# Are SNL Guest Hosts Paid? If So, How Much? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 3, 2014, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-snl-guest-hosts-paid-if-so-how-much/680458 "2014-02-03T22:06:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-snl-guest-hosts-paid-if-so-how-much/680458/1 "2014-02-03T22:06:34Z")
There was a joke on Saturday night’s SNL where guest-host Melissa McCarthy mentioned getting her check and going home. Anyone know how much (if anything) SNL guest hosts are paid? Scale? ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2014, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-snl-guest-hosts-paid-if-so-how-much/680458/2 "2014-02-04T04:28:23Z")
Just a wild guess, but I would imagine hosts get paid whatever scale is for TV shows. Most do it for the honor of doing it, or perhaps hyping their movie/album/TV show or whatever, or simply because they have fun doing it. ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2014, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-snl-guest-hosts-paid-if-so-how-much/680458/3 "2014-02-04T04:33:10Z")
That would me my guess too - it would be against union rules for them to get nothing at all, no? ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2014, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-snl-guest-hosts-paid-if-so-how-much/680458/4 "2014-02-04T05:21:20Z")
Probably more than scale but you’d probably be disappointed. Used to be you’d get paid $510.00 for appearing as a guest on Johnny Carson. That was scale \*then. \*But you were probably in LA anyway and it was just a couple of hours to show up, get made up, talk to a Production Assistant, wait in a green room, then appear. I think the SNL week begins on Tuesday. There’s probably some sketches already written and the writers are still busily writing and/or rewriting until Friday. So a host has to be there for a week. SNL probably provides hotel accomodations, meals, and transportation to the studio. Lorne offered the Beatles $3,000.00 remember? ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2014, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-snl-guest-hosts-paid-if-so-how-much/680458/5 "2014-02-04T08:49:31Z")
When Justin Timberlake hosted SNL in 2009, he told Entertainment Tonight that it was the best $5000 he ever made. I don’t know if it’s gone up since then. > **[Curious About How Much SNL Hosts Get Paid? - Slideshow - Vulture](https://www.vulture.com/2009/05/curious_about_how_much_snl_hos.html)** > > So are we! View the Slideshow. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2014, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-snl-guest-hosts-paid-if-so-how-much/680458/6 "2014-02-04T19:25:57Z")
To piggyback on this a little, I’d be curious to know how much the ‘cameo’ guests get paid, like DiCaprio the weekend before last.