Jack Black Breaks into Song as He Makes His Triumphant Return to SNL — Hosting Again for the First Time in 20 Years: Watch

The actor last hosted the late-night comedy sketch series in 2005

Live from Studio 8H — it’s Jack Black!

The actor, 55, hosted Saturday Night Live on April 5, when he was joined by Elton John and Brandi Carlile as the musical guests.

During his opening monologue, Black reflected on how it had been so long since he last hosted the show in 2005, before he explained that the pressure was making him want to quit. “I can’t do it, it’s too stressful, and frankly, I do not have the nerve,” Black said, before a guitar riff could be heard in the background.

After being handed a microphone, Black exclaimed that the music gave him “the power to host again,” and he broke into song, kicking off his medley with a somersault. “I’m back,” Black shouted, then giving nods to various projects he worked on over the past two decades since he last hosted the late-night show.

Making his way through the New York City soundstage audience, Black was eventually joined by a marching band, and later gave props to SNL castmembers old (Kenan Thompson) and new (Heidi Gardner and Marcello Hernandez).

Elsewhere during the show, Black starred in a variety of sketches, including one in which he played a man attending the first play in ancient Greece, and another where he portrayed a suitor dressed like Indiana Jones on a dating show.

One other moment from the late-night comedy sketch series saw the star in a commercial that advertised a medication to help provide relief after eating Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.

During their first musical performance, John, 78, and Carlile, 43, performed “Little Richard’s Bible” off their newly released collaborative album, Who Believes in Angels?

They later returned to the stage to sing the title track of their latest LP.

Black’s April 5 hosting gig came 20 years after he last hosted SNL in December 2005. At the time,
Neil Young appeared as the musical guest.

Before that, he served in the role in October 2003, with John Mayer as musical guest,
and he made his SNL debut in January 2002 with The Strokes performing music.

Years earlier, however, Black appeared as the musical guest with Tenacious D during a May 1998 episode.

Black currently stars in A Minecraft Movie, a film based on the video game of the same name. He is also in the midst of filming Anaconda, which follows a group of friends trying to recreate the 1997 film.

Saturday Night Live will return on April 12 with Jon Hamm as host and Lizzo as the musical guest.