Jon Hamm made his way back to the iconic SNL stage in spectacular fashion on April 12. It was his first time back as host in 15 years! That was the groundbreaking, smart, funny, deeply political popular late-night comedy sketch series on NBC. However, fans were not deterred and happily celebrated Hamm’s long-awaited return! During the show, Hamm showcased his comedic talents through various sketches, including a humorous take on medication advertisements and a detective investigating a missing person‘s case.
The evening took an unexpected and wonderful turn during Hamm’s opening monologue with Kieran Culkin as the surprise guest. The two actors flirtatiously feuded over their rival television shows. In fact it was Hamm who declared, “Mad Men is better than Succession!” Culkin shot back at the claim, arguing that both actors were equally respected in the industry.
In a lighthearted back and forth, Hamm spilled the beans on Culkin. He mock-seriously demanded that Culkin give him his Oscar as a humorous form of penance for ruining his monologue. The cute exchange continued when Culkin declared, “I’m sorry, dude, I’ll buy you 1 million pizza!” Hamm, never one to miss a beat, punched him right in the face off-screen.
Hamm expressed gratitude for his return to SNL, stating, “I’m so honored to be here hosting. This is my fourth time.” He reminisced about his last hosting stint in October 2010, revealing that he had since made 14 cameo appearances on the show.
These portraits during the rest of the evening only underscored Hamm’s phenomenal range as an artist. In one hilarious skit, he acted as the ringer for an icebreaker exercise gone wrong, the person at the icebreaker who overshared too much personal information. These moments were a testament to his talent for weaving together comedy with the everyday struggles we all found familiar.
“It’s such a unique thing to do in our industry, and in television, and obviously, with the 50th anniversary… and I’m just so honored to be a part of that family, for sure,” – Jon Hamm
The night opened with musical guest Lizzo, whose feel-good swagger plugged right into the infectious energy of the show. Hamm’s comedic timing and charisma were a perfect match with the audience, showing once again why he is one of the most respected people in entertainment to this day.