Whoopi Goldberg recently shared the reason behind her decision to decline hosting Saturday Night Live (SNL) in the past.

Despite being an iconic figure in the entertainment industry, the Sister Act star chose to turn down the opportunity. At the red carpet event for SNL’s 50th Anniversary Special, Goldberg provided insight into why she has always shied away from taking up anchoring responsibilities in the long-running live sketch comedy series.

Whoopi Goldberg explains the reason not to host SNL

In a recent discussion, Whoopi Goldberg revealed the reason behind her decision not to host an episode of SNL. The veteran actress disclosed that the job’s demanding writing requirements, coupled with its prolonged preparation time, restricted her from accepting the part.

While speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, the 69-year-old actress remarked, “It required a week, it requires that you to sit with people and write sketches and I didn’t have really the time. And I didn’t want to do that, I’d been doing that for years. So, I just wanted to work on my own.”

While Whoopi Goldberg has not hosted SNL yet, she has made two separate appearances on the show. Her first feature on the series occurred in a 1986 episode, where she portrayed herself in a sketch called Translator. The View co-host recalled her second SNL appearance in the aforementioned interview, which took place in 2013, stating, “Justin Bieber asked me to intro him, and that’s how I got [there].”

Goldberg was then asked about who she would choose to feature in her rendition of the ‘SNL Mount Rushmore,’ considering that a hoard of “comedy greats” have taken a shot at hosting the fan-favorite series over the years. The EGOT winner replied, “Billy Crystal.” She further added that he was the only one she believed should occupy the spot, explaining, “Just one. Because he’s brilliant.”