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When Jack Black burst onto the scene, he quickly became a top SNL host. He quickly notched three hosting gigs in just five seasons, hosting in January 2002, October 2004 and December 2005.
Then Black disappeared from SNL.
Sure, he was one half of a musical guest in 2006, performing with Tenacious D, but being the musical guest doesn’t make you the star of an episode. (Unless you’re Justin Timberlake and you team up with Jimmy Fallonto sideline Dakota Johnson in her own episode.) For two decades, it looked like Black had forever stalled out two episodes shy of the Five-Timers Club.
But then Black returned in a blaze of glory last season. And now he’s back for the fifth time this weekend, which makes it the perfect time to run down five of the most iconic SNL sketches featuring the Super Mario Galaxy Movie star.
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The top 5 Jack Black SNL sketches
Spelling Bee
My wife and I quote “Spelling Bee” all the time, to the point where our four-year-old daughter has even watched it. (I can’t tell if she laughed because she genuinely thought it was funny or if she was just humoring us.) Will Forte’s never-ending stream of “Q ... Q ... Q ...” is one of my favorite SNL bits.
Two A-Holes Buying a Christmas Tree
Jason Sudeikis and Kristen Wiig would play the “Two A-Holes” characters eight times. Black’s episode was the first time we saw this sketch. Which leads me to this ...
The Dec. 17, 2005, episode of SNL hosted by Jack Black is almost certainly the greatest episode in the show’s history.
The first two sketches in this article are from that episode, but it doesn’t stop there. This episode also gave us: “Lazy Sunday,” “Christmastime for the Jews” and a Debbie Downer. No wonder Black didn’t return to host for twenty years after this episode — how can you top this one?
Music International
I don’t know why “Music International” isn’t available via official SNL and NBC channels, but it’s the perfect encapsulation of Black as a host. Sure, he can sit back and wait for his moment in “Spelling Bee” or let the magic happen around him in “Two A-Holes Buying a Christmas Tree,” but at some point, Black is going to grab an episode by the horns and turn a sketch into a showcase of his manic energy.
Goth Kid on Vacation
I didn’t know that we were missing Black singing a reggae-tinged version of My Chemical Romance’s “Welcome to the Black Parade,” but “Goth Kid on Vacation” opened my eyes. (I would also trade any of SNL’s male rookie cast members except Jeremy Culhane to bring back Michael Longfellow.)
Jack Black Monologue: Singing
From his very first monologue, Black set the tone for what we could expect from him as an SNL host. There would be music. There would be bravado. And there would be possibly be a flute solo.
The Omnicosm founder. Snackology, Popculturology and The Cold Open writer. A Rochester, N.Y., native now living in the Washington, D.C., area. Won’t pass up a Genny Cream Ale.
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