It was around the time of the Covid-19 pandemic that actor Glen Powell got the call to host “Saturday Night Live.”
He and his family were celebrating the news on the porch when a UPS driver delivering a package passed them and asked what was happening. Powell told the host to tune into the Christmas episode of “SNL” because he would be the host.
They celebrated that moment about four years ago with a selfie, Powell said, showing the image during his long-awaited “SNL” monologue on Saturday.
But it wasn’t like that.
Powell’s hosting duties were dependent on the release of “Top Gun: Maverick,” in which he plays Lt. Jake “Hangman” Seresin, and the film was delayed by the pandemic.
“Without ‘Top Gun,'” Powell quoted “SNL” executive producer Lorne Michaels as saying, “no one will know who the hell you are.”
The film didn’t reach audiences until spring 2022, and it would be a couple more years before Powell, who stars in the new movie “The Running Man,” would make his debut as an “SNL” host.
“So I didn’t end up hosting, which means that for four years, this UPS driver was saying ‘Glen Powell is a liar,'” he said.
But on Saturday, the Austin, Texas, native was finally able to show the man identified as “Mitch the UPS Guy” “that I’m not crazy.”
Powell said her sisters tracked down Mitch and Powell flew him to New York City so he could witness the moment from Studio 8H.
He called Mitch to join him on the historic stage to take another selfie as he concluded his monologue.
“I had to wait my whole life plus four years to be here,” Powell said. “But if I’ve learned anything, it’s that the best things in life don’t happen overnight, and no one knows that better than UPS.”
“SNL” airs on NBC, a division of NBCUniversal, which is also the parent company of NBC News. Olivia Dean was the musical guest.
