Molly Ringwald's Only Saturday Night Live Episode Kept Her Completely Offscreen

"Saturday Night Live" has platformed some of the biggest names in Hollywood, sports, music, and comedy. But one household name that has never hosted the sketch comedy series is '80s teen idol Molly Ringwald. Ringwald has been a popular actor almost as long as "SNL" has been on air. Ringwald made her acting debut in the beloved '70s sitcom "Diff'rent Strokes," but she gained fame for starring in '80s teen films like "Sixteen Candles" and "The Breakfast Club."

But her fame didn't end in the '80s. In the 21st century, she graduated from playing teenagers to playing mothers in nearly 100 episodes of Shailene Woodley's hit drama "The Secret Life of the American Teenager" and rom-coms like "The Kissing Booth." "Saturday Night Live" star Vanessa Bayer even briefly impersonated Ringwald in a 2012 sketch about James Bond. Yet Ringwald hasn't actually appeared on the show. However, fans would have heard the "Breakfast Club" actor's voice if they watched the sketch show's 1998 episode hosted by Steve Buscemi.

One of the episode's prerecorded skits was an animated musical parody of "Titanic" called "Titey," following the success of the box-office juggernaut. The twist? The ship is alive, mischievous, and voiced by Jason Alexander. But Ringwald's character is the most unexpected, as she plays Anne Frank, the famous Holocaust victim who was memorialized through her diaries. The writers make a pretty dark joke here when Anne Frank sings that she will write about Titey in her diary.

Though Molly Ringwald has yet to be picked as a "Saturday Night Live" host, many of her acting peers who were young stars in the '80s — often referred to as the Brat Pack — have appeared on the show. Rob Lowe has hosted the show three times; Emilio Estevez, Matt Dillon, and Demi Moore have each hosted once; and Anthony Michael Hall and Robert Downey Jr. were briefly in the show's main cast. 

Perhaps they haven't been able to fit Ringwald in. Daily Beast reported in 2025 that almost 70% of guest hosts had been men across the show's 50 years, though Lorne Michaels, the creator of "SNL," has defended the show's efforts to diversify the cast following protest about the lack of Black female cast members.

"Saturday Night Live" may have forgotten Molly Ringwald, but she's getting recognition in other ways. In 2025, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce announced that Ringwald would receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame the following year, along with Demi Moore, Stanley Tucci, and Timothée Chalamet. Ringwald responded on Instagram, saying, "I'm so honored to have been chosen to join the Hollywood Walk of Fame today!" As of September 2026, Ringwald hasn't yet had her ceremony to put the star on Hollywood Boulevard.