Reese Witherspoon Reflects On Hosting First 'SNL' Episode Post-9/11: 'Zero Stars. Do Not Recommend.'

Reese Witherspoon is reflecting on a particularly challenging gig she accepted over 20 years ago.

Specifically, The Morning Show star is recalling the time she had to host the first live episode of Saturday Night Live after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Keep reading to find out more…

Reese was one of the latest stars to sit down with Dax Shepard on his Armchair Expert podcast and the topic came up in conversation.

“I would give that zero stars. Do not recommend,” she quipped.

During the summer in question, the Oscar winner was riding the high of Legally Blonde‘s success and when SNL head Lorne Michaels asked her to host the September 29, 2001 episode (also happened the series premiere).

However, she also thinks it was way “too much responsibility for a 24-year-old girl.”

“Lorne Michaels called me and he said, ‘I really need you to show up. I really, really need this. Rudy Giuliani’s gonna be here. All the firefighters are gonna be here. Paul Simon is gonna sing. I just need you to come out and do something a little light and tell America, ‘You can’t feel sad. We gotta laugh again. We’ve got to get back the national spirit,’” she said.

“I was 24. I also had a baby. I had a one-year-old. I was a new mom. I had the biggest movie come out that summer,” Reese continued. “But if you know me, if I tell you I’m going to do something, I mean there has to be a real disaster. … We did it and it was good.”

Alicia Keys was the musical guest for her episode.

After that episode, the actress says she didn’t host again for 15 years, with her next episode not being until Season 40, specifically the 20th episode with musical guest Florence + the Machine.

You might have missed it but Reese and her Morning Show co-star Jennifer Aniston shared a super sweet moment during a recent interview!