Michael Keaton brought nostalgia and laughs to “Saturday Night Live” during his most recent hosting appearance celebrating the show’s 50th season. In his opening monologue, Keaton looked back on his long history with SNL dating back to his debut in 1982. He shared a funny anecdote about working as a production assistant on “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” in the 1970s.
The monologue took an unexpected turn as Keaton started talking about the newly released “Beetlejuice” sequel film. As he joked about fans still recognizing him as his iconic character from the 1988 movie, two surprise guests joined him on stage dressed as Beetlejuice. Former SNL cast member Andy Samberg and current cast member Mikey Day both wore Beetlejuice’s signature striped suit.
Samberg used Beetlejuice’s growling voice to reminisce about attempting but failing many times to bring the character to SNL. This led Keaton to remind everyone to just call him “Beetlejuice” instead of other nicknames.
Another current cast member, Sarah Sherman, then had a brief interaction while wearing stripes, though clarified her outfit was just her normal style.
Day, Samberg, and Sherman all admitted they hadn’t seen the new Beetlejuice movie yet. They encouraged Keaton to do the character’s voice one last time. He finally gave in and delivered Beetlejuice’s catchphrase “It’s showtime” in the character’s raspy tone.
The monologue blended humor and memories of Keaton’s iconic career. It also highlighted SNL’s ability to reunite past and present cast members. As the landmark 50th season continues, this opening set a high bar for more surprises and callbacks to entertainment’s most memorable characters.