‘SNL’: Ryan Reynolds Made a Surprise Second Appearance During ‘Weekend Update’

Ryan Reynolds was on set for Saturday Night Live this weekend, and not just for the opening monologue. Many fans saw Reynolds’ cameo in host Will Ferrell‘s opening monologue this week, but he actually popped up in “Weekend Update” as well. He was just one of the many guest stars to grace the stage.

Reynolds quite literally stole the show in the opening monologue, where Will Ferrell was star-struck by him. He was more a team player on “Weekend Update,” however, where he rolled out to the news desk in character.

Reynolds played a friend of one of Alex Moffat’s regular characters, Guy Who Just Bought a Boat. Moffat has often played the dirty joke-telling seaman on “Weekend Update,” often around the holidays, when he gives viewers “advice” for the season.

This week, about halfway through his explicit Thanksgiving spiel, he introduced a friend, Guy Who Knows the Owner, played by Reynolds. Reynolds rolled out in a dress shirt unbuttoned to the chest with a bright orange vest over it. Like Moffat, he had wrap-around sunglasses up on his head, and the two seemed to be old college fraternity brothers.

“I’m sorry, this guy isn’t on my list here,” Colin Jost said, consulting his notes.

“Please, I know the owner,” Reynolds said suavely.

Much like Moffat, Reynolds’ character dished out sexually explicit puns at an incredibly fast pace, all with a creepy, self-satisfied smile. Also like Moffat, this character snuck in sad references to his own sexual shortcomings between jokes — though his were of a slightly different type than Moffat’s.

The jokes sounded right at home in Reynolds’ voice, as the actor has never hesitated to work blue before. This is especially true since the rise of Deadpool, Reynolds’ unlikely success as a Marvel super hero. Deadpool opened the door for R-rated comic book movies, leading to other successes like Logan and The Joker.

All-in-all, it was a successful night for Reynolds on SNL, where he drew huge applause and a lot of laughs. He was not the only visitor, either. In the opening monologue he was joined by Tracey Morgan, and later sketches included former cast members Maya Rudolph, Rachel Dratch and Fred Armisen as well.

All of them might have been visiting in part to see Ferrell, who was himself on SNL for several years. This weekend’s show brought fans back to that era, drumming up some serious nostalgia.

Saturday Night Live airs every weekend at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC.