joe and Anthony Russo (Captain America: The Winter Soldier), written by Iron Man 3 and Mission: Impossible 5 writer Drew Pearce, and involve Channing Tatum. He’ll produce, according to reports, and possibly star. Chris Pratt’s name has been in the mix for this project, as well, though Pratt has his name attached to so many efforts these days. Take some of this with a grain of salt. While some reports say Sony wants this to happen, others swear it’s not nearly as far along as we would think. My guess is that the studio wants to see how audiences respond to the new Ghostbusters attempt, and if it does very well, they will have other movies at the ready.

That’s not to say that Aykroyd is ready to surrender his franchise, completely. As recently as February 2015, the 62-year-old actor was selling a script for a traditional Part 3 of his signature series, saying he still hopes to make it once Paul Feig’s version reinvigorates the brand. There also has been news about an animated Ghostbusters feature, though specifics have been hard to come by. Basically, as Tom Rothman, the new head of Sony, said in reports:

So I hope that ghostbusting makes you feel good, because Hollywood plans to do it, again and again, for a long, long time.

We’re now just a few months away from the theatrical release of director Paul Feig’s Ghostsbusters, and while we’ve seen a good bit of footage and a handful of images from the movie, big details are also being kept purposefully mysterious and hidden prior to the film’s arrival. Lucky for you, we got a very special look behind the scenes of the movie when it was in production last year, and can provide you with some info about the cool things we learned.

Last September, I hopped on a plane to Boston, Massachusetts, and along with a small group of other film journalists, had the opportunity to watch some of the production in addition to interviewing Ghostbusters’ lead actors and filmmakers. We learned a lot of great stuff, so read on for a fun inside scoop on the new movie!

The finale is a huge showdown in Times Square

Given that the movie was shooting in Boston, we did actually get to see the Ghostbusters in the middle of the real Times Square, but we did get to watch them fight their final battle against a bunch of ghosts in a large green screen environment meant to represent the famous tourist center of Manhattan. For spoiler reasons, we weren’t provided a great deal of context in regards to who all of the ghosts were and why they were attacking the Ghostbusters, but one thing that was made very clear is that the spirits all come from different eras – from the colonial period to the swinging 1920s. From Melissa McCarthy being strung up on wires and dragged around the set, to the wide variety of gadgets used by the whole team, it was a wild scene to see them shoot, and looks like it will be a lot of fun up on the big screen.

The ghosts are not all just CGI creations

As you may have guessed from the fact that we saw ghosts attacking the Ghostbusters in Times Square, Paul Feig’s movie isn’t just using CGI for his wicked spirits, but using real performers and performances that will be enhanced by visual effects. On beyond the different period costumes, the various souls had a wide variety of different looks – with some flying through the air, and others up on tall stilts. One thing that they all had in common was the fact that they were wearing special rigs covered in blue LED lights, giving them all a very special glow. This is something that will obviously be enhanced by computers in post-production, but when you see characters bathed in blue light when you actually see Ghostbusters, know that the eerie glow is actually natural.

Chris Hemsworth wouldn’t stop making his co-stars crack up

The cast of Paul Feig’s Ghostbusters is filled with tons of funny people – with Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon just being the top of a very long list – but we were told by just about everyone we interviewed that it was Chris Hemsworth who really had everybody laughing on set. McCarthy called him one of the best improvisors who she has ever worked with, and noted that he actually had her crying with laughter on his first day on set. Co-writer Katie Dippold agreed with this assessment, telling us that she had never laughed as hard as she did while watching the group shoot together. On top of that, the Australian actor just impressed the cast by being such a great guy, Leslie Jones telling us,

Ectoplasm feels super, super gross

Ectoplasm has been an important part of the Ghostbusters franchise ever since Peter Venkman had his unfortunate run-in with Slimer in the halls of the The Sedgewick hotel, and it will continue to have an important presence in Paul Feig’s upcoming reboot. As a special treat for the group of journalists visiting the set, we were given the opportunity to dunk our fingers into a beaker full of the stuff, and I can now report from first-hand experience that the goo is quite disgusting. It manages to be sticky and gooey while also being runny – which meant that it took a bit of time to completely get off my hand – and basically has the consistency of snot. I definitely now have a degree of sympathy for the actors who found themselves covered from head to toe with the stuff on particular days of production.

Melissa McCarthy really learned to love doing wirework

As mentioned earlier, one of the most impressive stunts we saw while hanging out on the Ghostbusters set was Melissa McCarthy’s character, Abby Yates, getting picked up by a ghost and hanging upside-down while swinging across the set. The actress did all of this wirework herself, and when we spoke to her afterwards she explained that the action was stuff that she was actually encouraging and volunteering for. She told us that it’s something that she doesn’t really get to do a lot in the movies she makes, so when she gets the option, "[She] take it when [she] can get it." Given her close relationship with Paul Feig, having previously worked with him on Bridesmaids, The Heat, and Spy, one can imagine the director being happy to oblige, so it will be something we will definitely be looking for when we finally see the movie.

Jillian Holtzmann’s necklace Features A Special Message

As you may have grasped from the footage that has been shown thus far, Kate McKinnon’s Jillian Holtzmann is just a bit eccentric. From her strange hair-do to the fun anti-ghost gadgets she’s able to concoct in the Ghostbusters laboratory, she clearly stands out as the group’s wild card. A great expression of this can actually be found hanging around her neck, though it’s something that the movie may not actually put direct focus on. If you look closely enough, you’ll notice that the round piece of jewelry features a giant "U," and it has a screw laced through it. Perhaps a message to all the haters out there, in addition to giving us a clue into the character’s attitude.

The characters definitely won’t just be copies of the original team

Paul Feig’s Ghostbusters is definably a reboot; not a remake. The movie will not be set in the same continuity as the original Ivan Reitman films, and audiences shouldn’t expect the return of Gozer The Gozerian. In the same way, fans also really shouldn’t expect the team of women in the new movie to be female versions of the characters from the original either – or as co-writer Katie Dippold put it,

Thanks to various references and gags, and structure as an origin story, there certainly will be shared elements in the new movie, but a carbon copy it will not be.

Chris Hemsworth’s glasses were very specifically chosen

Thanks to his part as Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and featured titles like Snow White And The Huntsman and Blackhat, audiences primarily identify Chris Hemsworth as a dramatic actor. As mentioned earlier, however, Ghostbusters is a real departure for him – and costume designer Jeffrey Kurland actually actively tried to reflect this in the character’s look. You probably noticed in stills and footage that Hemsworth is sporting a pair of thick-rimmed glasses in the movie, and this choice was specifically to make Kevin look different than every other role the Aussie has played:

Carrying a proton pack made Leslie Jones lose a lot of weight

This probably won’t come as a surprise to anybody, but the Ghostbusters’ proton packs are exactly the most comfortable things in the world. They are basically big blocks of plastic, metal and electrical wiring that the members of the cast had to wear on their backs for hours during production. This surely must have been a bit tough on the four leads, but Leslie Jones experienced one positive outcome from the experience: she lost a good amount of weight. While talking with the Saturday Night Live star, she told us that she actually lost a total of 27 pounds thanks to all of the time spent carrying her proton pack and running around during action sequences. The time on set also resulted in her needing to meet with a chiropractor twice a week and taking plenty of Epsom salt baths, but in this world you take the good with the bad.

One particular ghost interaction really did creep out the cast

When viewed on a genre level, Ghostbusters is a horror-comedy, and director Paul Feig has spoken about the fact that he wants the film to illicit a few screams in addition to all of the expected laughs. Curious about this aspect of the movie, I asked Melissa McCarthy and Kristin Wiig about any freaky moments during production, and both reflected on one particular sequence set in a subway tunnel. During the scene, their characters are chased down a tunnel by a speedy ghost covered in heavy prosthetics and blue lights, and apparently they received a few good shoves. Evidently it was quite the creepy experience for the women, and even though McCarthy has actually known the guy for a decade, it still managed to freak her out. Said Wiig,

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to our coverage from the set of Ghostbusters, so be sure to stay tuned for more in the coming days. And look for the film in theaters on July 15th!

Reality TV shows are a dime a dozen. Since their inception, reality shows have been done to death, and seemingly every concept imaginable has been explored. Then came Discovery’s Naked and Afraid, where two strangers are left naked and with no resources and must survive in the wild for a month. It’s one of the most bizarre concepts for a TV show ever. Saturday Night Live seems to realize the insanity of Naked and Afraid, and decided to elevate the stakes with a fictitious celebrity version. Check it out.

This sketch was definitely the strongest from last night’s episode, and it worked so well for a few reasons.

First off, having Peter Dinklage and Leslie Jones playing exaggerated versions of themselves worked really well. While the short would have worked if they were playing new characters, the added comedy of the SNL actress and Game of Thrones star being stranded together made every joke land harder.

There was a great deal of physical comedy that worked simply by pairing Leslie Jones with Peter Dinklage. Jones stands at 6 foot and made her personality equally large in this digital short. This juxtaposition between Dinklage’s straight man, as well as their physical discrepancies, made for each shot of Naked and Afraid being humorous.

Definitely my favorite part of Naked and Afraid: Celebrity Edition was Leslie Jones’ insistence to calling Peter Dinklage Tyrion. Since Game of Thrones is such a widely popular show, people must refer to Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister all the time. The shock of meeting/being near a celebrity has been known to render us civilians starstruck, and surely people momentarily forget the actor’s name, but remember his character. Leslie Jones exaggerates this by referring to Peter as Tyrion for the entirety of their naked 21 days.

Leslie Jones started off crazy in this sketch immediately. Showing up to begin shooting in an uber, she exits the car already fully naked. While Peter Dinklage tries to maintain his composure and quickly disrobes himself, things only continue to escalate when the duo reveal what survival tool they each brought with them. Although Dinklage brought flint to create fire, Jones just brought a bottle of Frank’s Red Hot. She puts that shit on everything.

Adding to the hilarity of Leslie Jones’ antics in survival are her lustful feelings towards the Game of Thrones actor. She is shown checking “Tyrion” out often, and quickly makes her move when the two are cuddling to keep warm. While spooning Dinklage, Jones lets her hands linger down to the Lannister jewels, much to his dismay and my delight.

Overall, Naked and Afraid: Celebrity Edition was a standout moment from an otherwise shaky episode of Saturday Night Live. What did you think of last night’s episode? Sound off in the comment section below.

It’s more than likely that if you frequent websites of this ilk you’re aware that there’s a Ghostbusters remake heading our way this summer. You also probably heard of the massive backlash it caused when it was announced that the four jumpsuit-wearing paranormal investigators would all be women. That was a bit of a to-do. Some of the original cast members were on board with this right away, but one who took a while to warm up was Ernie Hudson, though it appears he has developed quite an affection for the new crew.

Like the other surviving members of the original quartet, Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd, as well as Sigourney Weaver and Annie Potts, Ernie Hudson also filmed a cameo for director Paul Feig’s Ghostbusters. Originally when the plan to make the Ghostbusters women was announced, Hudson was the most vocally opposed, but talking to People recently, he praised the new cast. He said:

While the original Ghostbusters was made up of Ernie Hudson, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and the late Harold Ramis, the new spirit hunters are played by Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones, and Kate McKinnon. While we know that all four of these actresses are hilarious on their own, at least according to Hudson, they also play well together.

That shouldn’t be entirely surprising. Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig worked together, and with director Paul Feig, on Bridesmaids with fantastic comedic results. And Wiig, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones have all served time on Saturday Night Live, where both Jones and McKinnon are current cast members and have appeared in countless sketches together. Still, it’s nice to hear and such and endorsement should hopefully go some ways to convincing some naysayers that Ghostbusters will actually be good.

When the news of an all female Ghostbusters was announced, Ernie Hudson was the most critical of the original cast members. Bill Murray was all in favor on the idea right away, though we suspect it had something to do with the fact that now people would stop asking him if he was going to be in Ghostbusters 3. Hudson said he didn’t think fans wanted to see an all female group of Ghostbusters, and wondered, if they went that direction and the film had no connection to the first two movies, why even call it Ghostbusters?

Granted, I don’t think we expected Ernie Hudson to come out and crap all over the new Ghostbusters, but it certainly looks like he has changed his stance on the film. We’ll see how funny it is for ourselves when Ghostbusters hits theaters July 15.