John Mulaney poked fun at his 2020 rehab stint while taking on hosting duties for the sixth time as he appeared in the latest episode of Saturday Night Live.
The comedian, 42 – who recently detailed a heartbreaking moment with wife Olivia Munn during her breast cancer surgery – was joined by musical guest, Chappell Roan, 26, amid the show’s 50th season.
Kamala Harris also made a surprise cameo on the sketch series – after Roan refused to endorse her ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
During his opening monologue, Mulaney stepped onto the SNL stage and was greeted by cheers and applause from the live audience.
At one point, he stated, ‘You know, in 2020 I was in a drug rehab facility. I was on the phone with my dad. And he was very emotional and we were talking.’
John Mulaney, 42, poked fun at his 2020 rehab stint while taking on hosting duties for the sixth time as he appeared in the latest episode of Saturday Night Live
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In 2020, it was reported that John had checked himself into a Pennsylvania rehab facility to battle his cocaine and alcohol addiction.
‘And he was trying to think of something wise to say. And at one point he goes, he goes, “I just wish grandpa were here.”‘
‘I said, “Dad, if grandpa were here, he would be 118-years-old. And I highly doubt he would have good advice about handling social media backlash,”‘ Mulaney joked.
‘Something tells me that a dairy farmer from east Troy, Wisconsin, who was too old to fight in World War II…,’ he continued, before stopping to let out a small laugh.
John added, ‘Sorry. Sorry. It’s my favorite thing about him. He was too old for the oldest thing that ever happened. They needed every guy, and my grandpa showed up and they’re like, “Oh, no. We’re good. We’re full. We won.’
Also during the monologue, John gushed about welcoming his second child, a daughter named Méi June, in September with Munn via surrogacy.
‘We have a five-week-old baby girl. And I have a two-year-old son,’ he said, referencing to his son Malcolm, whom he also shares with Olivia.
‘My wife takes care of the five-week old and I take the two-year-old, and that’s not fair. That’s not an equal distribution of labor at all.’
During his opening monologue, Mulaney stepped onto the SNL stage and was greeted by cheers and applause from the live audience
At one point, he stated, ‘You know, in 2020 I was in a drug rehab facility. I was on the phone with my dad. And he was very emotional and we were talking’
‘I said, “Dad, if grandpa were here, he would be 118-years-old. And I highly doubt he would have good advice about handling social media backlash,”‘ Mulaney joked
Also during the monologue, John gushed about welcoming his second child, a daughter named Méi June, in September with Munn via surrogacy
He also humorously talked about ‘looking down’ his ‘whole life’ and said to the crowd, ‘I have a baby. I look down at her. I have a two-year-old son, he’s 34 inches tall’
‘I also live with his mother, my wife, she’s half Chinese Vietnamese. She is four,’ John stated placing his hand next to him to show the height difference
‘I don’t feel well either. My brother called me in April, he goes, “Mom fell.” I fell. It hurt. I also bit it at an outdoor restaurant. A bunch of waiters fanned me with menus, too’
Mulaney then joked, ‘I’ll take a two-year-old. That’s like saying I’ll transport this convict across state lines. You hold a potato.’
He also humorously talked about ‘looking down’ his ‘whole life’ and said to the crowd, ‘I have a baby. I look down at her. I have a two-year-old son, he’s 34 inches tall.’
‘I also live with his mother, my wife, she’s half Chinese Vietnamese. She is four,’ John stated placing his hand next to him to show the height difference.
‘Her mother who lives with us is full Chinese Vietnamese. She is two feet tall and we have a wonderful nanny from the Philippines who helps us out all she is negative one feet tall.’
Mulaney also humorously joked about being too old to take care of his parents at age 42.
‘I don’t feel well either. My brother called me in April, he goes, “Mom fell.” I fell. It hurt. I also bit it at an outdoor restaurant. A bunch of waiters fanned me with menus, too.’
He later revealed, ‘I got to be the oldest person I know. I have a tear in my hip. I do. I have a tear in my right labrum.’
John explained that he goes to therapy once a week with three other older women and told the audience, ‘Out of all the women in the class, the teacher singled me out and said that I’m not going to benefit from physical therapy long-term.’
He later revealed, ‘I got to be the oldest person I know. I have a tear in my hip. I do. I have a tear in my right labrum’
The star then joked, ‘I’m going to get my hip replaced and my mom is going to give me a ride home’
The first skit of the night saw Mulaney portray a contestant named Ben on a game show called What’s That Name
At the beginning, Mulaney successfully guessed a few names – such as Kamala Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff – and won $5
After only winning $5 for his correct guesses, the host revealed the next category would be worth a whopping $300,000
Instead of showing a picture on a screen, Tim Kaine stepped out on the game show. He notably ran with Hilary Clinton in 2016 as her vice presidential running mate
‘And I wouldn’t even benefit from a laparoscopic procedure and that I should eventually have hip replacement surgery.’
The star then joked, ‘I’m going to get my hip replaced and my mom is going to give me a ride home.’
Mulaney had the chance to further show off his comedic skills and appeared in a variety of sketches during the latest episode.
The first skit of the night saw Mulaney portray a contestant named Ben on a game show called What’s That Name.
SNL star, Sarah Sherman, played the other contestant named Margaret while Michael Longfellow portrayed the host of the show for an election edition.
At the beginning, Mulaney successfully guessed a few names – such as Kamala Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff – and won $5.
After only winning $5 for his correct guesses, the host revealed the next category would be worth a whopping $300,000.
Instead of showing a picture on a screen, Tim Kaine stepped out on the game show. He notably ran with Hilary Clinton in 2016 as her vice presidential running mate.
However, after successfully guessing the previous names, John could not answer who Tim Kaine was
After being given various hints, Mulaney still could not come up with a guess – and lost the $300K
However, after successfully guessing the previous names, John could not answer who Tim Kaine was.
After being given various hints, Mulaney still could not come up with a guess – and lost the $300K.
John then said, ‘That – all right, that was embarrassing. But you know what honestly for me, it’s not about the candidates. They come and go. What matters are the real Americans whose lives are at stake.’
But in the next category, Mulaney could not answer the prompt and said, ‘Look, I’m bad at remembering names, okay?’
He then brought up The Handmaid’s Tale and realized that the fellow contestant was the author of the book, Margaret Atwood, the entire time of the game.
The game host told Mulaney, ‘You have one more chance to redeem yourself because our final clue is worth $10 million.’
He then brought Tim Kaine back out onto the stage, but John could not remember his name.
‘I just told you 90 seconds ago,’ Kaine told Mulaney, who incorrectly guessed his name still – and lost the game.
But in the next category, Mulaney could not answer the prompt and said, ‘Look, I’m bad at remembering names, okay?’
The game host told Mulaney, ‘You have one more chance to redeem yourself because our final clue is worth $10 million’
He then brought Tim Kaine back out onto the stage, but John could not remember his name
‘I just told you 90 seconds ago,’ Kaine told Mulaney, who incorrectly guessed his name still – and lost the game
In the second, pre-recorded skit, John took on the role of Jim who worked at NASA in the 1960s and helped with the return of an astronaut back to Earth after successfully orbiting the planet for the first time
However, an issue occurred and Mulaney as well as the other crew learned that Beppo would not be able to return home to Earth
He agreed and said, ‘Yeah, Beppo, I’m sad. I’m afraid something happened,’ which prompted the monkey to simply ask, ‘Beppo go home?’
In the second, pre-recorded skit, John took on the role of Jim who worked at NASA in the 1960s and helped with the return of an astronaut back to Earth after successfully orbiting the planet for the first time.
Other works were also inside a room with computers and a large screen as they communicated with the astronaut – a chimp named Beppo.
However, an issue occurred and Mulaney as well as the other crew learned that Beppo would not be able to return home to Earth.
John then took on the task of revealing the tragic news to Beppo and the chimp simply asked, ‘You sad?’
He agreed and said, ‘Yeah, Beppo, I’m sad. I’m afraid something happened,’ which prompted the monkey to simply ask, ‘Beppo go home?’
‘No, Beppo. No, you can’t come home anymore. D**n it. How the hell do I explain death to a monkey?’ Mulaney dramatically questioned.
One of the workers advised to ‘use Beppo’s words.’
John then told the chimp in simple terms, ‘Beppo no go home. Beppo go dark. Beppo equals zero forever.’
‘No, Beppo. No, you can’t come home anymore. D**n it. How the hell do I explain death to a monkey?’ Mulaney dramatically questioned
John then told the chimp in simple terms, ‘Beppo no go home. Beppo go dark. Beppo equals zero forever’
Mulaney then decided to hit the self destruct button and explained he was, ‘Making it quick and painless. We owe him that much’
Suddenly, Ego Nwodim – who was playing another scientist at NASA – revealed that she knew a way to help Beppo
John quickly told Beppo what to do, but the chimp clicked the wrong button and the shuttle exploded
Mulaney then told everyone, ‘That was probably a good time to tell you all, Beppo was a communist spy. So that was really good what just happened’
However, Beppo appeared back on the screen because, ‘He used the explosion to propel the lander module towards Earth’
At one point, Beppo simply asked for help and Mulaney said, ‘Mute his board, please. I don’t want to hear this.’
Mulaney then decided to hit the self destruct button and explained he was, ‘Making it quick and painless. We owe him that much.’
Suddenly, Ego Nwodim – who was playing another scientist at NASA – revealed that she knew a way to help Beppo.
John quickly told Beppo what to do, but the chimp clicked the wrong button and the shuttle exploded.
Mulaney then told everyone, ‘That was probably a good time to tell you all, Beppo was a communist spy. So that was really good what just happened.’
However, Beppo appeared back on the screen because, ‘He used the explosion to propel the lander module towards Earth.’
The sketch ended when the chimp arrived back to the NASA room and kissed Jim’s wife – who was one of the workers in the room.
In another skit later in the episode, John portrayed someone who was working at a convenience store inside the Port Authority Bus Terminal.
The sketch ended when the chimp arrived back to the NASA room and kissed Jim’s wife – who was one of the workers in the room
In another skit later in the episode, John portrayed someone who was working at a convenience store inside the Port Authority Bus Terminal
Pete Davidson made a surprise cameo as one of the travelers waiting for the bus with SNL comedian, Andrew Dismukes
After being handed a simple piece of string, Pete asked for milk. Eerie music began to play as John remained silent while taking in what Davidson had asked for
Mulaney replied, ‘You mean the gallon of milk surrounded by cans of Twisted iced tea in the fridge that’s hotter than the rest of the store?’
Davidson agreed with no concern, and pointed out that an Organic sticker was also placed on the label
But Andrew cut in and said, ‘No, it says organ. I think it’s like orange juice with pulp but milk with pieces of organ’
Pete Davidson made a surprise cameo as one of the travelers waiting for the bus with SNL comedian, Andrew Dismukes.
Dismukes asked Mulaney, ‘Hey, can I get one of those phone charging cords that doesn’t come with the plug part so I’ll never be able to use it?’
After being handed a simple piece of string, Pete asked for milk.
Eerie music began to play as John remained silent while taking in what Davidson had asked for.
Pete repeated his question and asked for ‘that jug that’s in the middle of the little fridge behind you, I’ll take that.’
Mulaney replied, ‘You mean the gallon of milk surrounded by cans of Twisted iced tea in the fridge that’s hotter than the rest of the store?’
Davidson agreed with no concern, and pointed out that an Organic sticker was also placed on the label.
But Andrew cut in and said, ‘No, it says organ. I think it’s like orange juice with pulp but milk with pieces of organ.’
John kept confirming that Pete really wanted the milk, and after saying he did, Mulaney said, ‘You want the milk? Then it shall be yours’
‘Just as the prophesy foretold. Oh, family of possums? Why don’t you tell this gentleman about our milk,’ he added
Kenan Thompson and Ego Nwodim – who were dressed up in possum costumes – then stepped out and broke out into song to the tune of The Lion King’s Circle Of Life
The pair sang lyrics about possum milk and Dismukes decided to buy more items, such as shampoo
Upon hearing the request, Mulaney slapped Andrew and stated, ‘Are you out of your mind? We keep the shampoo where it belongs, under lock and key’
A shampoo bottle also appeared and broke out into song before Pete was given his carton of milk for the bus that had finally arrived
Other musical numbers took place during the skit, such as the bus driver – played by Bowen Yang – who was an ‘escaped felon’
A group from the recent Timothee Chalamet look-a-like contest in NYC also stopped by the bus terminal
John kept confirming that Pete really wanted the milk, and after saying he did, Mulaney said, ‘You want the milk? Then it shall be yours.’
‘Just as the prophesy foretold. Oh, family of possums? Why don’t you tell this gentleman about our milk.’
Kenan Thompson and Ego Nwodim – who were dressed up in possum costumes – then stepped out and broke out into song to the tune of The Lion King’s Circle Of Life.
The pair sang lyrics about possum milk and Dismukes decided to buy more items, such as shampoo.
Upon hearing the request, Mulaney slapped Andrew and stated, ‘Are you out of your mind? We keep the shampoo where it belongs, under lock and key.’
A shampoo bottle also appeared and broke out into song before Pete was given his carton of milk for the bus that had finally arrived.
Other musical numbers took place during the skit, such as the bus driver – played by Bowen Yang – who was an ‘escaped felon.’
A group from the recent Timothee Chalamet look-a-like contest in NYC also stopped by the bus terminal.
Andy Samberg also made a surprise cameo as a bear dumped off in Central Park by RFK Jr.
The sketch concluded with everyone joining together to sing to the tune of We Go Together from Grease
John also appeared in a skit that was a PBS show called Sitcom Pioneers with Bowen Yang taking on the role of the host of the series
He took a look at a 90s sitcom titled, Family Bonds, and was joined by the creator of the show – who was portrayed by John Mulaney
When asked to describe the series, Mulaney said, ‘Well, Family Bonds focused on a single dad who has to raise two teenage daughters after his wife dies in a brutal car accident’
Yang then showed a snippet of an episode from 1992 where Little Richard made a guest appearance – played by Kenan Thompson
Little Richard greeted himself to the family after his tour bus broke down in front of their house
Andy Samberg also made a surprise cameo as a bear dumped off in Central Park by RFK Jr.
The sketch concluded with everyone joining together to sing to the tune of We Go Together from Grease.
John also appeared in a skit that was a PBS show called Sitcom Pioneers with Bowen Yang taking on the role of the host of the series.
He took a look at a 90s sitcom titled, Family Bonds, and was joined by the creator of the show – who was portrayed by John Mulaney.
When asked to describe the series, Mulaney said, ‘Well, Family Bonds focused on a single dad who has to raise two teenage daughters after his wife dies in a brutal car accident.’
‘Which we made the very bold choice to show in the opening scene of the pilot episode. Any way, his sister moves in to help.’
Yang then showed a snippet of an episode from 1992 where Little Richard made a guest appearance – played by Kenan Thompson.
Little Richard greeted himself to the family after his tour bus broke down in front of their house.
‘Yeah, what’s the matter?’ Kenan asked as the family recognized who he was. ‘You ain’t never seen somebody so pretty as this? Now let’s boogie!’
After the short clip was shown, Mulaney was asked how he was able to get Little Richard on Family Bonds
‘Oh, it’s a sweet story. I met him at a swinger’s club in Atlanta called Mahogany Rain,’ John simply explained
Mulaney said, ‘We did. Partly because it was a big hit and partly because little Richard really liked the hotel we book.’ However, John added, ‘honestly I’m not sure he ever understood the premise of the show’
Another snippet from an episode was shown and one of the daughters showed off her prom dress
The sister gushed, ‘Oh my gosh, honey, you look like the prettiest girl in the world’
But Little Richard cut in and exclaimed, ‘Shut up! She ain’t no prettier than me. Let’s take a vote. I’m talking to the audience right now. Who is prettier? This raggedy little girl or this face that has been certified, sanctified by the good Lord Jesus’
‘Yeah, what’s the matter?’ Kenan asked as the family recognized who he was. ‘You ain’t never seen somebody so pretty as this? Now let’s boogie!’
After the short clip was shown, Mulaney was asked how he was able to get Little Richard on Family Bonds.
‘Oh, it’s a sweet story. I met him at a swinger’s club in Atlanta called Mahogany Rain,’ John simply explained.
‘Oh, that’s the whole story, okay,’ Bowen replied. ‘Now, most people assume this cameo is a one-off, but then you brought him back the next week.’
Mulaney said, ‘We did. Partly because it was a big hit and partly because little Richard really liked the hotel we book.’ However, John added, ‘honestly I’m not sure he ever understood the premise of the show.’
Another snippet from an episode was shown and one of the daughters showed off her prom dress.
The sister gushed, ‘Oh my gosh, honey, you look like the prettiest girl in the world.’
But Little Richard cut in and exclaimed, ‘Shut up! She ain’t no prettier than me. Let’s take a vote. I’m talking to the audience right now. Who is prettier? This raggedy little girl or this face that has been certified, sanctified by the good Lord Jesus.’
Mulaney explained after the clip was shown, ‘I don’t know if you could tell, but Little Richard didn’t always stick to the script’
Towards the end of the sketch, the PBS show aired a snippet of the final episode of Family Bonds before the series was cancelled
John explained that the show, ‘Made the very bold decision’ to show Little Richard ‘killing the dog’
‘We did. But I think it was fine. And you know that dog was a lot like little Richard in that he never knew he was on a TV show,’ John added
The final sketch of the night was a campaign ad that showed John Mulaney playing the role of Harvey Epstein who was running for city council in New York City
John introduced himself by saying, ‘Hi, I’m Harvey Epstein and I’m running for city council of New York City. This is a real thing’
‘Look, is my name ideal? Of course not. I share names with two of the most notorious sex perverts of all time. You think I don’t know that? But thankfully I’m a different guy’
Mulaney explained after the clip was shown, ‘I don’t know if you could tell, but Little Richard didn’t always stick to the script.’
Towards the end of the sketch, the PBS show aired a snippet of the final episode of Family Bonds before the series was cancelled.
During the episode, the family dog passed away – but the entire clip could not be shown.
John explained that the show, ‘Made the very bold decision’ to show Little Richard ‘killing the dog.’
‘We did. But I think it was fine. And you know that dog was a lot like little Richard in that he never knew he was on a TV show.’
The final sketch of the night was a campaign ad that showed John Mulaney playing the role of Harvey Epstein who was running for city council in New York City.
John introduced himself by saying, ‘Hi, I’m Harvey Epstein and I’m running for city council of New York City. This is a real thing.’
‘Look, is my name ideal? Of course not. I share names with two of the most notorious sex perverts of all time. You think I don’t know that? But thankfully I’m a different guy.’
He also explained, ‘I’m not going to lie. The name thing has become a bit of an issue. Harvey I could almost handle but Epstein, this thing is an albatross.’
The ad jumped to John passing out canned goods at a food bank and told one person, ‘You tell him Harvey Epstein gave you something nice to eat.’
He also explained, ‘I’m not going to lie. The name thing has become a bit of an issue. Harvey I could almost handle but Epstein, this thing is an albatross’
The ad jumped to John passing out canned goods at a food bank and told one person, ‘You tell him Harvey Epstein gave you something nice to eat’
John later explained, ‘Again, I’m a different guy. But look, I love this city and its working people. When the Mohawk Valley Miners went on strike, Epstein had their back’
A newspaper headline appeared on the screen and a voiceover that said, ‘Because Epstein looks out for miners’
Mulaney then spelled out the word miner and expressed, ‘that is an important distinction, please’
One voter said, ‘He’ll be great for the economy. Do I want him running our schools? Probably not’
John then added in the ad, ‘I can run the school. And I love your children. Not in a creepy way. I give you my word. As an Epstein…’
The ad ended with a voiceover that said, ‘Harvey Epstein for city council, because together we can make this city Epstein’s island.’ Mulaney quickly cut in to say, ‘Let’s not call it that, maybe!’
‘Think of it this way, though. If my names are this bad and I’m still running for public office, think how much better I would have to be than everybody else, right? That’s just math.’
John later explained, ‘Again, I’m a different guy. But look, I love this city and its working people. When the Mohawk Valley Miners went on strike, Epstein had their back.’
A newspaper headline appeared on the screen and a voiceover that said, ‘Because Epstein looks out for miners.’
Mulaney then spelled out the word miner and expressed, ‘that is an important distinction, please.’
One voter said, ‘He’ll be great for the economy. Do I want him running our schools? Probably not.’
John then added in the ad, ‘I can run the school. And I love your children. Not in a creepy way. I give you my word. As an Epstein…’
The ad ended with a voiceover that said, ‘Harvey Epstein for city council, because together we can make this city Epstein’s island.’
Mulaney quickly cut in to say, ‘Let’s not call it that, maybe!’
Chappell Roan was the musical guest during the episode, and performed two tracks for the live crowd.
Her first performance was of Pink Pony Club which can be found on her 2023 album titled, The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess.
Chappell Roan was the musical guest during the episode, and performed two tracks for the live crowd
Her first performance was of Pink Pony Club which can be found on her 2023 album titled, The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess
The singer donned a long-sleeved, fitted dress that shimmered underneath the colorful stage lights
Roan later embraced her inner cowgirl and sported a pair of white and pink-patterned shorts and a matching cropped top and boots
Chappell debuted the new lesbian country song titled, The Giver, with some of the lyrics including: ‘When you need the job done, call me, baby/Cause you ain’t gotta tell me/ It’s just in my nature/Take it like a taker, cause baby I’m a giver’
The singer donned a long-sleeved, fitted dress that shimmered underneath the colorful stage lights.
She opted for a voluminous wig on top of her head as well as bold makeup while belting out lyrics.
Roan later embraced her inner cowgirl and sported a pair of white and pink-patterned shorts and a matching cropped top and boots.
Chappell debuted the new lesbian country song titled, The Giver, with some lyrics including: ‘When you need the job done, call me, baby/Cause you ain’t gotta tell me/It’s just in my nature/Take it like a taker, cause baby I’m a giver.’