Chris Rock Surprises Saturday Night Live in Emotional Monologue

The last episode of Saturday Night Live Season 46 opened with a heartfelt reflection on the past year at 30 Rock. As the various cast members of SNL looked back at their favorite sketches, Chris Rock surprised those at Studio 8H with his own monologue. Rock — an SNL alumnus that appeared on the series in the early 1990s — returned to the show after hosting this year's premiere.

Naturally, Rock had plenty of jokes to crack, including a bit about how he initially wanted Kanye West to appear as his musical guest this year, but the rapper was too busy running for president. The comedian then added that Jim Carrey had the right idea, dropping out of the show halfway through the season. Carrey played President Joe Biden during the first half of the season, from the opening episode through the holidays.

What a season ❤️ pic.twitter.com/WxENKTu4k2

— Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl) May 23, 2021

"Though my term was only meant to be 6 weeks, I was thrilled to be elected as your SNL President...comedy's highest call of duty," Carrey wrote about the role. "I would love to go forward knowing that Biden was the victor because I nailed that sh*t. But I am just one in a long line of proud, fighting SNL Bidens!"

The opening was also one of the longest of the year, clocking in at an extended seven minutes as virtually every member of the cast got their own time to shine. Keep scrolling to see what SNL fans are saying about Rock's return.