Overview
- Witherspoon told Armchair Expert she would give the experience “zero stars,” describing the pressure as overwhelming for a 24-year-old new mother.
- She said she had been booked for the season’s second show before the opener was canceled after the attacks, placing her on the Sept. 29, 2001 broadcast.
- Lorne Michaels, she recalled, urged her to appear, saying Rudy Giuliani and FDNY members would attend and Paul Simon would perform to set a reassuring tone.
- The episode replaced the usual cold open with Simon singing The Boxer before Giuliani addressed viewers, and Witherspoon later returned to host in 2015 after a long hiatus.
- Some staff later criticized the light monologue, as recounted by former writer Hugh Fink, while Michaels previously praised Witherspoon as “fearless” for agreeing to host.