Mikey Day and Ryan Gosling on 'SNL'

Mikey Day and Ryan Gosling on ‘SNL’NBC

Third time was the charm for Ryan Gosling whose third turn as host on NBC’s Saturday Night Live brought him his first Emmy nomination in the Guest Actor In a Comedy Series category. It comes on the heels of Gosling’s third Oscar nomination for Barbie.

Gosling’s Emmy-nominated SNL hosting stint on April 13 was a memorable one, with a third “Close Encounters” sketch, featuring former SNL cast member (and Gosling’s Barbie co-star) Kate McKinnon, a Gosling-Emily Blunt “Barbenheimer” musical number to Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well,” and the viral SNL sketch of the season, “Beavis & Butt-Head,” which has generated 17M views on YouTube alone.

The success of that episode — and that “Beavis & Butthead” skit showcasing the impressive transformation of Gosling and SNL cast member Mikey Day into the beloved MTV characters — helped the venerable NBC sketch program to secure multiple nominations for the Gosling-hosted show, Directing For a Variety Show; Hairstyling For A Variety, Nonfiction Or Reality Program, Makeup For A Variety, Nonfiction Or Reality Program; and Music Direction.

Known for breaking character and cracking up Saturday Night Live cast members in his previous two hosting stints, Ryan Gosling stayed true to himself, laughing in every skit he was in, much to the delight of the studio audience, and challenging his co-stars to keep a straight face.

The episode, which also featured musical guest Chris Stapleton, drew 8.9M viewers after seven days, according to NBCUniversal. In the 18 to 49 demo, the episode is up to a 2.0 rating. That’s the show’s largest seven-day audience since Billie Eilish hosted in December 2021, and it’s the best demo performance since Dave Chappelle’s last hosting gig in November 2022.

In terms of streaming, the Gosling show laid claim to the most-watched episode of Saturday Night Live ever on Peacock. On YouTube, the skits from the episode have generated more than 56M views by now.

Also nominated for their hosting duties on SNL this past season are former cast members Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig.

Here again is the “Beavis & Butt-Head” skit: