This past Saturday, Dan Levy (Schitt’s Creek, Happiest Season) graced the stage at New York’s Studio 8H for his fist time as host of NBC’s sketch comedy institution Saturday Night Live, and the internet took notice. Entertainment Weekly cites Eugene Levy’s (American Pie, Schitt’s Creek) cameo appearance during his son’s opening monologue as one of the episode’s highlights. However, the elder Levy’s physical presence on stage was just one of the many ways in which Levy found himself flanked with support for his hosting debut.
While Levy mentioned the phenomenal success of Schitt’s Creek’s final season, which swept the 2020 Emmy Awards, the show’s official Twitter shared their excitement about Levy’s hosting. As co-creator, writer and star of Schitt’s Creek, Levy has received many accolades including recent Golden Globe nominations, but an invitation to “one of the biggest pressure cookers of gig in live TV” is an honor in-and-of itself, via Entertainment Weekly. As such Schitt’s Creek’s official Twitter account live-tweeted the event, celebrating Levy and sharing favorite moments of his stint as host.
Schitt’s Creek actress Emily Hampshire (12 Monkeys) could also be found live tweeting Saturday’s event, reacting to the cameo in Levy’s opening monologue in-character as her Schitt’s Creek alter-ego, Stevie Budd. Hampshire has had plenty to celebrate herself recently, as upcoming Norman Lear reboot Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, in which she will star, co-write and produce, was announced last week.
Hampshire was far from the only Canadian sporting pride for fellow-countryman Levy on his Saturday Night Live hosting gig. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took to Twitter to congratulate Levy on Sunday, by saying “thanks for making the whole country shine last night.”
Prior to the episode, Levy’s mother, Deborah Divine, tweeted message to the kids who bullied Levy as a boy. “after all these years I have just 7 words to say to you: Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night” read Divine’s tweet. Comedian and fifteen-time Saturday Night Live host Steve Martin was touched by Divine’s message, responding “oh, Deb, you’re the greatest” on Twitter Tuesday.
The Saturday Night Live episode featuring Levy as host was praised for it’s sketch “It Gets Better” which showcased the show’s LGBTQ+ cast members and earned some trust back after the criticism the show garnered from John Krasinski (The Office, A Quiet Place) and Pete Davidson’s (Saturday Night Live, The King of Staten Island) kiss the episode prior, via Buzzfeed. Today declared Saturday Night Live’s Zillow commercial parody as one of the best in the series thus far. Zillow capitalized on the success of the sketch by adding to the bevy of tweets directed at Levy during the episode.
Between Saturday Night Live and an M&M Super Bowl ad-spot, all eyes seemed to be on Levy this past weekend. The actor’s successful weekend has garnered praise from his family, Schitt’s Creek castmates and homeland of Canada at large.
Saturday Night Live will return on February 13 with another first-time host, Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk, Watchmen).