Kieran Culkin is making his Saturday Night Live hosting debut this weekend, but it is not the first time he’s visited Studio 8H. Back in November 1991, Culkin’s older brother Macaulay Culkin hosted the show, bringing his family along with him and including Culkin in three sketches. While preparing for Macaulay’s episode, 9-year-old Culkin dissed a long-running cast member, proving early on that he was the perfect actor to play the no-filter Roman Roy on HBO’s Succession.
“I remember, during rehearsal day, being on the stage, and I was with my mom. Kevin Nealon walks by and she grabs him and she goes, ‘Oh, hey, you’re great. By the way, you’re my son’s favorite,’” Culkin said on The Tonight Show Thursday night. Culkin heard this, and suddenly corrected his mother. “And I went, ‘Mom, I told you he’s my second favorite. Dana Carvey is my favorite!’” Culkin, now 39, recalled.
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Although Nealon was disappointed about the compliment being taken back, he didn’t lose his sense of humor. “I remember actually seeing him take this little tiny dagger and go… ‘Well, still very nice to meet you,’” Culkin told Jimmy Fallon. Later on, Nealon even held up Culkin during the episode’s goodnights.
Culkin’s Saturday Night Live hosting gig comes just a few weeks after Succession returned for its third season on HBO. Culkin earned two Golden Globe nominations and an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his performance on the show. The actor also starred in Steven Soderbergh’s No Sudden Move, which was released on HBO Max over the summer.
The musical performer on this weekend’s SNL is Ed Sheeran, even though he tested positive for COVID-19 in October. Earlier this week, Sheeran confirmed he was cleared to perform on SNL after his quarantine. “Posting this pic to say I’m released from covid isolation today, so if you see me out and about I’ve had the all clear and done my quarantine. Excited to hit the ground running with work again, and SNL is still on, so tune in Saturday, see you there,” he wrote. Sheeran will perform new songs from his album =, which includes “Bad Habits,” “Shivers” and “Overpass Graffiti.” SNL airs at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC.ย
