Tracy Morgan Finally Returned To 'SNL' -- And Brought Demi Lovato Along For The Ride
Tracy Morgan made his triumphant return to "Saturday Night Live," bringing a score of his celebrity friends with him. Morgan told the audience in his monologue that following his recovery from a June 2014 car accident that left him in a coma for two weeks, he called his “Obi-Wan Kenobi” ("SNL" chief Lorne Michaels) and told him he wanted to come "home."
To celebrate, Morgan’s "30 Rock" co-stars Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Jane Krakowski, and Jack McBrayer all came along for the festivities, reenacting what was “supposedly” a 2012 episode of the series (complete with fake ads for the long-since-canceled "Smash" and "Animal Practice").
Morgan also revived many of his beloved characters (and some of his more obscure ones) from his eight seasons on ‘Saturday Night Live’, including Brian Fellow’s Safari Planet (complete with a live beaver and an unruly camel), Astronaut Jones (featuring Demi Lovato as an alien in a "Martian"-themed sketch), and Woodrow, a character last seen in the year 2000 wooing Britney Spears and Kate Hudson and singing beautiful ballads about “doo doo pie.”
Also making his return to "Saturday Night Live" last night was "Seinfeld" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm" creator (and former "SNL" writer) Larry David, who made a surprise appearance as Senator Bernie Sanders in a sketch parodying the first Democratic Presidential debate. David-as-Sanders spouted Seinfeld-esque complaints about pens at banks and password resets, while Alec Baldwin appeared as former Virginia Senator Jim Webb, crowning himself President-Elect and complaining about his lack of screen time.
Below are some of the episode’s highlights:
The heartwarming "30 Rock" reunion.
The best moment of the whole evening was the support Morgan received from his former "30 Rock" cast-mates onstage, including a hug from Tina Fey and a nuzzle from Jack McBrayer.
The return of Tracy Morgan's most-beloved characters.
While we may have missed out on Dominican Lou, Morgan reprised Brian Fellow and Astronaut Jones, complete with theme songs and titles sequences that haven't aged a day in fifteen years.
Larry David crushing his appearance as Bernie Sanders.
David owned the cold open sketch with his performance as Bernie Sanders, beginning what [I hope] will be the beginning of the worldwide social media campaign to get Larry David to host SNL. #LarryDavidPleaseHostSNL
Tina Fey's return to Weekend Update.
Many people, including yours truly, believe Tina Fey was one of the greatest ever to sit behind the desk for Weekend Update. Fey returned to riff on Playboy Magazine's recent announcement that they would no longer feature nudity, lamenting that she'd never have her own opportunity to appear in the magazine.
Demi Lovato's first "SNL" appearance.
Lovato performed a medley of "Cool For The Summer" and "Confident," following it up with "Stone Cold" and an appearance with Tracy Morgan in "Astronaut Jones."
The next episode of "SNL" is November 7th, featuring Donald Trump and Sia. Should be... interesting.