Jason Sudeikis returned to “Saturday Night Live” to host the Oct. 23 episode, with musical guest Brandi Carlile. While Sudeikis was a cast member on the late-night sketch series from 2005-13, and he’s appeared in a number of cameos on the show since then, this marks his first time as host. For his opening “SNL” monologue, Sudeikis quipped that while this is indeed his first hosting stint, it will also be his last.
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The actor discussed his highly popular Apple TV+ comedy series “Ted Lasso,” which he writes, directs and stars in. Sudeikis admitted he’s been surprised to see how big of a hit it became in America, considering it has two things the country hates: “soccer and kindness.” He went on to talk about the advice he’s given to some of the newer “SNL” cast members from this past week. He admitted to giving the same advice, which is “win an Emmy,” a reference to his award success in September. “And if you can’t, win two,” just like he did.
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The monologue then turned unexpectedly poignant as Sudeikis urged the audience to take note of the historic nature of Studio 8H, where the show has been filmed since its inception in 1975. “All of our collective comedy heroes have run around through here,” he observed from Chris Farley to Tina Fey. He almost teared up as he discussed how “SNL” changed his life, once as a kid and again when he became a cast member.
Sudeikis is coming off a huge Emmy reception for “Ted Lasso,” winning Best Comedy Actor and Best Comedy Series as a producer. Season 2 of the acclaimed Apple TV+ comedy concluded earlier this month, with the third season likely to come in 2022.
