Martha Stewart has revealed that she was once asked to host “Saturday Night Live,” but her parole officer wouldn’t allow it.
During an appearance on “The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon” on Monday, Stewart said she got the call from Lorne Michaels after her release from prison in 2005. Stewart served five months at the Federal Prison Camp in Alderson, W.Va after being convicted of fraud in relation to the ImClone stock trading case.
“I wanted to, and they asked me as I was coming out of Alderson, that camp I was in for a while,” Stewart said of hosting the iconic sketch show. “And my parole officer wouldn’t give me the time to do it … That bastard! I still have his name and his number.”
Stewart noted that under parole, she was only allowed to be out of the house for eight hours per day, which didn’t align with “SNL‘s” intense schedule. “I’m so pissed,” she added. “Maybe some day.”
When Fallon said she’d be great as a host, Stewart agreed: “I would be amazing. Start a campaign!”
Earlier in the interview, Fallon pointed out that Stewart is one of the most-impersonated people in “SNL” history, having been portrayed by nine different players including Ana Gasteyer, Amy Poehler, Rachel Dratch, David Spade, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon and Chloe Fineman.
After noting that Spade was her favorite, Stewart said that she loves seeing impressions of herself on the show. “Imitation is the highest form of flattery,” she said. “And you might as well be imitated!”
Watch Stewart’s full interview below.