After running like a well-oiled machine for 46 years, Saturday Night Live may have finally found a new and lasting behind-the-scenes tradition, thanks to a simple act of thoughtfulness by host Dan Levy (Schitt’s Creek). Levy, who was met with deluge of support for his hosting debut last month, left an encouraging post-it note in the host’s green room at Studio 8H before leaving the building. According to Entertainment Weekly, Levy’s note for incoming host Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk, Watchmen) read: “Regina! You got this! Much love, Dan.”
King shared the sweet note on her Instagram story, before hosting and leaving note of her own for the following week’s host Rege-Jean Page (Bridgerton, Roots). Entertainment Weekly shared the photo Page posted of his own personalized note on Instagram, in which King signed off by disclosing that she was big fan of his work. A tickled Page told King that “the feeling is mutual” in the post on his Instagram story (Entertainment Weekly).
“It sure seems like a new tradition was born” reported Today, after this past weekend’s host and musical guest Nick Jonas likewise received post-it. Unlike the previous first-time hosts, Jonas shared his note from Page on Twitter.
This recent and still-tentative trend behind-the scenes on Saturday Night Live mirrors a decades-spanning tradition among outgoing United States presidents. According to The Washington Post, presidential letters of succession are a tradition, started by Ronald Regan, in which the outgoing president leaves behind a letter for the incoming president in the oval office that traditionally offers a combination of both wisdom and levity.
It’s too soon to tell whether Saturday Night Live’s recent note-passing campaign will become an engrained fixture in the show, but it’s streak has yet to be broken. Fans will have to wait until March 27 to see whether Jonas left a note for the show’s next host, SNL alum Maya Rudolph (Bridesmaids, Big Mouth).
Fortunately, Rudolph had been announced as the next host prior to Jonas’ double-duty shift on Saturday’s episode. There have been cases of longer hiatuses or holiday breaks, in which the next guest of Saturday Night Live is not announced before the show airs. Time will tell whether a scenario such as this will bring the post-it trend to an end or necessitate a generic note be left in place of a personalized one. If the trend continues into the show’s future, it’s possible that Levy just contributed to the ongoing mythology of sketch comedy’s longest-running institution.