Michael Keaton made a triumphant return to “Saturday Night Live” for the fourth time, hosting the show at Studio 8H where he first appeared back in 1982. As he kicked off the show, he expressed his excitement for being part of the 50th season of “SNL” and took a trip down memory lane to reflect on his early days in the industry.
Keaton humorously recalled his time as a production assistant on “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” in the 1970s, drawing parallels between the beloved children’s show and “SNL” with their shared abundance of puppets and, as he jokingly mentioned, cocaine. Despite the wild times of the era, Keaton had nothing but praise for Fred Rogers, whom he described as everything you would expect him to be.
The actor then shifted gears to talk about the recent release of “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” a sequel to the 1988 classic film in which he reprised his iconic role. With Halloween approaching, Keaton anticipated seeing children dressed up as Beetlejuice, finding it adorable, but also noted that adults in their 40s often don the costume, which he found less endearing.
In a fun twist, cast member Mikey Day appeared on stage dressed as Beetlejuice, prompting Keaton to humorously navigate the request to deliver the famous line, “It’s showtime.” Andy Samberg also joined the Beetlejuice party, reminiscing about his time on the show and trying to get his own “BJ” into the mix, much to Keaton’s chagrin.
As the Beetlejuice references continued, Sarah Sherman made a cameo in a striped dress, adding to the comedic chaos on stage. Keaton acknowledged the abundance of quotes from the original film and teased the cast about not having seen the sequel yet.
Amidst the banter and nostalgia, Keaton finally embraced his iconic character and delivered the famous line in Beetlejuice’s voice, signaling the start of a great show with musical guest Billie Eilish. The episode was a delightful blend of comedy, nostalgia, and Keaton’s undeniable charm, making his fourth hosting gig on “SNL” a memorable one.
