SNL’s History With Gay Hosts

Neil Patrick Harris hosted Saturday Night Live last night. Most of it was unfunny, except for a marginally amusing bit about Broadway falling on hard times. I was wondering about SNL’s history with gay hosts and went off to Wikipedia to research. Here’s what I found.

1976: Lily Tomlin. Not out at the time.
1976: Anthony Perkins. Died without coming out.
1976: Jodie Foster. Not out at the time.
1982: Lily Tomlin. Not out at the time.
1983: Ed Koch. STILL not out officially.
1984: Ed Koch. STILL not out officially.
1993: Rosie O’Donnell. Not out at the time.
1995: David Hyde Pierce. Not out at the time.
1996: Rosie O’Donnell. Not out at the time.
1997: Nathan Lane. Not out at the time.
2000: Alan Cumming. Out as bisexual since 1999.
2001: Sean Hayes. STILL not out officially.
2001: Ellen DeGeneres. Out since 1996.
2002: Ian McKellen. Out since 1988.
2003: Queen Latifah. STILL not out officially.
2005: Lindsay Lohan. Not out at the time.
2006: Keven Spacey. STILL not out.
2009: Neil Patrick Harris. Out since 2006.

SUMMARY: Saturday Night Live has had 15 gay hosts in 18 episodes over in 34 seasons (Tomlin, Koch and O’Donnell appeared twice), but only four were out publicly at the time of their appearance: Alan Cumming, Ellen DeGeneres, Ian McKellen and Neil Patrick Harris.