Photo via Dillon Francis's website
With two of Saturday Night Live's most popular cast members, Taran Killam and Jay Pharoah, announcing their departure from the long-running sketch comedy series, the show needs some extra oomph from its hosts this season to fill the void. Yesterday, SNL opened its Twitter page to host nominations, and the people have spoken: they want Dillon Francis.The DJ, producer, and overall social media ham put his name in the mix, writing, "If there is one thing Id love to do more than anything in the world rn it would be to host SNL…plz tweet them!" The request was supported by Columbia Records and Sony Music, artists Major Lazer and Calvin Harris, and even Chandler Riggs aka Carl from The Walking Dead, in addition to Francis's legion of fans.The truth is, it's not a bad idea. SNL has been looking to reach the youths through electronic music, whether it's by booking dance artists as musical guests (Disclosure) or by roasting them ("When Will the Bass Drop?"). Dance fans make up a huge, social media-savvy demographic—just think of all the free publicity and Snaps of Francis trying out new impressions. Dude can even act—and sure, he's kind of funny, too. He could produce and star in Digital Shorts à la The Lonely Island, and chances are he's more than willing to poke fun of himself as a DJ.Think on it SNL, because if DJs are big enough to spoof, they're big enough to host.
.@ColumbiaRecords @nbcsnl @DILLONFRANCIS #DillonOnSNL pic.twitter.com/db5ZrL2JDF
— Sony Music Global (@SonyMusicGlobal) September 1, 2016