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Announcements Mar 23, 2026 at 1:20 PM

Do studios/companies pay NBC to have ppl hosting SNL?

Posted by jnighy

I had this doubt for a while. Like, recently SNL had Ryan Gosling promoting Project Hail Mary and Harry Styles promoting his new album. And there's nothing wrong with that. But is it a payed opportunity? Like, did Amazon-MGM and Harry Styles label paid NBC to have them hosting? Or is it a good opportunity for both, as the they get the promotion they need and SNL gets the star to boost ratings?
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Mixer-3007 Mar 23, 2026 +38
Guest hosts on SNL typically receive a paycheck from the show, around $5k, mainly because they can't work for free under SAG rules.
38
Rebloodican Mar 23, 2026 +11
Studios don't pay SNL for promotion, it's the same as talk shows. The shows depend on ratings so their appeal is if they can get stars on their show, the stars of the movies/tv shows then want to host when they have something to promote. Conversely, sometimes you get actors or comedians who don't have anything to promote, but are doing SNL for their own comedic legacy or as a favor to Lorne Michaels (and NBC writ large).
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kneeco28 Mar 23, 2026 +50
I see "payed" on Reddit so much that I've Googled whether it's an acceptable spelling in the States.
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Zogonzo Mar 23, 2026 +51
Nope. "Paid" is correct in the US.
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Sokobanky Mar 23, 2026 +7
It is when discussing rope, so it doesn’t trigger autocorrect.
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jnighy Mar 23, 2026 +6
To be clear, I'm not american and English is not my first language. So it could be wrong
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waltzthrees Mar 23, 2026 +15
It is, the word is paid. It will help you look more fluent since you’re nearly there.
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jnighy Mar 23, 2026 +4
Thanks
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ATLHawksfan Mar 23, 2026 -2
So annoying. I get that English is complex and filled with arbitrary rules, but “payed” is almost never going to be correct. Why haven’t spell checkers figured this out?
-2
Felis_bieti Mar 23, 2026 +1
It's a real word. Means something else.
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ATLHawksfan Mar 23, 2026 +2
A real word that’s only used in nautical context. What do we have more of in everyday convo…sailors talking about ropes and chains or people talking about compensation?
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Felis_bieti Mar 23, 2026 +1
The point is, spellcheck won't catch it. It's a real word. Is this concept too hard for you? It's a "really" word. lol. Bitching about someone else's misspelling.
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ATLHawksfan Mar 23, 2026 +1
>Is this concept too hard for you? Interesting approach to conversation. My point (which seems to be escaping you) is that spell checkers can be programmed by humans to serve the most good. Gee, am I texting “ducking” for the first time in a decade, or is this the 300th time I tried to say something else?
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Felis_bieti Mar 23, 2026 +1
Looks like I was correct-- apparently too hard for you. It's "really" hard.
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ImLaunchpadMcQuack Mar 23, 2026 +9
No. But it’s a lot easier to get someone to host/perform when they have something mutually beneficial to promote.
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Flabby_Thor Mar 23, 2026 +8
I have a family member who worked on the show for nearly 2 decades. Next time I talk to them I'll confirm, but it's mutually beneficial. The show gets a ratings bump from a big name being on, and whatever that person has coming out they get to promote (though sometimes it's less about promotion and more of a curtain call/keep the legs moving -- like the guy from Heated Rivalry). They do get paid because of SAG rules (as someone else mentioned), but it's a small amount given the prestige and uniqueness of hosting the show.
8
GotMoFans Mar 23, 2026 +4
No. And hosts and musical guests only earn scale, which is the minimum pay for the time they work. That’s the exchange. NBC gets A list talent at low prices and A List talent gets to promote their projects But NBCUniversal talent will always get priority for SNL hosting s**** because it does benefit NBCUniversal more.
4
LazloHollifeld Mar 23, 2026 +1
No, but I bet they do a lot of horse trading and will agree to promote one person and their new product to get the chance to bring on someone who they really want.
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Expensive-Notice-509 Mar 23, 2026
There's gotta be some sort of product deals in placed. These celebrities are represented by huge agencies that are always looking for ways to make a profit. [https://blog.hollywoodbranded.com/companies-get-massive-brand-recognition-with-snl-product-placement-parody-fun](https://blog.hollywoodbranded.com/companies-get-massive-brand-recognition-with-snl-product-placement-parody-fun)
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