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Two-time Super Bowl Champion Travis Kelce became the latest star athlete hosted Saturday Night Live in the weeks following Kansas City’s recapture of the Lombardi Trophy.
Kelce’s largely well-received debut was the 35th sports star to have emceed the Studio 8H show.
Idols from across the American sports landscape have taken to the stage, including the likes of LeBron James, Tom Brady, Michael Jordan, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and more.
Here, Dailymail.com takes a trip down memory lane to highlight some of the most memorable performances from the nation’s favorite athletes…
Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce was the 35th athlete to host NBC’s Saturday Night Live
Tom Brady (2005)
The seven-time Super Bowl champion is reportedly considering a move into stand up comedy. Though, it won’t be the first time he has made audiences laugh.
After securing his third Lombardi Trophy against the Philadelphia Eagles, Brady took center stage of a different kind in the 17th episode of season 30.
Perhaps most famously, he starred in a workplace sexual harassment skit alongside actor, Fred Armisen.
Brady repeated the lines used by the nerdy Armisen – who unlike Brady – failed to court his female colleagues, as the sketch showed the right and wrong ways to approach colleagues.
Unlikely to air in contemporary society, Brady grabbed Amy Poehler’s breast and appeared in tighty whities.
The act playfully theorized that the way to ‘have sex with women at work without losing your job’ is to ‘be handsome, be attractive, don’t be unattractive.’
The seven-time Super Bowl champion emceed SNL after winning his third Lombardi Trophy
During the skit on his 2005 appearance on Saturday Night Live, ‘TV Funhouse: Sexual Harassment and You’, Tom Brady grabbed Amy Poehler’s breast
Brady then went on to stuff actress Tina Fey’s (R) ‘home number’ inside his tighty whities
LeBron James (2007)
The King appeared on SNL during his first run with the Cleveland Cavaliers in September 2007, aged just 22 years old.
Fresh off being swept in the ’07 NBA Finals by San Antonio, James jokingly told non-basketball fans his team had in fact swept the Spurs in the monologue.
James took part in an amusing sketch, ‘Read to Achieve’, alongside Jason Sudekis – who played a washed up albeit cocky production assistant as the four-time NBA Champion shot a commercial.
Sudekis continues to meddle with the shoot, overthrowing a pass to James before landing one on his head.
The pair engaged in a one-on-one before James expectedly dominates, causing a bloody nose to the PA.
LeBron James hosted SNL in September of 2007, at 22 after an NBA Finals loss to San Antonio
James starred in a sketch called ‘Read to Achieve’ alongside Ted Lasso star, Jason Sudekis (L)
Derek Jeter (2001)
The Yankees legend and Baseball Hall of Famer joined forces with Seth Meyers for a memorable ‘Weekend Update: Point/Counterpoint’ skit in 2001.
Red Sox fan Meyers engaged in a debate with Jeter not uncommonly seen on television screens these days, arguing the five-time World Series champion sucked.
Jeter’s position was to argue that he in fact did not.
‘You suck!’ Meyers yelled. Before the pair went back-and-forth continuously during the three-minute skit.
‘Derek! Derek! Derek!’ Meyers repeated before saying ‘people like you ruined my entire childhood.
‘So, I swore if I ever got within six feet of a real Yankee I’d kick his ass, but then I saw you and knew that could not happen. But thankfully this can, “You Suck!”‘
In Jeter’s monologue, he played a game called ‘Injuring the Audience’, a sketch where the live audience had the chance to catch a ball from him and instead were injured.
Baseball legend Derek Jeter had a hilarious point/counterpoint debate with Seth Meyers (R)
The 14-time MLB All-Star participated in an ‘Injuring the Audience’ sketch in his monologue
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson (2000, 2002, 2009, 2015, ’17)
The Rock is one of only two athletes to ever be invited back to host Saturday Night Live for a second time… and a third, fourth and fifth in his case.
These days he is known for his continual appearances in Hollywood films, but during his first appearance on SNL – in March, 2000 – he was largely only known to wrestling fans.
Then, The Rock was one of the headline acts of the WWF. His colleagues at Vince McMahon’s empire also greeted him with a visit to the set.
Mick Foley, Triple H, the Big Show, and of course, McMahon stopped by during The Brahma Bull’s monologue, acting as cheerleaders.
Comedian Tracy Morgan was also involved, after Johnson ‘broke both of his legs’ mucking around backstage.
With The Rock busy onstage, Triple H decided to take his frustrations out on an audience member who purportedly attended Harvard.
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson first hosted Saturday Night Live, while a WWF star, back in 2000
Then WWF world champion, and current WWE COO, Triple H took out his frustrations on ‘a fan’
Michael Jordan (1991)
His Airness was fresh off winning his first NBA championship when he took to the SNL stage in September of 1991.
Jordan kicked off season 17 of the show and did not disappoint – partaking in a ‘Daily Affirmation,’ alongside Stuart Smalley, played by Al Franken.
Understandably, Jordan looked a little less at ease than on the court throughout the hilarious skit.
The six-time NBA champ was led through affirmations by Smalley, saying ‘I don’t have to be a great basketball player.
‘I don’t have to dribble the ball fast or throw the ball in the basket, because all I have to do is be the best Michael I can be.’
The audience erupted at Jordan’s overt discomfort at the affirmations said while looking at himself in a mirror.
Michael Jordan looked amusingly out of place during a sketch involving affirmations in 1991
Michael Phelps (2008)
The most decorated Olympian of all time graced 30 Rock with his presence in September 2008.
Phelps, dressed in a black suit for the monologue, was just weeks on from winning eight gold medals at the Beijing Games.
A parody on Phelps’ famous 12,000 calorie diet took place, showing off a pantomime version of his meal plan.
It included an actual pig in a blanket, four wedding cakes, a bathtub of fettucine alfredo, a whole pork butt, two piñatas filled with corned beef hash – and that’s just for dinner!
The new-and-improved diet came with a disclaimer, ‘WARNING: Caloric intake based on 4,000 laps a day at world-record place.’
The greatest Olympic athlete in history took to the stage of SNL after eight gold medals in ’08
A sketch on Phelps’ famous eating regime took a different look at how to hit 12,000 calories
Peyton Manning (2007)
The two-time Super Bowl champion hosted on his 31st birthday, just over a month on from winning the Lombardi with Indianapolis vs. Chicago.
The Super Bowl 50 win proved his last game of professional football and allowed a move into on-camera and production work.
Manning was joined by his family – including his brothers, Eli and Cooper, and father, Archie – while on the show in 2007.
His best performance undoubtedly came in a ‘United Way’ PSA which showed him as a hard-nosed volunteer at a youth group.
Manning nailed a kid in the back of the head with a football and showed children how to break into a car… and even helped a child get a tattoo of the Colts quarterback’s face on his leg.
The slogan of the advert was ‘spend time with your kids, so Peyton Manning doesn’t.’
Peyton Manning hosted the NYC-based show following his first of two Super Bowl victories
Peyton Manning showed his performative promise in a SNL sketch as a youth group volunteer
Charles Barkley (1993, 2010, 2012, 2018)
The Round Mound of Rebound is the only other athlete to have repeat Saturday Night Live shows.
Barkley has emceed four times, with his first coming in September of 1993 after winning the NBA MVP.
Though, it was during his 2012 appearance where he arguably partook in his best sketch – particularly if you are a fan of Inside The NBA.
The popular basketball show includes Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith.
Barkley played O’Neal in a parody sketch of the show during his 2012 SNL hosting, alongside Bill Hader as Ernie, Jay Pharoah as Kenny and Kenan Thompson as Charles.
The former Phoenix Sun hilariously got out of character and acted as himself rather than O’Neal on multiple occasions.
Charles Barkley first took to the Saturday Night Live stage in 1993 after an MVP season
Barkley (L) attempted to play Shaquille O’Neal in a 2012 parody sketch of TNT’s Inside the NBA
John Cena (2016)
The WWE superstar has followed in the footsteps of The Rock and turned his attention to Hollywood.
He also hosted SNL in 2016 — becoming the third wrestler (after Johnson and Hulk Hogan) to ever receive the honor.
On December 6, Cena made the stage his own and partook in several skits, including one where he pretended to be President Trump, just over a month prior to his inauguration.
It included him reading ‘The failing New York Times’, showing off giant hands – Trump had previously defended his hand size, and falling asleep as ‘Mike Pence’ discusses work.
John Cena became the third wrestler to ever host Saturday Night Live when he emceed in 2016
The wrestler turned Hollywood actor parodied Donald Trump just prior to his inauguration
Joe Montana and Walter Payton (1987)
The pair of NFL greats co-hosted the show in 1987, producing a side-bursting sketch in the commonly reused ‘Church Chat.’
Both Montana and Payton joined Dana Carvey, who played a generic Church Lady as the trio discussed football.
Of course, Carvey’s character was in opposition to the sport thanks to its ‘fans [who] scream little Beastmasters, drink beer, and spit up’, alongside NFL football being played on the Sabbath.
They discussed the nuance of football, with Payton describing his job succinctly.
‘Well, I try to penetrate any opening I can find,’ he said.
Walter Payton (L) & Joe Montana (C) thrilled the audience with their edition of Church Chat
Payton also dressed as Michael Jackson, as he demonstrated a pantomime workout regime
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