Elvis Star Austin Butler Gets All Hot And Bothered By Sarah Sherman's Jewish Elvis On SNL
Something about Austin Butler ripping off a pair of granny panties and throwing them onstage while yelling "Ruin me!" just makes sense. After all, the man spent the past couple of years perfecting his Elvis drawl and wiggle, so it only makes sense that he'd want to understand everyone else in the King of Rock and Roll's orbit — rabid fanbase included.
Now that he's gotten his fill of being the big man onstage, Butler is trying something different by sitting in the audience and absolutely losing his mind at the sight of an Elvis impersonator. And honestly, what more could we expect from an episode of "Saturday Night Live" hosted by the star of Baz Luhrmann's Elvis biopic?
Every episode of SNL requires at least one sketch to poke fun at the host and their hottest new project. For Butler, that happens to be his star-making performance as The King. But if you've already seen "Elvis" (or absolutely any interview with Austin Butler from the last 12 months) then you know he's had plenty of time to show off his Elvis impersonation — so instead, it's comedian Sarah Sherman who dons the wig, does the hip shake, and becomes Elvis for a 5-minute sketch. But she's not just any Elvis — she's Jewish Elvis! And Butler plays one of the many Grandmas in the audience who are thrilled to see him!
Believe it or not, "Jewish Elvis" also comes with a bittersweet tinge; last night's episode marked the end of Cecily Strong's SNL tenure. After 11 seasons, the comedian is departing the show. To say farewell, you can check out Strong, Butler, Ego Nwodim, and Chloe Fineman in the sketch below.
'Ruin me Jewish Elvis, Ruin me!'
Everyone knows about the teenage girls who fainted at the sight of Elvis' rubber legs, but what about the elderly ladies who want to explode when they see his bejeweled blue spandex? The "Jewish Elvis" skit sees a bunch of grannies at The Oasis retirement home lusting over Sherman's take on The King, a performer who is much more of a standup comedian than a singer. He spends most of his act complaining and tossing out catchphrases like "this is a zizzaster!" But for whatever reason, it works on them.
"Jewish Elvis" has it all: lots of meta jokes for the audience, Sherman hamming it up for the camera, and Austin Butler thirsting over Elvis. Even Bowen Yang makes an appearance — as the retirement home director who gives a much too graphic description of a toilet that Elvis has ruined. But it's worth it because then the sketch ends with a silly rendition of "Suspicious Minds" that focuses on the drawbacks of delicious cheese. While it's nowhere near the level of unhinged that Luhrmann achieved with his over-the-top, glitzy biopic, the sketch has dancing diet coke cans and ends with Elvis sitting on a toilet, so it's sure to be just as controversial!
If we can agree on anything, it's that Granny Lois is obviously Butler's biggest role yet. Forget Elvis — can he win an Oscar just for asking the fake King of Rock and Roll to ruin him?