Returning to her old stomping grounds, Saturday Night Live alum Amy Poehler was welcomed back with open arms, hosting the show that made her famous for the first time since 2015.
In her monologue, Poehler paid tribute to the fact that the episode is airing on the exact 50th anniversary of the show’s first-ever episode, which aired on October 11, 1975.
“That episode was hosted by George Carlin, and just like George Carlin, I am extremely high,” Poehler joked. “But you know the world looked a lot different in 1975. For one thing, women couldn’t even have credit cards yet. But now I’m kind of like, somebody take my credit card away. Am I right? I made them put that in.”
Poehler also briefly invited new cast members Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Ben Marshall, Kam Patterson, and Veronika Slowikowska to join her, before quickly shooing them away, telling them, “We don’t know each other yet. Keep it moving.”
Poehler also joked about the creation of AI-generated actress Tilly Norwood. “I remember watching the show in the ’70s, sitting in my house in Burlington, Massachusetts, thinking: I want to be an actress someday. At least until they invent an A.I. actress who’s funnier and willing to do full frontal,” she said.
She circled back to her potential A.I. replacement at the end of her monologue, telling her younger self, “To that little A.I. robot watching TV right now, who wants to be on this stage some day, I say to you: ‘Beep beep boop boop,’ which translates to ‘You’ll never be able to write a joke, you stupid robot.’ And I am willing to do full frontal, but nobody has asked me!”
Poehler joined the Saturday Night Live cast in 2001 alongside her future “Weekend Update” co-host Seth Meyers, having been recruited by longtime friend Tina Fey. She departed the show in 2008 after giving birth to her first child before going on to star as Leslie Knope in Parks and Recreation.
She has returned to Studio 8H several times since leaving SNL for special guest appearances and hosting duties. She last took on the role of host alongside Fey in 2015, when the pair reprised their famous impressions of Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin.
Poehler also appeared alongside Fey and fellow former castmate Maya Rudolph during the show’s 50th Anniversary Special earlier this year.
Poehler gave a shoutout to her podcast in her monologue, calling it a “recession indicator.” Good Hang with Amy Poehler launched in March and quickly became one of the most popular podcasts in the world. Her first guest was Tina Fey, and she has also interviewed fellow SNL alumni Seth Meyers, Will Forte and Andy Samberg.
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