Saturday Night Live dedicated the Saturday, October 28, episode to Matthew Perry.
The broadcast — hosted by comedian Nate Bargatze with musical guest Foo Fighters — added a special title card following the final sketch. SNL flashed a black-and-white photo of Perry, from his hosting debut, on the screen next to text of his name.
Perry had hosted an October 1997 episode of the long-running variety series, where he even notably appeared in a Friends parody. While Perry portrayed Chandler Bing on the 10-season sitcom, he spoofed Matt LeBlanc’s Joey Tribbiani during his SNL appearance.
News broke several hours before SNL began that Perry had died at the age of 54. According to the Los Angeles Times, law enforcement officials responded to a call at the actor’s L.A. home. Upon arrival, they found Perry unresponsive in a jacuzzi. A cause of death has not been confirmed, with the newspaper reporting that there was no sign of foul play. An investigation into Perry’s death is ongoing.
Representatives for Perry did not immediately respond to Us Weekly’s request for comment. The coroner’s office confirmed that Perry died on Saturday.
Immediately following Perry’s death, many of his former colleagues and friends shared tributes via social media.
“My oldest boy friend. All of us loved Matthew Perry, and I did especially. Every day. I loved him unconditionally,” Selma Blair captioned an Instagram selfie of the pair. “And he me. And I’m broken. Broken hearted. Sweet dreams Matty. Sweet dreams.”
Rumer Willis, for her part, remembered meeting Perry when he costarred with her dad, Bruce Willis, in The Whole Nine Yards, The Whole Ten Yards and the final season of Friends.
“I’m sad to hear about Matthew Perry passing. When I was a kid and I was on set while he and my dad were doing Whole Nine and Whole 10 Yards, he was so kind and funny and sweet with my sisters and me,” Rumer, 35, wrote via her Instagram Story on Saturday. “I think his physical comedy and that movie still makes me laugh so much. I know he had many challenges in his life and brought a lot of joy to people with his comedy. I hope he can rest peacefully.”
In addition to paying tribute to Perry, Saturday’s episode of SNL featured first-time host Bargatze, 44, in a series of Halloween-themed sketches. In one, he and cast member Chloe Fineman spoofed Hallmark romances by making a murderous horror version. A second sketch enlisted SNL personality Sarah Sherman (playing Fran Drescher) to teach child trick-or-treaters how to abide by SAG-AFTRA strike regulations with their costume choices.
Saturday also featured a few surprise celebrity cameos from Christopher Walken, Padma Lakshmi and singer H.E.R. Whereas Walken, 80, played the “Spirit of Halloween” in the political cold open, Lakshmi, 53, stepped in to judge a Top Chef-esque cooking competition sketch. H.E.R., 26, appeared on stage with Foo Fighters for their second musical performance.
Saturday Night Live airs on NBC Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. ET.
