This week’s episode of Saturday Night Live was a reunion of sorts.
Former castmember Will Forte returned to Studio 8H to make his hosting debut alongside musical guest Måneskin. The award-winning comedian spoke about his big return in his opening monologue, sharing his delight in hosting SNL for the first time. Forte joked that he wasn’t “bitter” that it took him so long to host the show, noting that SNL alumni Jason Sudeikis and Seth Meyers hosted before him. “Saved the best for last, right?” he said. “Saved the best for way last.”
Forte’s monologue continued the fun when Kristen Wiig came out as a surprise guest. And just when Forte was having his moment, Lorne Michaels alongside Willem Dafoe told Forte his hosting gig might’ve been a mistake. “You think I would book someone named Will and then someone named Willem?” Michaels said. “I texted Willem and then, you know, autocorrect.”
You can watch it below.
The gig comes nearly two decades after Forte kicked off his eight-season run at SNL, where portrayed some of the series’ most memorable characters; we’re talking the Falconer, Greg Stink, Tim Calhoun, Lunford Dancer, and, perhaps his most iconic role, MacGruber.
“First of all, I just think the character is an imbecile,” he told NBC about the former special operative who parodies MacGyver. “And it’s always fun to play an imbecile.”
Forte will reprised his McGruber role in a 2021 Peacock series co-starring Kristen Wiig, Laurence Fishburne, Ryan Phillippe, and Sam Elliott.
“Sometimes it feels like summer camp to go work on these MacGrubers,” he said. “It’s, it’s just a lot of laughing.”
Peacock has yet to green light a second season for MacGruber, which is a direct sequel to a 2010 film of the same name.
