Chris Stapleton returned to Saturday Night Live as the musical guest for the third time last month, alongside host Ryan Gosling. Stapleton said that show “was the first time they ever kind of talked me into being in a skit.”
The reigning ACM Entertainer of the Year appeared in a skit that featured Ego Nwodim, Chloe Fineman and Chloe Troast, a trio of women who perform a country song about getting revenge against an ex. While Nwodim and Fineman opt to “get even” by messing with their ex’s trucks, Troast takes measures to “destroy his mind.” Stapleton plays the alleged cheating ex-boyfriend who falls victims to Troast’s tricks after the breakup. Gosling appears for a verse as Troast’s brother. Stapleton, who met Gosling for the fits time when they appeared on the show together, turned out to be texting his sister rather than cheating on Troast. Stapleton and Gosling hilariously stirred anticipation for their Saturday Night Live episode before it aired, including when Stapleton made a Barbie reference on Instagram, and when Gosling got starstruck by the country star in a promo video.
“It was great,” Stapleton said on The Jennifer Hudson Show on Tuesday (May 14), when asked about his SNL appearance with Gosling. “That was the first time they ever kind of talked me into being in a skit. I raised my hand and said ‘hey, if you want me to do something silly, I’ll do it.’ Because I like stuff like that. It generally is, maybe not a comfortable place for me, but I think it’s fun. I think it’s funny to play with those kind of things. I don’t fancy myself an actor or anything. I think doing a skit on SNL is as far as (acting is) gonna go. If you watch me do the skit on SNL, you’ll know why that’s as far as it’s gonna go.”
Stapleton took the stage to perform “White Horse” and “Mountains On My Mind” on Saturday Night Live last month. When Jennifer Hudson asked whether he would ever host the legendary show, Stapleton said he “would certainly have to consider it [hosting] because what an honor, but after seeing how tired — you know, Ryan’s in pretty good shape, and seeing how tired he was doing it, I don’t know if I could do both, you know, sing and do the whole thing. But certainly, I would consider it.”
Stapleton also chatted with Hudson about getting mistaken for another celebrity, the upcoming 59th ACM Awards and more. They also took the stage together to deliver a powerful performance with Stapleton’s wife, Morgane Stapleton, and husband-and-wife duo The War and Treaty.
The Higher artist is set to take the stage at the stage during the ACM Awards on Thursday evening (May 16). The lineup also includes Post Malone, Parker McCollum, Kelsea Ballerini and Noah Kahan; Nate Smith and Avril Lavigne; husband-and-wife duo Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani; Jason Aldean, Kane Brown, Jelly Roll, Cody Johnson, Miranda Lambert, Thomas Rhett, Chris Stapleton, and Lainey Wilson. Reba McEntire, who will return to host the show for the 17th time, will also perform “brand new music.” Presenters include Alabama, BRELAND, Tyler Cameron, Jordan Davis, Sara Evans, Carin León, Little Big Town, Ashley McBryde, Dion and Rozene Pride, Noah Reid, Richard Sherman, Charissa Thompson, Randy Travis, and Clay Walker. Stapleton is also nominated in several major categories throughout the evening. See the full list of 59th ACM Award nominees here.
The show is set to return to Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, the world headquarters of the Dallas Cowboys, leading up to the milestone 60th year in 2025. This year’s ACM Red Carpet will kick off at 7 p.m. EDT/6 p.m. CDT/4 p.m. PDT. The show is set for Thursday, May 16 at 8 pm ET / 5 pm PT.