Scarlett Johansson kicked off the season 50 finale of Saturday Night Live with a musical monologue set to the tune of Billy Joel‘s “Piano Man.”
The Jurassic World Rebirth star, who hosted the May 17 episode alongside musical guest Bad Bunny, opened the iconic sketch comedy show with a heartfelt cast singalong celebrating the show’s five-decade legacy.
“It’s 11:30 on a Saturday, finale of season 50,” Johansson sang. “It’s chaotic and crazy, the whole week is hazy, but there’s no place I’d rather be.”
The 40-year-old actress was soon joined by cast members Bowen Yang, Sarah Sherman, Heidi Gardner, Mikey Day, Ego Nwodim and Chloe Fineman, who harmonized with her. “Sing us a song, it’s your monologue, sing us a song tonight, as we made 50 years of great memories, every Saturday Night,” they all sang.
Johansson then teased a surprise appearance by the Piano Man himself, saying, “Ladies and gentleman, Billy Joel… wrote this song.” Day, visibly disappointed, responded, “I thought Billy Joel was going to come out,” Johansson, a seventh-time SNL host, said, “Oh, Mikey. So cute, so simple.”
The monologue took a comedic turn as Fineman expressed her love for musical monologues, while Gardner noted her preference for audience questions. Kenan Thompson, pretending to be a fan in the audience, asked the Jurassic film actress to introduce him to a dinosaur, prompting Johansson to jokingly regret calling on him.
New season 50 cast members Ashley Padilla, Emil Wakim and Jane Wickline made cameo appearances, singing about their gratitude for joining the iconic show — only for Johansson to hilariously forget their names. She also gave shoutouts to cast members Marcello Hernandez and Devon Walker, calling them her friends, and acknowledging Andrew Dismukes and James Austin Johnson.
Toward the end of the number, Johansson dropped a surprise bombshell, singing that season 50 would be Sherman’s last. “We’re all gonna miss you next year,” the cast sang in unison. A stunned Sherman replied, “Wait, what? Did you guys hear something or…?” The joke about the comedian’s departure was not mentioned again during the episode.
Elsewhere in the show, Bad Bunny delivered performances of “NUEVAYoL” and “PERFuMITO NUEVO,” both from his sixth album, Debí Tirar Más Fotos. Watch the performances here.
Watch Johansson’s SNL monologue below. For those without cable, the broadcast streams on Peacock, which you can sign up for at the link here. Having a Peacock account also gives fans access to previous SNL episodes.
