Describing himself as “heavily dyslexic,” Tom told Amy that he’s always been “petrified” by the idea of reading cue cards on live TV, which has been a core part of SNL since the show was created more than 50 years ago.
“For me, I can read fine, but when I have to read out loud, it just becomes like a kind of— it’s like a mental block, and I can freeze,” he said. “I’ve been really lucky that they’ve asked me a few times to [host SNL], and the truth is that I’m actually just really scared. I love the show, and I love the idea of having fun and making a fool of yourself in such a fun, creative way. It’s just that thing of the cue cards.”
For context, Tom was diagnosed with dyslexia at 7 years old, and for years, he’s talked openly about how he manages the learning difficulty, which impacts as many as 20% of people in the US, according to the American Psychological Association. “It’s about taking your time,” he said in an interview with Jazzys World TV in 2021. “Giving yourself the appropriate amount of time to do the things you need to do. The better prepared you are for anything, the more you’ll be able to do and accomplish things that are fantastic.”
Interestingly, while chatting with Amy, the Spider-Man star talked about how he navigates his dyslexia in his acting career, saying, “For me, my worst day at work is the read-through. I will really try and highlight everything and learn my lines ahead of time so that I’m more skimming it than I am reading it [in front of everyone].”
Though Tom has always been open about this topic, his latest comments about SNL have attracted a lot of attention, particularly from other people with dyslexia. “I’m a successful and confident person… until I’m trying to read something new out loud and I’m that 10-year-old in special ed,” one Reddit user wrote. “Love him for talking about this and how he still masks. It’s not like learning disabilities just resolve themselves when it’s time to find a job. Not to mention, I definitely felt I missed so much by not being in ‘regular’ classes. Love seeing him talk about it affecting him in adulthood.”
Discussing their experience, another user shared: “I never went in for acting because my dyslexia and ADHD caused me so many major issues with learning lines. I really loved it but it was too anxiety laden. It’s wild what opportunities become limited when you have learning disabilities.”
Notably, Tom isn’t the only major celeb to have turned down an SNL hosting gig due to dyslexia and cue card concerns. Mark Ruffalo, who is also dyslexic, gave similar reasons for not doing the show, and it’s been speculated that Tom Cruise has never hosted because of this, too.
With this in mind, fans on Reddit expressed concerns about accessibility, suggesting that SNL should occasionally make tweaks to allow people like Tom to host the show with complete confidence. “SNL could honestly do a pre-taped segment with him instead of live sketches,” one user suggested, while others wondered if he would be allowed to use an earpiece or simply memorize his lines ahead of time. “They’ve done special accommodations for hosts before, and Tom’s comedy timing is already proven.”
Someone pointed out that SNL memorably changed its cue card format when Macaulay Culkin hosted the show at just 11 years old in 1991. To be clear, this wasn’t about accessibility, but was at the request of his allegedly abusive father/then-manager, who “didn’t like it when people glanced off [and looked at] cue cards.” “I had to do the whole episode without cue cards,” Macaulay previously said, “so that meant every other person in the cast couldn’t have cue cards either, in any scene that I was in.”
This proves that it has been feasible to make accommodations in the past; however, other fans praised Tom for owning his dyslexia and accepting that the experience would likely be too difficult. “Honestly, probably a good call on his part,” one user wrote on the same Reddit thread, praising his decision to turn down the offers. “Stick with your strengths, there’s no reason to overextend yourself at the risk of not delivering a great show.”
It’s certainly an interesting conversation, and, above all, I love Tom for his continued honesty about his dyslexia. It’s so important!
Note: Some Reddit comments were edited for length or clarity.
