Jack Black is hosting “Saturday Night Live” for the first time in nearly 20 years — and he kicked off tonight’s episode with a song about his return.
Black began his opening monologue by jokingly announcing that he was quitting the hosting gig. “I know, it’s the first time ever a host has quit in the middle of the monologue. But that’s kinda cool — it’s the first time it’s ever happened,” he told the audience.
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A guitar riff then began playing in the background, and Black was handed a microphone, instantly giving him the “power to host again.” He somersaulted on stage before breaking into song: “I’m back! I’m back on ‘Saturday Night Live’ again. Jack Black! I’m hosting ‘Saturday Night Live’ again. Twenty years ago I hosted this freakin’ show.”
Black mentioned several projects he had worked on during those 20 years in the song, including “Jumanji,” “Kung Fu Panda,” “Nacho Libre” and “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” in which he voiced Bowser. He was also joined by a marching band, which appeared behind the audience in the studio.
This marks Black’s fourth time hosting the late-night sketch comedy show. The actor is promoting his latest film, “A Minecraft Movie,” based on the multi-platform sandbox video game.
At the “Minecraft Movie” premiere in London on March 30, Black told Variety about how he was feeling about his “SNL” return. “Just you know, having lots of nightmares and night terrors and also fond memories flooding back. It’s crazy, very exciting,” he said.
Watch Black’s “SNL” monologue below.
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