Jason Sudeikis Pokes Fun at How ‘Ted Lasso’ Became a Hit and Reflects on Way ‘SNL’ Changed His Life

“It is great to be back here at Saturday Night Live, and it is great to be hosting the show for my first and very last time,” joked Jason Sudeikis at the beginning of his monologue.

“Now for those of you who don’t know, I worked at SNL for 10 years, an ‘actors dozen,’ we say. And its so neat to be a small part of this show’s amazing history: a history that was fueled for its first 25 years by cocaine and adrenaline, the next 15 years by Starbucks and unhealthy comparisons. And the last six years by…Adderall and fear.”

The Ted Lasso star went on to reflect on what he’s been up to in recent years. “My last season here on the show was in 2013, and since then I have had two amazing children, Otis and Daisy. Great kids, just incredible kids. I don’t know how old they are exactly, I just don’t pay attention to that kind of stuff. They’re like this tall and this tall… ” he said, motioning to their approximate heights. “But they’re great, you just gotta trust me on that.”

Sudeikis briefly mentioned the Apple TV+ series, Ted Lasso: “We somehow became a hit. It’s truly shocking to me because its built around two things Americans hate: soccer and kindness.”

Later in his monologue, Sudeikis joked at what it’s like to visit SNL after all this time. “It’s fun to come back and be the veteran; different folks asking me for advice, you know like ‘I love working here, but what should I do next’ or ‘How do I get Lorne to notice me?’ you know, stuff like that. And honestly, swear to god, I found myself just giving the same advice to every single person: win an Emmy. And if you can’t, win two. It sets you up for success.”

Emphasizing how “historic” Studio 8H is, Sudeikis encouraged the in-person viewers to look around and take it all in. “This room, here. To be here. This place is historic. For a second, just look around, for real. Even all you amazing people who work in the crew, just look around for a second. Think about all the brilliance that’s happened here. All your favorite sketches: Wild and Crazy Guys, Gilly, Cowbell, Wayne’s World, all happened in right here, in here, where you are.”

Mentioning comedy greats including Tina Fey, Eddie Murphy and Chris Farley, Sudeikis declared: “All of our collective comedy heroes have run around through here.” Sudeikis then walked over to the music stage and highlighted some musicians who have played over the years: Elvis Costello, Kanye, Nirvana, The Rolling Stones.

Striking a serious note, Sudeikis said, “This place changed my life, twice. Once as a castmember and a writer here. But most importantly as a kid watching from home. And there’s a good chance that if you’re watching tonight, there’s probably something from this place probably changed your life too.”

He ended with: “If this is your first time watching the show, well I mean, this probably won’t change your life, but we got a great show for you tonight… “

Singer Brandi Carlile was the musical guest for the Oct. 23 show.