He’s back! Jason Sudeikis returns to Studio 8H to make his Saturday Night Live hosting debut alongside musical guest Brandi Carlile. Making people laugh has always been a venerable skill in Sudeikis’s talent tool chest. The funny fella got his start performing improv where he grew up in Kansas, then made his way to comedy hot spots like the iO Theater in Chicago, and later to Amsterdam as part of the Boom Chicago team (along with SNL alum Seth Meyers). In 2003, Sudeikis made the big move to New York City when he was offered a job as a writer at Saturday Night Live. While accepting this job might seem like a no-brainer for any aspiring comedy writer, Sudeikis was a bit hesitant to join the show, worrying that it might be too “corporate.” Fortunately, he took the job, and was eventually able to return to his love of performing when he became a cast member in 2005. For 10 glorious years, Sudeikis left us cackling at characters like ESPN commentator Pete Twinkle, strip club announcer DJ Tom, and as one of two a-holes he played with Kristen Wiig. Let us not forget, he also played Joe Biden, Mitt Romney, and Billy Ray Cyrus. (Check out his best moments on SNL here.)
These days, Sudeikis is famous for co-creating, writing, and starring in the Emmy winning AppleTV+ series Ted Lasso, which follows the mustachioed Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis), a successful USA college football coach, as he navigates his new role as head coach of British soccer team AFC Richmond. (The character actually got its legs on NBC in a commercial parody series designed to entice American sports fans to watch British soccer that was newly available on NBC Sports.) Over the course of the series, we watch the lovable, rambly, southern gentleman fumble his way through English etiquette, making the best tea biscuit, and obviously, coaching British soccer. Lasso’s hijinx involve everyone from the team’s new owner Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham), model-turned-PR-firm-owner Keeley Jones (Juno Temple), former soccer star and current curmudgeon Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein), Lasso’s right-hand-man Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt), and resentful assistant coach Nathan Shelley (Nick Mohammed). The series recently won the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series, along with several cast members—including Sudeikis, Waddingham, and Goldstein—winning Emmys for their performances.
So, how was Sudeikis’s return to his old stomping grounds? Pretty low-key. Aside from a mini-reunion between Sudeikis and former castmates Kenan Thompson and Fred Armisen in a “What Up With That?” sketch, there surprisingly weren’t any walk-ons by the Ted Lasso cast, or appearances by other cast members from Sudeikis’ decade at SNL. Still, Sudeikis’s visit back home was filled with glee from the moment he flashed his big ol’ Joe Biden chompers in the cold open.
Let’s revisit some of the best moments from the October 23rd episode of Saturday Night Live. Live from New York, it’s Jason Sudeikis!
5. What Up With That?
Ooo-wee, what’s up with that? Sudeikis slips into his red tracksuit and reprises his running man background dancer character Vance in the BET parody talk show What Up With That? alongside its host, Dieondre Cole (Kenan Thompson) and saxophonist Giuseppe (Fred Armisen). The show welcomed three special guests, Dune and Scenes From a Marriage star Oscar Isaac, model Emily Ratajkowski, and Cousin Greg himself, Nicholas Braun. But if you ask Diondre, that is definitely not Braun. According to him, it’s Lindsey Buckingham in the best Cousin Greg costume you ever did see.
4. Science Show
It’s important to get kids excited to learn about science, and Mr. Teacher (Sudeikis), host of PBS kids’ show Science Room, is ready to educate his viewers on the solar system. At his side are two student volunteers (Cecily Strong and Mikey Day), who, in addition to being very awkward and fidgety, prove that they do not have the best comprehension skills. Try as he might, Mr. Teacher can't help but lose his patience with the nervous students, who do their best to answer his basic questions.
3. Weekend Update: The Devil on His Latest Accomplishments
The Devil is back on Weekend Update, and he looks a lot like Ted Lasso. The Devil brings Colin Jost up to speed on all of his most recent accomplishments. And he’s been busy. He’s the rascal behind things like climate change, vaping, and the entire state of Florida. The Devil also may or may not have had a hand in Jost’s marriage to Scarlett Johansson. This episode was a major milestone for Jost, who became the series’ longest-serving Update anchor with 155 episodes. The record was previously held by Seth Meyers, with 154 episodes.
2. Jason Sudeikis Monologue
Jason Sudeikis’s monologue was all about one thing: gratitude. In this genuinely sweet start to the show, the host beams with appreciation and pride for being part of Saturday Night Live’s legacy. He implores the audience to stop and remember some of the iconic sketches, characters, and people that have graced the stage, from "Gilly," “More Cowbell,” and "Wayne’s World," to Eddie Murphy, Gilda Radner, and Tina Fey. In a lovely moment from the heart, Sudeikis looks directly into the camera and explains how the show first changed his life when he was a kid, watching from home.
1. Ghost of Biden Past Cold Open
SNL newbie James Austin Johnson, the latest cast member to impersonate Joe Biden, opened the show as the president trying to figure out what exactly happened to his mojo. Where did the cool, edgy, ice-cream lickin’ guy go? Where are those aviators at? Never fear, he’s just stuck in 2013. In this short cold open, Jason Sudeikis finger guns his way into the Oval Office as the Joe Biden from 8 years ago to remind the current Joe Biden how fun and zany he used to be.
As you might’ve guessed, you can spot Jason Sudeikis in Seasons 1 and 2 of Ted Lasso on AppleTV+. After a brief Halloween hiatus, Saturday Night Live will return with a brand new episode on November 6th with first-time host Kieran Culkin. What would Logan Roy say about that? You can probably guess.