Saturday Night Live will air a rerun episode of Betty White’s hosting in honor of the late actress. This Betty White tribute episode is set to air tonight, January 1, 2022. According to Deadline, NBC will air the episode that originally aired on May 8, 2010. The episode also features Jay-Z as a musical guest and an encore telecast. White, who was 88 at the time of the episode’s recording, brought in more than 12 million viewers with the episode. As she was 88 when the episode aired, she became the oldest person to host an episode of the late-night television show.
She was asked to host an episode of Saturday Night Live after a petition calling for her to host gained over a million signatures. The petition was started on Facebook by a user named David Matthews. He started it after loving the actress’s appearance in a Snickers commercial that aired during the same year. Less than two months later, the show made the decision to ask White to host. With Betty White, the episode also brought back famous cast members such as Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph, and more.
Betty White’s Outstanding Legacy
The episode was also another maker for her longstanding career. She appeared in every sketch of the episode, and then went on to win her final Emmy award for “Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series”.
Betty White passed away in her home due to natural causes at the age of 99. She was just weeks before her milestone 100th birthday on January 17. White was a beloved actress, comedian, and pioneer for women in television. As her career spanned over nine decades, she became known as “The First Lady of Television.” Most notably, White was known as one of The Golden Girls, where she starred as Rose Nylund. She has more than 115 acting credits in her career, that range from film, commercials, animation, and comedy.
Betty White’s Saturday Night Live tribute episode airs tonight, January 1, at 11:30 PM EST on NBC.