During the Saturday Night Live monologue, Jake Gyllenhaal seemed to be trying to convince himself that he was OK with hosting the season 49 finale, rather than the season 50 premiere.
“When you think of historic television seasons, the first number that pops into your head is 49,” Gyllenhaal said. “I mean, sure, you know, one more episode and I would have been hosting the premiere of the 50th season, but who cares?”
The Road House actor later broke out in song to the tune of Boyz II Men’s “End Of The Road,” listing off all the people the sketch comedy series asked to host the season finale before Gyllenhaal.
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“You know, I was actually SNL‘s first choice to host the finale after a lot of people said no,” he joked. “I guess they’re all holding out for the 50th but not me.”
“I’m the one who said, yeah,” he added as he proceeded to sing, “They asked Pedro Pascal but he wasn’t around / Zendaya said no ’cause she’d be out of town / Even asked [Ryan] Gosling to come back again, just hosted three shows ago.”
SNL castmembers Ego Nwodim, Kenan Thompson, Punkie Johnson and Devon Walker later joined Gyllenhaal onstage to close out the monologue with him. “We’ve come to the end of the road / It’s the last episode / It’s time to say goodbye to season 49 / You’ll be 50 soon,” they all sang together.
Earlier during the cold open, James Austin Johnson’s Donald Trump went through his potential vice president contenders ahead of the upcoming election.
With a backdrop of a Manhattan courthouse amid his current hush money trial, Johnson’s Trump brought out Sen. Tim Scott, portrayed by Devon Walker, and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, played by Heidi Gardner. But it was his third contender that appeared to be his favorite.
“And finally, my last and favorite choice is a man I can’t stop talking about in my rallies, it’s the late great Hannibal Lector,” Johnson’s Trump said as Michael Longfellow was wheeled in, dressed as the Silence of the Lambs serial killer. “There he is, I keep calling him late and great, even though he’s not dead, he’s not great and he’s not real, but I think you’d really scare everybody at the border, right?”
“OK, get him out of here. We’re done. He’s giving me [Mike] Pence vibes. I don’t like it,” Johnson’s Trump added before saying he needed to wrap up the segment, “because it’s almost summer and I promise it’s gonna be the summer of Trump.”
Sabrina Carpenter was the musical guest for the season 49 finale of SNL. Jon Hamm also made a cameo.
At the end of the season 49 finale, NBC’s sketch comedy show also paid tribute to Dabney Coleman, who died Thursday at 92, with a title card.
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