Jake Gyllenhaal kicked off the season finale for “Saturday Night Live” with a rousing rendition of an R&B hit.
Gyllenhaal hosted the late night sketch comedy show for the third time on May 18 alongside musical guest, Sabrina Carpenter, for the show’s Season 49 finale.
The “Brokeback Mountain” star poked fun at hosting the last show before “SNL” celebrates its 50th season in his musical monologue, joking, “I mean, when you think of historic television seasons, the first number that pops into your head is 49.”
“I mean, sure, you know, one more episode and I would’ve been hosting the premiere of the 50th season, but who cares?” he added. “49 is a great number. I mean, 7 x 7, classic...Also, 49 is the number of times Conor McGregor accidentally punched me during ‘Road House.’”
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Despite being an episode short from Season 50 of “SNL,” Gyllenhaal said he was still “honored” to be hosting the final episode of Season 49.
“I did some research, I learned that ‘SNL’ always brings out the big guns to host the last episode before the big anniversary season,” he said. “Like do you know who hosted the Season 9 finale? Mayor Ed Koch.”
He added, “I know we’re all waiting for Season 50, but you can’t get to 50, without a little bit of 49. And we’re here at the finale, the end of the road.”
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Gyllenhaal fittingly broke into a rendition of the iconic Boyz II Men tune “End of the Road,” adjusting the lyrics to fit in with the theme of the night’s finale.
“You know, I was actually ‘SNL’s’ first choice to host the finale after a lot of people said no,” the actor recited. “I guess they’re all holding out for the 50th. But not me, not little J.G. I’m the one who said ‘Yeah.’”
Gyllenhaal got more passionate about his performance as the monologue went on, singing, “They asked Pedro Pascal, but he wasn’t around. Zendaya said no ‘cause she’d be out of town. Even asked Gosling to come back again, just hosted three shows ago!”
Kenan Thompson, Ego Nwodim, Punkie Johnson and Devon Walker all joined Gyllenhaal on stage in matching white cardigans and khaki shorts as they belted out the song’s chorus.
Thompson even chimed in with a verse of his own, singing, “And girl we did a lot of sketches this year, and most of them were fine. It’s definitely one of the top 48 seasons, Season 49.”
Gyllenhaal tried to hype up the Season 49 finale one last time, but he was immediately shot down by Nwodim.
“It’s been 49 years, over 900 shows, costumes and wigs and a room full of blow,” Gyllenhaal belted before leading into the chorus once again. “So many stars have walked out that door, so here’s to 49 more.”
Gyllenhaal also showed off his singing chops later in the show in the “Beautiful Girls” sketch.
He took on the role of Billy Harper, who was accompanied on stage by his “beautiful girls,” Nwodim, Chloe Fineman, and Sarah Sherman, all donning beaded costumes adorned with feathered headpieces.
However, the song pivoted to also feature his “beautiful boys,” leading several cast members including Bowen Yang, Marcello Hernández, and Andrew Dismukes to join him on stage, all wearing beige plain clothes.
Across social media, fans shared their reactions to Gyllenhaal’s musical performances during the episode, with several acting shocked that the actor could sing.
“Jake Gyllenhaal sang on SNL,” one tweet on the social media site X read. “I didn’t know he could sing like this.”
Another user on X added, ““Wait…Jake Gyllenhaal can sing?”
One fan responded to the shock from other viewers, writing, “whenever new people discover that Jake Gyllenhaal can sing I just want to link them to videos of him performing the lead role in Sunday in the Park with George,” which was a West End revival of Pulitzer Prize-winning musical play.
Other fans expressed their desire to see Gyllenhaal take on more musical roles, with one fan tweeting, “i need jake gyllenhaal to star in a musical immediately.”
“Jake Gyllenhaal we will get you that Tony,” another fan wrote.
One user on X even joked, “All the executives right now getting their musicals ready because they’re just finding out that Jake Gyllenhaal can sing.”
Gyllenhaal has previously shown off his musical abilities on “SNL,” making a guest appearance in March 2020 during one of John Mulaney’s musical sketches, “Airport Sushi.”
The actor sang the tune “Enjoy Security,” spoofing “Defying Gravity” as he sang lovingly about being searched by TSA.
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