Justin Timberlake delivers 'SNL' ratings high - KYTX CBS 19 Tyler Longview News Weather Sports
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Justin Timberlake on Red Carpet at SAG Awards (Tom Larson/CNN)
By Breeanna Hare
No wonder "Saturday Night Live" keeps bringing back Justin Timberlake.
The 32-year-old pop star/actor hosted the sketch comedy show for the fifth time on Saturday, and reportedly delivered "SNL's" highest ratings in 14 months.
The singer was joined by celebrities like Tom Hanks, Candice Bergen, Steve Martin, "SNL" alum Andy Samberg, Alec Baldwin and more during the broadcast, which according to preliminary numbers had a 5.9 rating among metered-market households. According to The Hollywood Reporter, those are the biggest ratings the series has seen since Charles Barkley hosted in January 2012.
Now an old pro, Timberlake gave a successful performance as both the host and the musical guest. He appeared in multiple segments last night, and was, "as always, a great host," said The Huffington Post's Mike Ryan. "[W]hen Justin Timberlake hosts 'Saturday Night Live,' it's going to be, at the very least, a solid show," he said.
Billboard called Timberlake's edition "one of the show's best episodes of the season," yet, as The Atlantic has pointed out, it also stuck to familiar ground.
"Final thoughts on the night: the episode was very familiar. It was filled with familiar faces doing familiar things ... [with] Timberlake, the most celebrated host of the last decade, doing old Timberlake characters," the recap said. "But oh well, it as great, and we enjoyed it."
Someone who might not have dug the episode as much - if he even paid attention to it being on, that is - would be Kanye West. The rapper seemed to diss Timberlake during a performance a few weeks ago, when he called out Timberlake's "Suit & Tie" single with pal and collaborator, Jay-Z.
"And I got love for Hov but I ain't f*****g with that 'Suit & Tie,'" West said during the show.
So on Saturday night, as Timberlake (along with Jay-Z!) performed the track from his upcoming album, it appeared he got in his own jab in response.
Instead of, "s*** so sick, got a hit and picked up a habit," Timberlake crooned, "my hit's so sick got rappers acting dramatic."
