What to know
- Ryan Gosling surprised viewers during his opening monologue on Saturday Night Live by revealing that Harry Styles was sitting in the audience, repeatedly drawing the camera’s attention away from him for comedic effect.
- Gosling, appearing to promote his upcoming film Project Hail Mary,solemnly told cast member Sarah Sherman that “everything is different now that Harry Styles is here,” as the show leaned into the gag with props like an “I [heart] Harry” shirt worn by a cameraman.
- The monologue referenced a karaoke scene in the film featuring Styles’ debut single Sign of the Times, culminating with Gosling singing in front of Styles while the singer listened with his eyes closed.
- Social media quickly reacted to the surprise moment, with viewers calling the Gosling-Styles pairing “iconic” and a smart ratings move ahead of Styles’ own hosting and musical appearance on the show the following week.
Audiences watching this past Saturday Night Live were surprised when Canadian actor Ryan Gosling pointed out that U.K. artist Harry Styles was sitting in the crowd.
Gosling appeared ahead of his latest film release Project Hail Mary, which comes out on March 20.
Through Gosling’s opening monologue, he attempted to bring the attention back to him as the camera and cast kept their focus on Styles.
“Everything is different now that Harry Styles is here,” Gosling told his cast co-star Sarah Sherman.
The camera man also was seen wearing an “I [heart] Harry” t-shirt, to play into the bit of Styles constantly being brought back on screen, with the split screen closing at one point to get Gosling out of the picture.
Gosling said a karaoke scene occurs in his upcoming movie, where one of the leads sings Styles’ debut single “Sign of the Times.”
The monologue concluded with Gosling having to sing in front of Styles’, with the artist seen taking in the music with his eyes closed.
Reaction
Social media was in a spiral over the surprise appearance.
One user on X (formerly Twitter) said the two being on the same screen was iconic.
“Best monologue surprise of the whole season,” they added.
Another person on X said the two stars were their favourite people, while another user pointed out it was a smart marketing move.
“Interesting combo, Styles and Gosling together could bring huge ratings,” they said.
“Ryan Gosling hosting and Harry Styles showing up? SNL knew exactly what they were doing,” another user commented.
“This is an internet-breaking combo,” an SNL viewer commented on X during the show. “Tonight is going to be the perfect blend of comedy and style.”
Styles made the appearance on the hit comedy skit show a week before he hosted and performed at his own episode on March 14. He told Gosling he was watching to get a feel for things since his last time hosting in 2019.
