Will Ferrell and his celebrity lookalike, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, reunited during the actor’s Saturday Night Live opening monologue.
After Ferrell was introduced as host of the Season 51 finale, it was Smith who emerged from backstage to greet the audience. “Thank you very much, I’m thrilled to be back here hosting Saturday Night Live,” Smith-as-Ferrell said. “I was a cast member here for seven years, and now I’m hosting for the sixth time. Amazing! It really feels like coming home.”
The real Ferrell in the exact same suit then emerged from backstage: “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” the actor asked the drummer. “I think I’m hosting the show,” Smith said.
Will Ferrell’s monologue! pic.twitter.com/RL7wQjF9bv
— Saturday Night Live (@nbcsnl) May 17, 2026
Ferrell then joked that Smith assaulted him backstage and “Lorne had to give me mouth-to-mouth.” “Seriously, what are you even doing here?” Ferrell asked, to which Smith replied, “Okay, I’m the musical guest tonight.” Ferrell clarified that Paul McCartney was the musical guest, and then shooed Smith off the stage.
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Ferrell and Smith were both right: McCartney was the musical guest, but with Smith as guest of the musical guest, serving as surprise drummer for both “Days We Left Behind” and “Band on the Run.”
Since discovering that they looked alike over a dozen years ago, Ferrell and Smith have occasionally played into their doppelgangerness, challenging each other to drum-offs on late-night television and at charity events, and even covering the Rolling Stones together.
From Rolling Stone US
