Tom Holland has been in several of the biggest movies of all time. As our current Spider-Man, he’s headlined massive hits like “Avengers: Endgame,” which took the Marvel Cinematic Universe to a record-shattering box office peak, as well as “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” which helped bring movies back in a big way after the COVID-19 pandemic. Holland seems like someone who should probably have hosted “Saturday Night Live” from now on. He’s got star power. He’s got the chops. So, why hasn’t he?

On a recent episode of the “Good Hang with Amy Poehler” podcast, Holland addressed the topic, which somewhat naturally came up given that Poehler is a former “SNL” cast member who has returned to host the legendary sketch comedy show several times over the years. Before starring in “Parks and Recreation” (which almost became a spin-off of “The Office”), Poehler was a mainstay at Studio 8H.

“I’m heavily dyslexic, which is one of the reasons why—and I’d love to talk to you today about it, actually—is why I’ve never done ‘SNL,” Holland said. “I’m just so petrified at the concept of, like, trying to read something and they change.”

Indeed, Holland has trouble reading, which explains why he would be terrified of doing a show like “Saturday Night Live,” which is more about reading cue cards than memorizing lines. Further, Holland elaborated on his reading difficulties:

“I can read fine, but when I have to read out loud … it’s like a mental block, and I can freeze. So, for me, my worst day at work is the read-through. At the read-through, I will really try and highlight everything and learn my lines ahead of time, so that I’m more kind of skimming it than I am reading.”

“I’ve been really lucky that they’ve asked me a few times to do it, and the truth is that I’m actually just really scared at the prospect — I love the show, and I love the idea of having fun and making a fool of yourself in such a fun, creative way,” Tom Holland added. “It’s just that thing of the cue cards.”

“You have to remember, there have been people that have hosted that have been fully on drugs,” Poehler quipped. “So I think you can do it.

It makes total sense that the brass at “SNL” have tried to get Holland to host the show before. Holland stars in summer’s “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” which teams him with the Punisher and Hulk, which is just weeks after he’s appearing in Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey.” Holland is bigger than he’s ever been. So it’s not as though the ship has sailed by any means. Poehler, joking aside, was very encouraging.

Quite a few Marvel Cinematic Universe alums have hosted the sketch show in the past. Holland’s “Spider-Man: Far From Home” co-star Jake Gyllenhaal hosted the “Saturday Night Live” Season 49 finale in 2024. There are numerous other examples. What would it take for Holland to join that club?

Maybe some encouragement from Poehler will help. Perhaps speaking with Lorne Michaels or some other former hosts would help calm Holland’s nerves. While the actor’s fears are understandable, it certainly seems like the sort of thing that could be worked out if both parties were motivated enough to make it happen.

“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” hits theaters on July 31, 2026.