gorillaz — Ryan Gosling appears in a new Saturday Night Live promo walking around Rockefeller Plaza as if he’s preparing to join the show’s five-timers club; the spot ultimately makes clear he’s actually hosting for the fourth time. The Project Hail Mary actor dons a robe embroidered with the number five and behaves like he owns the set in the short piece. The sketch lands ahead of his Saturday night appearance on the sketch show.
Promo shows Gosling celebrating a mistaken fifth turn
The promo opens with Gosling striding through SNL spaces wearing a robe marked with a five, grabbing a jacket emblazoned with the number five from the prop area, and staging a series of grand gestures — lighting up a photo of Mikey Day, smoking indoors, popping champagne atop a toy horse. Mikey Day intervenes in the sequence and reminds Gosling that this is his fourth time hosting, prompting a spit-take and a brief, comic exchange in which Gosling insists: “Five-timers club, Michael. ” Day replies, “This is your fourth time hosting. ” Gosling then says, “I’m sure someone’s made this mistake before, ” and Day quips, “Never once!”
Gorillaz reaction: cast interplay drives the joke
The central gag depends on the friction between Gosling’s confident performance and the show’s correction. The interaction with Mikey Day is staged as an on-set confrontation that clarifies the factual point at the heart of the promo: the host believes he’s a five-timer when in fact he is not. The sequence plays out inside the SNL office and around Rockefeller Plaza, emphasizing the contrast between Gosling’s swagger and the record of his past appearances.
Past hosting dates and current film tour
Saturday’s show will mark Gosling’s fourth time hosting; his debut took place on December 5, 2015, his second hosting appearance was on September 30, 2017, and his most recent hosting gig was on April 13, 2024. He also made an additional cameo on April 6, 2024. Gosling is on a press tour for Project Hail Mary, the film adaptation of a bestselling sci-fi novel directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, which is scheduled to be released later in March.
Immediate reactions and mood in the promo
“Dude, what the hell are you doing?” Mikey Day asks in one exchange, underscoring the promo’s comic premise. Ryan Gosling answers with mock entitlement: “Five-timers club, Michael. ” The back-and-forth ends with Day correcting Gosling: “This is your fourth time hosting. ” The exchange frames the promo’s punchline and pushes the segment toward the reveal that corrects Gosling’s mistaken assumption.
Early feedback from press screenings of Project Hail Mary has been described as positive, though full critical reviews had not been released at the time the promo circulated. The promo itself functions as a timely, self-contained joke that both spotlights Gosling’s star turn and teases his upcoming appearance on the sketch show.
Expect more promotional spots and appearances tied to Gosling’s Project Hail Mary press tour through the film’s March release window; fans will see his Saturday night hosting slot close the immediate promotional loop. The clip’s final laugh — and the repeated riff about membership in an exclusive hosting club — leaves room for encore moments on air and online, and even gorillaz fans who stumble across the spot are likely to notice the running gag when the show airs Saturday night (ET).
