Comedian Jorma Taccone has revealed that Kevin Spacey was the one Saturday Night Live host that he was not excited to work with during his time on the show.
Taccone was a member of the Lonely Island trio alongside Andy Samberg and Akiva Schaffer. The group produced digital shorts on SNL from 2005 to 2011 as the late night series began to incorporate the internet into their comedy, meaning the short writers interacted with the variety show’s cast members — including the weekly guest hosts and musical acts.
“In general, I liked almost every host that came to SNL,” Taccone, 49, said on Friday’s episode of The Daily Beast’s podcast show Obsessed. However, he added that there was one celebrity that he “wasn’t super geeked on.”
“I’ve never said this before,” Taccone confessed before revealing that he was talking about Spacey, 66, who hosted SNL for the second time in May 2006 with musical guest Nelly Furtado.
The “I’m On A Boat” co-writer recalled: “I did not enjoy that, and felt very uncomfortable around him.” Taccone did not elaborate further.
Spacey, a once celebrated two-time Oscar winner, was exiled from mainstream Hollywood in 2017 after multiple men accused him of sexual misconduct. He has consistently denied all allegations against him and maintained his innocence.
In 2022, the Usual Suspects actor was cleared by a jury in a $40 million civil lawsuit brought by actor Anthony Rapp, who accused Spacey of molesting him when he was 14. Spacey was then tried in London in 2023 on nine alleged sex offense allegations from four men, and acquitted on all counts.
Last month, Spacey reached civil settlements with three men out of court over more sexual assault allegations from between 2000 and 2013.
Representatives for Spacey did not immediately return The Independent’s request for response to Taccone’s statement.
Taccone is not the only SNL cast member who recalled an uncomfortable experience during the House of Cards actor’s hosting stint. In 2022, Tina Fey revealed at the Netflix is a Joke comedy festival in Los Angeles that Spacey had flirted with her years before he came out as gay in response to the sexual assault allegations against him in 2017.
“This is the kind of weird thing that used to happen to me,” Fey said at the time. “One time when he was hosting SNL, at the after-party, it was late and Kevin Spacey tried to hit on me.”
She joked that she doubted his attraction to her at the time, saying: “I was like, ‘Who is this for? Who is this little performance for?’”
Rape Crisis offers support for those affected by rape and sexual abuse. You can call them on 0808 802 9999 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, and 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland, or visit their website at www.rapecrisis.org.uk. If you are in the US, you can call Rainn on 800-656-HOPE (4673)
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