Austin Butler, who is best known for playing Elvis in Baz Luhrmann’s epic, hosted the final episode of Saturday Night Live 2022. During his hosting debut, the actor remembered his late mother while delivering a stunning monologue. In one scene, the actor reflected on his enjoyable times spent with her.
Butler honoured his late mother, who passed away in 2014 at the age of 23, after a battle with cancer. Butler paid homage to her during his opening monologue. He praised her, saying, “Some of my favourite memories from growing up are watching SNL with her. Butler then added. “And even though I had this crippling shyness, when I was with her, I’d just do anything to make my mom laugh I do ridiculous faces and voices, I did this ridiculous Gollum impression.”
The actor also mentioned that his mum missed seeing him develop professionally and added, “Being silly with her is what broke me out of my shell and the core of what started me in acting. “My mom is no longer with us, but I’ve been thinking about her a lot this week, just imagining how proud she’d be of her son, who used to not be able to order food for myself at a restaurant, is now standing on this stage”, he said.
Nevertheless, Austin Butler’s SNL debut was a huge success since the actor also took part in a number of skits, including one in which he played a character from It’s a Wonderful Life and another in which he played a participant in a white elephant gift exchange. Cecily Strong, a comedian, made her final appearance on the comedy show during this episode.