Michael Phelps To Host "Saturday Night Live"

Breaking comedy and Olympic Phever fan news. Gold medal hero Michael Phelps will host the upcoming season premiere of Saturday Night Live on September 13.

In front of a live audience, the 23-year-old swimmer will kicked off the 34th season of the NBC show with musical guest Lil Wayne. The season will open with an unprecedented eight consecutive new shows.

During the Beijing games, Phelps professed to having the hip hop artist on his iPod before races.

Phelps will also be dropping by The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Monday, Sept. 8.

The season premiere of Saturday Night Live will air on Sept 13. @ 11:30PM ET/PT on NBC.

FULL RELEASE:
New York, NY ˆ August 27, 2008 ˆ "Saturday Night Live" makes its 34th season premiere on Saturday, September 13 featuring two of the biggest names of the summer ˆ Michael Phelps and hip-hop superstar Lil Wayne.

US Olympic swimming phenomenon Michael Phelps will make his acting debut hosting the season premiere hot off his record-shattering performance in Beijing.

The SNL season premiere kicks off four live shows in a row, a rare practice that generated momentum for the show this past spring when the show returned after the WGA Strike-imposed hiatus. All told, seven all-new SNL's will air on Saturdays prior to the election.

Phelps went a perfect 8-for-8 in Beijing, breaking Mark Spitz's single-Games record for most gold medals won. In addition, Phelps broke another Olympics record, becoming the most decorated Olympian in history, winning a stunning 14 career gold medals. Phelps currently holds seven world records in swimming.

Unprecedented millions tuned in to watch Phelps in action, from the US Swim Team's explosive victory over the French in the 4x100m freestyle relay, by just .08 of a second; to Phelps' record-demolishing performance in the 4x200m freestyle relay breaking the record by more than four seconds and his seventh gold medal win, beating Serbia's Milorad Cavic by the slimmest and most dramatic margin imaginable ˆ one-one-hundredth of a second.

Joining Phelps and also making his SNL debut is hip-hop superstar Lil Wayne.

Comments

[anastasiabeaverhousen]

There are some things that should have been allowed to die a LONG time ago.....SNL is one of those things.

[Chrisa]

SNL is very unfunny right now, which is depressing since the election is coming up. Who is going to play Obama? Kenan? How about McCain?

*Sigh... SNL these days lacks any sort of intelligence. It has been dumbed down badly.

[Secure214]

The episode may be bad...most SNL's with sporting hosts are...but the ratings will be HUGE!!!!

Lorne is smart to start the season off with him, and promote the show for the rest of the political season. 7 or 8 shows before the election.

That epsiode will have the highest ratings it has had in years, maybe ever.

You heard it here 1st.

[djonan]

I wish SNL would use its musical slog to propel new and upcoming artists. I'm thinking people like Jamie Lidell, the Gossip, Devendra Banhart, Black Mountain, Blue Scholars, Hot Chip, Breakestra, Madvillain, Santogold, Spank Rock, etc...

[liquidcrystal47]

WOW that episode is going to be bad.

[JaySunSee]

I agree 100%, anyone remember the train wreck that was the Nancy Kerrigan SNL after her Olympics. SNL sucks as it is right now, they don't need the help.

[JDinBalt]

I remember that episode with Kerrigan. It was so bad it was funny! Yep, the Michael Phelps episode is going to suck.

[OhComeOnNow]

Not a good idea. He is a great swimmer, but no Rhodes scholar, or thespian, as are most mono-syllabic athletes. I'm taking a pass on that one. I can get bored by something else....

[chiefeditor]

Here's hoping he gets to be a lot more charismatic by then, compared to this: http://www.entertonement.com/collections/2197/Michael-Phelps

[alanposting]

This could be a big mistake as it was for Spitz when he hosted SNL right after he won his gold medals. They put Spitz in a feather pillow fight and his arms went flying, if you know what I mean.......and his celebrity hood was over. I'm sure that's why he was not invited to see his record broken. From that broadcast his career was over and even Wheaties wouldn't touch him.

[OhComeOnNow]

At least Spitz was gorgeous - Phelps, not so much...

[SmootyBooty]

Kinda geeky...

[DannyEastVillage]

oh NOW....that's entirely a matter of taste...I think he's pretty cute....and maybe they'll make him take his shirt off... :D

[alguien]

uh, mark spitz won his medals in 1972 and SNL didn't launch until 1975. so, unless he had a special "back to the future" sort of device that science hadn't yet discovered or created, i'm afraid your reminiscence is a little off kilter.

[DannyEastVillage]

hm...maybe Alan's talking about...Bruce Jenner???

[BJBirdie]

Anyone want to place bets on which cast member will be playing his mother, sitting in the audience during the opening monologue?

[cnobody]

armison, but it'll be a mistake. armison is the number one problem with that show. he does a lot of absurd stuff that just doesn't work.