Saturday Night Live has honored slain movie director Rob Reiner, one of the long-running comedy show's earliest hosts.
During Saturday’s episode, which featured Ariana Grande hosting and Cher as the musical guest, the sketch comedy show took the time to remember Reiner, who was killed alongside his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, last weekend. The couple’s youngest son, Nick Reiner, has been charged with the murder of his parents.
Before SNL aired its goodnight segments, a tribute card appeared on the screen with an image of the late director from his time on the show.
Rob hosted the third-ever episode of SNL on October 25, 1975. He was also the first host to participate in the comedy sketches on the show.
At the time, he and his then-wife, Penny Marshall, also participated in sketches with him, such as The Bees. The cast of the NBC show during that episode included: John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, Laraine Newman, Michael O’Donoghue and Gilda Radner.
There was notably no musical guest during Reiner’s episode, and instead featured Belushi singing the song “With a Little Help From My Friends” as he impersonated Joe Cocker.
Reiner and his wife were found dead at their home last Sunday by their daughter, Romy Reiner.
Nick Reiner was arrested hours later and has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in connection with their deaths.
L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman has said the charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison or the death penalty.
Saturday’s episode also marked the signing off of Bowen Yang’s seven-year run on the show. During his emotional final sketch, Yang played a Delta One Lounge employee working his last shift on Christmas Eve, in parallel to his own final outing on the show.
Seconds into the scene, Yang fought back tears as his character told Delta Lounge customers that he would be leaving his beloved festive egg-nog stand. The show’s celebrity host, Grande, played his elderly wife who comes to visit him at work on his final day.
Yang broke down in tears as he sang about his job while performing the 1960 song “Please Come Home for Christmas” by Charles Brown, as a duet with Grande.
“I just feel so lucky that I ever got to work here, and I just wanted to enjoy it for a little bit longer,” said Yang to Grande. “Especially the people. I've loved every single person who works here, because they've done so much for me, especially my boss.”
Yang joined SNL as a writer in 2018 before being promoted to the cast the following year. Some of his most memorable sketches have included him parodying the viral baby hippo Moo Deng, posing as an overzealous spin instructor, and impersonating British pop star Charli XCX.
SNL will return with new episodes on January 17 with host Finn Wolfhard and musical guest A$AP Rocky.
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