Justin Timberlake returned to the Saturday Night Live stage for the first time in a decade, crashing host Dakota Johnson’s monologue.
“I’m so excited to be back at SNL. It’s sort of a reunion for me and Justin Timberlake [because] we were actually in a movie together called The Social Network,” Johnson, 34, said during the opening of the Saturday, January 27, episode, referring to the 2010 film after the invention of Facebook.
Before the actress could continue with her monologue, Timberlake, 42, walked onstage and surprised her.
“I remember those days, Dakota,” Timberlake mused before the Madame Web star asked why he was on the Studio 8H stage since he was tapped as Saturday’s musical guest. “I heard my name. I thought that was my cue,” he continued. “Well, if you want me to be in sketches, I have hosted before.”
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Timberlake then mouthed that he’s previously hosted the show five times, to which Johnson pointed out that it was “10 years ago,” gushing that she was so excited for the singer to make his comeback on “my show.” While Johnson asserted that she didn’t need any help to complete her monologue, another surprise guest walked onto the stage.
Jimmy Fallon, a former SNL cast member and a friend of Timberlake’s, then strutted on stage dressed in a 1970s-inspired white suit.
“Are we doing this?” Fallon, 49, asked before Timberlake pantomimed for the duo to leave the soundstage. Fallon added, “I’m here to say break a leg. These are my normal clothes!”
Timberlake and Fallon did get their wish for a cameo, appearing in the “Barry Gibb Talk Show” sketch in matching white suits and wigs to discuss the 2024 presidential election.
As the episode’s musical guest, Timberlake performed “Selfish” and “Sanctified,” both of which are tracks from his upcoming album, Everything I Thought It Was.
Timberlake is an SNL veteran, having been tapped as host and musical guest multiple times. He made his debut in 2000 with his ‘NSync bandmates Lance Bass, Joey Fatone, Chris Kirkpatrick and JC Chasez. Timberlake later hosted episodes in 2003, 2006, 2009, 2011 and 2013, playing double duty as host and musical guest three of those times.
Timberlake has also made many now-viral cameos on SNL, including several musical numbers with former cast member Andy Samberg and his The Lonely Island collaborators, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone. Timberlake and the comedy trio joined forces for several music videos, including “D–k in a Box.”
“Jorma [said], ‘What if we do the old popcorn in the movies prank?’ He was like, ‘You know the whole d–k in the popcorn,’” Timberlake recalled of the sketch pitch during a “Hot Ones” interview in 2020. “I was like, ‘That sounds super creepy, bro!’ To which we then said, ‘Yeah, that’s totally appropriate for two guys who are completely misled about what’s appropriate.’”
While Timberlake was game to try the concept, he was worried that the FCC would fine SNL if they said the word “d–k” on live television. By the time rehearsals started, the FCC informed them that the skit would need to be censored.
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“I think the irony of that is, I think the funnier version of that is the bleeped-out version,” Timberlake added at the time. “I fully believe that that idea wouldn’t have been seen all the way through if the big wigs had known what we were doing.”
Schaffer, 46, previously told NPR in 2013 that Timberlake helped them find the sketch’s musical sound.
“When he came and did that song with us, he taught us, like, 10 things, I would say, that we still use to this day about just proper recording and kind of little tricks about using the left speaker vs. the right speaker and stuff like that,” Schaffer told the outlet.
Saturday’s episode also featured cameos from Shark Tank mentors Barbara Corcoran and Mark Cuban, who played themselves in an entrepreneurial sketch.
Saturday Night Live airs on NBC Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. ET.