Amy Poehler is making the most of her return to 30 Rock, paying a surprise visit to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
The former Saturday Night Live cast member, who’s set to host the sketch show this weekend, dropped in on Jimmy Fallon during his monologue Thursday. The pair spent three years together on SNL, from 2001-2004.
Following some scripted back-and-forth with The Roots’ Tariq Trotter that both men struggled to get through without breaking, Fallon set the stage for Poehler’s entrance by succumbing to a faux injury.
Setting up a joke about a Dutch man running a marathon in Crocs, the host pantomimed a run and pretended to sprain his ankle, collapsing to the ground. That prompted Poehler to rush out from behind the curtain and come to Fallon’s aid. (For good measure, the host added an inexplicably bloody head bandage to sell his injury.)
Intentional or not, the moment also served as a misdirect for dedicated Tonight Show viewers, detouring from Fallon’s typical invocation of an injury. He has previously “pulled a muscle” as a conceit to set up guest monologists, using the injury as an excuse to have Jay Leno sub in for him on several occasions.
Poehler, however, took on no monologue jokes.
“Please just let everyone know that you’re hosting Saturday Night Live this weekend?” Fallon whimpered. “With musical guest Role Model!”
“Let ‘em all know it’s this Saturday,” he continued through tears. “Go on and host. Host a great show!”
Poehler did tend to one order of business before leaving: pilfering part of Fallon’s set. “What are you doing?” Fallon asked as Poehler ran over to the Tonight Show’s main guest couch and grabbed a cushion.
“Oh, I’m taking this cushion because Taylor Swift sat on it,” said Poehler, referencing The Tonight Show’s headline-making Monday-night guest. “Thank you so much!”
Poehler has dropped in on Fallon’s monologue before. While in the building for SNL’s 50th anniversary special this past February, the actress competed alongside her fellow former Weekend Update anchors in a “Tonight Show Joke Off.”
Poehler hosts SNL for the fourth time this Saturday, October 11th at 11:30 p.m. ET / 8:30 p.m. PT on NBC and Peacock.
Watch Fallon’s Thursday night monologue at the top of this post.
