Tom Holland Explains His Reluctance to Host SNL: Dyslexia and Cue Cards

Tom Holland has opened up about why he's never taken the hosting reins at Saturday Night Live, despite receiving several offers to do so.

The 30-year-old actor, currently starring in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, appeared on Amy Poehler's Good Hang podcast to discuss the decision. Holland explained that his dyslexia plays a central role in his hesitation about taking on the NBC sketch comedy show.

"I'm heavily dyslexic, which is one of the reasons why I've never done SNL," Holland shared. "I'm just so petrified at the concept of, like, trying to read something and they change."

Holland clarified that his reading challenges don't prevent him from understanding written material in general. Rather, the difficulty emerges when he must perform text aloud in real time. "It's just that, for me, I can read fine. But when I have to read out loud, it just becomes, a kind of… it's like a mental block, and I freeze," he explained.

The actor described his most challenging moments at work as read-throughs for scripts. To manage this, he employs a strategic approach: "At the read-through, I will really try and highlight everything and learn my lines ahead of time, so that I'm more kind of skimming it than I am reading."

Despite his admiration for the show itself, Holland acknowledged that the prospect of navigating live cue cards remains daunting. "I've been really lucky that they've asked me a few times to do it, and the truth is that I'm actually just really scared at the prospect—I love the show, and I love the idea of having fun and making a fool of yourself in such a fun, creative way. It's just that thing of the cue cards," he said.

Poehler offered a lighthearted counterpoint during their conversation, noting that the show's long history includes hosts who performed under far more challenging circumstances. "You have to remember, there have been people that have hosted who have been fully on drugs, so I think you can do it," she quipped.

The conversation also touched on Holland's personal struggles, including his relationship with alcohol.