John Goodman Reflects on Failed SNL Audition, "It's The Worst Thing I've Ever Done"

By Nicole Drum

John Goodman may be one of television's most recognizable faces and has hosted Saturday Night Live a total of 13 times over the years, the The Conners and The Righteous Gemstones star actually once auditioned to be a cast member for the sketch comedy series and looking back, Goodman says that audition is the worst thing he's ever done. During a recent appearance on The Tonight Show, Goodman told Jimmy Fallon about the disastrous audition in 1980 and stressed just how awful it was.

"It's not that I had any material to show or anything good to do. I just knew they'd hire me because I'm a nice guy," Goodman said (via Entertainment Weekly). "It's the worst thing I've ever done in front of people in my life. I wrote something about 15 minutes before I went over there and… oh God, it was awful."

The season Goodman auditioned for was the sixth season of SNL in which an entirely new cast was introduced following the departure of creator and executive producer Lorne Michaels. The series ended up adding Joe Piscopo, Gilbert Gottfried, and Charles Rocket to the cast that season. However, while Goodman didn't end up making the cut, he obviously has had long running connection to the show. As was noted previously, Goodman has hosted SNL 13 times over the years, the first being in 1989, something that he describes as feeling great.

"It used to be my favorite thing I'd do every year would be Saturday Night Live," Goodman said. "They always made me feel at home, and you're with a bunch of smart and funny people. It just feels great."

Goodman has most recently hosted SNL in 2013, though he was a guest on the show in 2016 as well. As for other aspects of Goodman's career, the actor is currently starring as Dr. Eli Gemstone in HBO's The Righteous Gemstones. That series returned for its second season earlier this month. New episodes of the series air Sundays and the series has already been renewed for a third season by the network.

What do you think about Goodman having had a disastrous Saturday Night Live audition? Are you glad The Righteous Gemstones is back for Season 2? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section!

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