Actor Matt Damon was funny — and emotional — when he recalled trying to stay up late with his brother when they were boys to watch “Saturday Night Live” with their dad.
This time, the “SNL” host — who last helmed the show 16 years ago — said his own four kids were staying up late to watch him. He quipped that his 8-year-old daughter first wanted to know who was hosting — and which musical guest was performing (Miley Cyrus and Mark Ronson with a surprise appearance by Sean Ono Lennon). Damon said his brother in Boston and his two boys were also watching.
Damon choked up talking about watching the program with his dad, who died last year.
“Growing up, my brother and I would go to my dad’s house every other weekend, and he told us if he could stay up until 1 a.m., we could watch Saturday Night Live. So, week after week, I tried to stay up, and it wasn’t until I was eight years old that I made it all the way until the end,” Damon recalled. “I probably didn’t get all the jokes, but I laughed at everything my dad laughed at.”
He said his dad understood that there was “nothing more important in the world than to laugh with the people that you love.”
Damon then toasted “all the moms and dads who let their kids stay up too late for all the right reasons. Cheers.”
Check out the video above.