Actor and comedian Will Ferrell is set to return to Saturday Night Live as a host for the fifth time on November 23rd, in a little under two weeks. Previously, Ferrell was a member of the main cast from 1995 to 2002. Ferrell is arguably one of Saturday Night Live's biggest stars from the modern era. Thanks to his many memorable characters, Ferrell became a major breakout star. He went on to appear in comedy films such as Elf, Old School, Anchorman, and Step Brothers.
By hosting the show for the fifth time, Ferrell will be joining a group of esteemed recurring hosts, the "five-timers club." Ferrel will join the likes of Steve Martin, Tom Hanks, Alec Baldwin, John Goodman, and fellow SNL alumni like Chevy Chase and Tina Fey. In previous episodes where Ferrell returned as host, he reprised famous sketches such as "Celebrity Jeopardy," and fans are eager to see what the comedian will bring to the table for his fifth appearance as host.
The news of Ferrell hosting Saturday Night Live again was originally broken by Deadline, and it has since been confirmed by the show's official Twitter account. According to Deadline, Ferrell last hosted Saturday Night Live in January 2018. He also hosted the show in 2005, 2009, and 2012, and has made additional guest appearances over the years. He will occasionally make surprise guest appearances reprising his impression of former President George W. Bush and Alex Trebek in the show's recurring "Celebrity Jeopardy" series of sketches. The musical guest accompanying Ferrell for this episode will be King Princess.
Ferrell is one of the most popular and acclaimed performers in the history of Saturday Night Live. He starred in some of the show's most popular sketches, including the aforementioned "Celebrity Jeopardy" series and the iconic "More Cowbell" sketch. In addition to impersonating President Bush and Trebek, Ferrell also impersonated figures such as the late baseball announcer Harry Caray and Inside the Actor's Studio host James Lipton. After leaving Saturday Night Live, Ferrell was able to transition to a highly-successful film career. Some of his more recent notable film appearances include playing himself in the Netflix film Between Two Ferns: The Movie, based on a series from the website Funny Or Die, which Ferrell co-founded, as well as a voice acting role in the Lego Movie franchise.
It does not appear that Ferrell will be promoting any particular film with his upcoming appearance on Saturday Night Live, but of course, anytime the show can bring aboard a beloved former cast member and comedic talent of Ferrell's caliber is a delight. Although there are a number of iconic impressions that he could reprise in his upcoming appearance, a return to the role of Trebek in a "Celebrity Jeopardy" sketch would be especially heart-warming given the real-life host's current battle with pancreatic cancer. In any case, there is less than two weeks to go to see what Ferrell and Saturday Night Live's writers come up with.
Source: Deadline