Will Ferrell Says SNL Sketch with Shaq Got Cut Because It Was ‘Funnier’ Than Host Kelsey Grammer

“He just committed to everything regardless of how stupid we put him,” Ferrell said. The comedian — who is a massive Lakers fan — also remembered that he met Lakers legend Shaquille O'Neal for the first time during an episode of SNL.

Kelsey Grammer was the host of the 1998 episode, but, Ferrell remembered, “They said, ‘Hey, Shaq's in town. He wants to do some sketches.’ ” And when O’Neal came on, “He destroyed.”

“He was so funny and natural to the point where one of his sketches got cut because he had a funnier show than the host,” the Step Brothers star recalled. He remembered one particular sketch that was dropped, even though it was hilarious.

“We wrote this sketch where all the cast members were picking on me and making me cry. And Shaq came up, he's like, ‘What's going on?’ And I'm like, ‘Shaq, everyone's making fun of me.’ And he's like, ‘Come with me, Will.’ … And he picked me up in his arms, and we proceeded to sing a duet called ‘No One's Gonna Hurt My Little Man.’ And Shaq was cradling me … That got cut, and it, like, destroyed.”