Reese Witherspoon gives 'zero stars' to her debut

After the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the U.S., Reese Witherspoon debuted on Saturday Night Live as a host.

Decades later, she says she "would give that zero stars. Do not recommend." The star shares her views on her recent appearance on Dax Shepard's Armchair Expert podcast.

The actress recalls she was 24 at the time and enjoying the success of her movie Legally Blonde. But helming the comedy show was “just too much responsibility for her then.” 

Despite this, she did not turn down the offer, Reese remembers, due to her "Southern and military ethics."

“Lorne Michaels called me and he said, ‘I really need you to show up. I really, really need this. Rudy Giuliani’s gonna be here," The Morning Show actress recounts the conversation with SNL's creator. 

During the attacks, firefighters played a key role in saving many lives; they were also coming on the show along with the then-mayor of New York City.

"All the firefighters are gonna be here. Paul Simon is gonna sing. I just need you to come out and do something a little light and tell America, ‘You can’t feel sad. We gotta laugh again. We’ve got to get back the national spirit,'” Reese recalls.

The 49-year-old further shares how major a challenge it was for her to host SNL at the time.

“I was 24. I also had a baby. I had a one-year-old. I was a new mom. I had the biggest movie come out that summer,” she notes. 

But Reese adds that she is a 'go-getter', which helped her to finish the episode. “But if you know me, if I tell you I’m going to do something, I mean there has to be a real disaster. We did it and it was good.”

It is worth noting that Reese returned to host Saturday Night Live in 2015.