Much Emmy attention surrounds Pedro Pascal this season for his deeply serious dramatic role as a man surviving the post-apocalypse in “The Last of Us,” but that’s not the only Emmy he could win in 2023. He’s also one of the leading contenders for Best Comedy Guest Actor for hosting “Saturday Night Live.” If he wins, he’d be the eighth “SNL” host to do so, extending the show’s already substantial record.
Since “SNL” hosts were first slotted into comedy guest acting categories, this race has been won by Justin Timberlake twice (2009, 2011), Jimmy Fallon twice (2012, 2014), Dave Chappelle twice (2017, 2021), and Eddie Murphy once (2020). As you can see from that list, most of the “SNL” champs were already established comedians — all except for musician Timberlake. That could potentially put Pascal at a disadvantage since he’s better known for dramatic roles, but that dramatic output could also impress voters who may be surprised by his range as a performer.
Pascal is currently ranked fourth in our predictions with 13/2 odds, which makes him the second-highest-ranked “SNL” contender for Best Comedy Guest Actor, trailing tandem hosts Steve Martin and Martin Short. They’re all trying to catch up with the overall front-runner, Nathan Lane (“Only Murders in the Building”), who is the defending champion. But the Expert journalists we’ve surveyed have high hopes for Pascal. While nine of those pundits back the consensus pick, Lane, five are betting on a Pascal upset, compared to just one Expert predicting the Martin/Short combo. Are the rest of us underestimating the enthusiasm the industry will have for Pascal?
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