Did you miss SNL’s tribute to Carrie Fisher last night?
By Josh Hill
Saturday Night Live both re-aired Carrie Fisher’s episode from 1978 as a tribute but also snuck one into the end of last night’s live show.
Felicity Jones stopped by SNL last night for the first new show of the year, marking the second time in two years that the show kicked off a new year with a Star Wars host. But Jones’ hosting duties weren’t the only nod to Star Wars on the night.
Carrie Fisher died at the tail end of 2016, marking the end of a truly special life that people didn’t begin to fully appreciate until she was gone. Tributes poured in following her death, and they’ve showed no signs of slowing. Saturday Night Live didn’t go heavy on the tributes to Fisher but did their duty in honoring a former host and an icon who struck a chord with so many cast members.
One cast member in particular is Bobby Moynihan. We didn’t see a whole lot of him in last night’s episode but he left a mark during the end credits.
At the end of the show, with the cast gathered on stage as they usually are, Bobby Moynihan was spotted with a Carrie Fisher shirt that read “I Love You” on it.
It was a subtle tribute to Fisher but one that resonated with those who spotted it.
You could also qualify Tina Fey’s cameo as a tribute to Fisher as well. Fey appeared in Felicity Jones’ opening monologue dressed like Princess Leia from A New Hope and in hologram form. SNL avoided any obvious or on-the-nose tributes to Fisher instead choosing to stick to things like Moynihan’s shirt and Fey’s cameo.
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In fact, the show stayed away from Star Wars parody altogether outside of the opening monologue. Unlike this time last year when Adam Driver hosted, there was just two references to Star Wars all night long with Moynihan’s Carrie Fisher tribute sticking out as a shining moment.