This weekend, John Mulaney will return to host Saturday Night Live for the second time.
That’s a major accomplishment for any comedian, but as a former writer on the show we imagine it’s extra special for him. But it turns out this hosting gig is way more important than we ever could have known, because this could be his best chance yet to prove he deserves the one thing that has always eluded him: a part in the cast. It’s a dream he’s failed to achieve for 44 straight years.
In this great promo for the March 2 show (which will feature musical guest Thomas Rhett), Mulaney talks about how he’s auditioned—unsuccessfully—to get onto the SNL cast every year since the show’s first. Featuring “clips” from past auditions, including from 1975, 1986, and 2004, his problem seems pretty obvious—his re-used material isn’t timeless; it hasn’t been funny at any time.
Okay, we take that back. His Barbra Streisand version of the Jaws theme has always been funny. We also maaay have chuckled a little too much at John Travolta in Lord of the Rings. However, the most hilarious part of this promo belongs to Keenan Thompson, who said, “He never seems to age. He’s either like a fresh 31 or a stale 76.” That might be the best, most hilarious description of John Mulaney we have ever heard.
As for his prospects for turning this hosting performance into a full-time role, we’re not optimistic for Mulaney. Not because he’s not funny, but because if he didn’t get one after the last time he hosted it’s not going to happen now. Seriously, what’s he going to do to top this?
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Now that’s a sketch that would have been funny at any point over the last 44 years. Maybe he should have auditioned with that instead of “Guy Who Doesn’t Want to Get a Divorce.” At the very least, next time he should definitely drop his Nixon impression.
Image: Saturday Night Live
