Highlights
- Tom Holland has turned down SNL multiple times due to his dyslexia and fear of changing cue cards
- Holland says reading aloud triggers a mental block where he can “freeze” on the spot
- Zendaya has also never hosted SNL, though scheduling is her issue, not apprehension
Don’t hold your breath waiting to see Tom Holland do a cold open.
The Spider-Man star has been asked to host Saturday Night Live more than once, and every single time, he’s said no. The reason finally came out Tuesday (June 2, 2026), and it’s not what most people would guess.
Holland sat down for an episode of Good Hang with Amy Poehler and opened up about why his struggles with dyslexia have held him back from accepting the SNL team’s repeated offers.
Featuring: Tom Holland
Where: Manhattan, New York, United States
When: 22 Oct 2024
Credit: Elder Ordonez/INSTARimages
Holland told Poehler directly: “I’m heavily dyslexic, which is one of the reasons why, and I’d love to talk to you today about it actually, I’ve never done SNL. I’m just so petrified at the concept of trying to read something and they change.”
That last part is the key detail. SNL famously uses big cue cards with lines on them to guide hosts and cast through sketches, with rewrites often happening right up until the last minute. For someone with Holland’s dyslexia, that’s not just nerve-wracking, it’s a genuine wall.
Poehler responded, “Oh, this is interesting. I’m sure they have had many dyslexics host,” to which Holland replied, “Totally. It’s just that for me, I can read fine. But when I have to read out loud, it just becomes like a kind of — it’s like a mental block and I can freeze.”
He wasn’t being falsely modest about the invite, either. Holland said he felt “really lucky” that SNL has reached out to him a few times, adding, “I’m actually just really scared at the prospect of it.”
The 30-year-old also gave a rare look at just how much effort goes into getting through a standard workday on set. “My worst day at work is the read-through. Like at the read-through, I will try and highlight everything and learn my lines ahead of time so that I am more skimming it than I am reading it.”
None of that is a knock on the show. Holland made clear he genuinely loves it. “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.”
Poehler, ever the cheerleader, tried to nudge him toward a change of heart. She told him she reckons he “can do it,” joking, “You have to remember that there have been people that have hosted that have been fully on drugs.” Holland has not yet been swayed.
Holland was diagnosed with dyslexia at age seven and described himself to Poehler as “heavily dyslexic.”
Interestingly, his partner Zendaya has also never hosted SNL, though for entirely different reasons. As one of Hollywood’s most in-demand actors, with four high-profile films and HBO’s “Euphoria” releasing in 2026 alone, finding a free week to host the demanding show is nigh impossible for her.
It remains to be seen if and when the A-list couple will grace Studio 8H with their presence. For now, though, Holland is being refreshingly candid about where he stands, and that kind of honesty about a learning disability from someone with his platform is worth more than any monologue.
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