Former "Saturday Night Live" head writer and cast member Tina Fey made a surprise return to the show this weekend to help welcome a new member into a prestigious club.
Fey, an Upper Darby native, was part of the latest episode's star-studded cold open, in which she and a gaggle of other celebrities welcomed "SNL" host Martin Short into the Five-Timers club — an honor which comes with a fancy jacket and is bestowed upon people who have hosted the sketch show five times. The episode also included several jokes about the recent flood of drone sightings over New Jersey and elsewhere.
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Along with Fey, other members of the Five-Timers club that appeared in the cold open included Paul Rudd, Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Kristen Wiig, Scarlett Johansson, Emma Stone, Melissa McCarthy and John Mulaney. Jimmy Fallon also appeared as the "jacket boy," someone who's not a member of the club but presents the ceremonial garment to the new inductee.
When Fey stepped in to congratulate Short on his accomplishment, he expressed that he was "so glad" she was there.
"You are one of the rarest things in Hollywood, a writer who's attractive enough to be on camera," he said to Fey.
"And you are one of the least rare things in Hollywood, a loud man," Fey replied.
She also gave Short a test to see if he was ready to join the club, and informed him that some of the Christmas decor in the room was made from "scripts that we all sabotaged because a cast member had a better part than we did."
Later, the Five-Timers club members shared some deep dark confessions and Fey had her own shocking truth to tell.
"It's me that's flying those drones; all of them," Fey said.
Watch the full cold open below:
Speaking of drones, the Weekend Update portion of the episode featured an appearance by one of the mysterious drones that's been spotted over New Jersey recently, played by cast member Bowen Yang. Weekend Update host Michael Che asked Yang what exactly he is.
"No, we're not going to do that," Yang replied. "I know what I am, and I don't have to explain myself to anyone at any time for any reason, okay? ... Everyone's like, is it UFOs? Is it military? Is it promo for SNL 50? Meanwhile, I'm just minding my business, hovering over people's homes, maybe filming them."
Che asked Yang why drones have been spotted in New Jersey.
"Why is anyone in New Jersey? Oh right, 'cause there's beautiful nature and good schools," he replied.
Yang later likened himself to the character Elphaba from the movie "Wicked," and sang a drone-themed rendition of the song "Defying Gravity."
Watch the full video below:
Along with performances by musical guest Hozier, Saturday's episode also included the annual joke swap between the Weekend Update hosts, plus sketches about the Peanuts, an act of kindness gone awry, an airport Christmas parade and an altercation in a mall parking lot — featuring Short wearing a Phillies hat.
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