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Michael Phelps' SNL Monologue Co-Starred Amy Poehler As His Mom Debbie
The swimmer hosted Saturday Night Live fresh off the 2008 Olympics, and got some endorsement advice from William Shatner in his monologue.
When Michael Phelps hosted Saturday Night Live's Season 34 premiere on September 13, 2008, he hadn't yet become the most decorated Olympian in history. But his astounding run in Beijing — where he shattered two of his own world records and became the first athlete to win eight gold medals in a single Olympics — cemented the swimmer's legacy as a sports legend. And Phelps' SNL monologue acknowledged his level-up immediately, in a hilarious bit that found Amy Poehler playing his mother, Debbie Phelps.
"This seriously is like, the ninth greatest moment of my life," Phelps joked moments after he stepped onto the Studio 8H stage.
"WOO! Good job Michael!" cheered Debbie Phelps as played by Poehler, waving an American flag in each hand.
"For those of you who don't know, I set a record this summer," Phelps continued, "by becoming the first person to appear on NBC for 390 consecutive hours."
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"That's my boy! That's my son up there, WOO!" his "mom" chimed in once more, prompting a hilariously authentic-sounding request from the swimmer to relax. But Poehler's character simply couldn't contain her enthusiasm as Phelps went on to unveil the art for Swim Cop, a very 30 Rock fake police procedural co-starring Kenan Thompson (would watch).
And like any wildly successful athlete, Phelps added that he'd been bombarded with endorsement deal offers. This led to a bit of advice from William Shatner in a surprise cameo — followed by a sweet one from Phelps' real mom, who got a big hug from Poehler.
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Michael Phelps' SNL episode was John Mulaney's debut as a writer
In addition to being a season premiere, Phelps' SNL episode with Musical Guest Lil Wayne was notable for a few other reasons: It was stand-up comedian John Mulaney's very first episode as a staff writer, and Bobby Moynihan's first as a cast member. Mulaney's long relationship with the show would culminate in his becoming a member of SNL's Five-Timers Club.
RELATED: The Most Memorable SNL Cold Opens of All Time
The episode's cold open is another piece of SNL history: Tina Fey returned to play VP candidate Sarah Palin alongside Poehler's Hillary Clinton in "Sarah Palin and Hillary Address the Nation," cowritten by then-head writer Seth Meyers.
Among the other sketches that leveraged Phelps' sports fame is The Lonely Island's surreal "Space Olympics" music video with Andy Samberg. The intergalactic event did not go as well as Beijing did.
Watch Michael Phelps' SNL monologue above, and watch every season of Saturday Night Live on Peacock anytime.
