This weekend’s Saturday Night Live, hosted by Willem Dafoe, with musical guest Katy Perry, also featured a surprise appearance from former NFL player Peyton Manning, whose “Weekend Update” commentary on Saturday’s playoffs and Tom Brady‘s rumored retirement ended with him gushing over Netflix’s Emily in Paris.
The Spider-Man: No Way Home star Dafoe used his opening monologue to joke about his “expressive face,” which he “can’t control.”
“Maybe that’s why people come up to me and say, ‘You know what role you’d be perfect for? The Joker,’” he continued. “Always nice to hear that you’ve got the vibe of a sociopath,” the host joked.
Manning confessed to “Update” co-anchor Colin Jost that he, “had an hour to kill before the first game, so just for fun, I put on the first episode of Emily in Paris season two, and I watched the entire season straight through.”
“This show has everything: romance, adventure, sensuality, culture, a fresh take on feminism…a culinary tapestry so rich, I could only describe it as ‘food porn,’” he continued.
Regarding Brady’s possible retirement, Manning replied that it was “probably just speculation,” but if it were him he, “probably would retire, too, if it gave me more time to watch Emily in Paris.”
Responding to Jost’s shock at him blowing off football for the show, Manning explained, “Sure, watching football was the safe thing to do. That’s what everyone expected me to do, but if I’ve learned anything from Emily, it’s to follow my passions and always be true to myself.”
The episode also marked Jost’s co-anchor Michael Che‘s 155th appearance behind the “Update” desk, breaking Seth Meyers‘ record, surpassed by Jost in October. Che is also the first African-American “Weekend Update” anchor.
SNL returns February 26 with host John Mulaney and musical guest LCD Soundsystem.
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