Saturday Night Live returned this weekend to continue its 46th season with host Jason Bateman and musical guest Morgan Wallen. It’s been a whole 15 years since Bateman’s last SNL appearance in 2005 alongside musical guest Kelly Clarkson, but it's definitely his first time hosting during a global pandemic.
After a rocky adjustment to new COVID-19 safety protocols, Bateman picked the SNL season back up following Dave Chappelle’s hosting gig on Nov. 7. The Ozarkstar kicked things off with a monologue that opened with him claiming he took the COVID-19 vaccine already. It then moved on to his last SNL appearance where he recalled a skit that involved a chimpanzee who threw waste at celebrities. While Bateman wasn't one of the celebs who was hit with feces, he shares a story about how the chimp almost bit him during the curtain call.
Something kinda weird happened the first time Jason Bateman hosted. pic.twitter.com/GLHw0D2qDG
The latest season of Ozark, starring Bateman, racked up more views on Netflix than Tiger King. The Emmy darling continues to be one of the biggest original shows on Netflix’s streaming platform.
This was Morgan Wallen’s first musical performance on Saturday Night Live, after his originally slated debut was pushed after his violation of COVID-19 safety precautions. The country musician fumbled his first chance to appear on SNL alongside Bill Burr after going to parties without a mask and kissing multiple people the week before his performance. He later apologized, but Jack White replaced Wallen for that episode.
Bateman was one of the final hosts for the year, with only two episodes left before 2021. Call Me By Your Name and Dune star Timothée Chalamet is making his hosting debut on Dec. 12, with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band as musical guests. The final host will be SNL royalty Kristen Wiig with musical guest Dua Lipa on Dec. 19.
