‘Saturday Night Live’: Sterling K. Brown Tries Not to Cry in Laugh-Filled Monologue

Sterling K. Brown tried his hand at comedy to kick off his first Saturday Night Live hosting gig.

The actor, known for his dramatic roles in This Is Us and American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson, proved he could make audiences laugh just as well as he can move us to tears.

Brown came out in a three-piece suit, telling everyone that the K stands for “Kathleen.” He then joked about his reputation for being sensitive and came very close to crying, showing off his acting prowess. “We’re all together, Sterling Kathleen.”

He also said there was a This Is Us spin-off about an all-black family called This Us. He also tried his best not to cry throughout the monologue. He said he was “so blessed” to be on the show.

Later, Leslie Jones interrupted Brown to tell him to get on with the show! Audiences at home loved the monologue.

Throughout the week, Brown and the SNL crew joked about his part on This Is Us, a show that makes everyone cry each week. He plays Randall Pearson, a role that earned him an Emmy last year and a Golden Globe in January. He also has an Emmy for playing Christopher Darden in The People v. O.J. Simpson.

Earlier Saturday, the SNL teased a This Is Us parody with a poster for “This Is SNL.” The poster plugged in SNL cast members Pete Davidson, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, Kyle Mooney, Cecily Strong, Melissa Villaseñor and Mikey Day in This Is Us, alongside Brown.

In an interview with Entertainment Tonight before the show, Brown said he is a long-time SNL fan. Although he is best known for drama, he was not nervous at all.

“The thing that I’m most nervous about is I’m delivering the commencement address at Stanford University. That’s what I’m nervous about,” Brown said with a laugh. “When I go to SNL, they have really talented writers who are pretty good at what they do, who are not going to let a brother fall flat on his face. So I have a support network there to keep me buoyed about.”

Brown has been watching SNL for his entire life, which is possible since he is a year younger than the show itself.

“I would expect either a This Is Us or [The People v.] O.J. [Simpson] spoof, or both. I expect to do something definitely with Leslie [Jones],” Brown told Entertainment Tonight. “But my biggest pitch will be, can I do something on Weekend Update? Because the hosts haven’t been doing a lot of Weekend Update lately, so hopefully I can get a segment on Weekend Update. That would be my only pitch.”

You can check out Brown’s more serious side on This Is Us, which airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.

Photo credit: NBC