Few people are more quintessentially New York than Natasha Lyonne, so when John Mulaney was putting together his New York Musical for SNL’s 50th snniversary special, it only makes sense that he’d ask her to play a Guardian Angel in the final scene of his star-studded ten-minute sketch.
Lyonne apparently readily agreed, and hopped onstage when cued. There was just one problem: she was completely obscured by Adam Driver, who was wearing a (very large) hot dog costume.
Appearing on Late Night with Seth Meyers Thursday Night, Lyonne explained that she knew the instant she took her place that she couldn’t be seen. “It’s this old trick, you know… if you can see the camera, the camera can see you,” she quipped.
Here's Lyonne, as (not) seen on SNL's 50th anniversary special. (She's obscured by Adam Driver's hot dog costume.) pic.twitter.com/nrffK5AjJe
— LateNighter (@latenightercom) May 10, 2025
To prove that her story wasn’t entirely made up, Lyonne shared a photo (above) taken from a different angle, in which she can in fact be seen in the shadow of Driver’s hot dog.
As Lyonne related to Meyers, when she told Driver later that she’d been blocked by his costume, he unsympathetically responded “that’s what blocking’s for,” apparently dinging her for not being present at rehearsal.
“I was like, babe, take it easy,” she told Meyers.
More compassionate was Bill Murray, “a mensch of a guy” per Lyonne, who came up to let her know he thought she had saved the show.
In the end, Lyonne seems thrilled to have just been there, telling Meyers “it was an extraordinary show. It was really moving.” When he responded that it was fitting that she’d be in the New York sketch, she replied “it was an honor to almost essentially not be there.”
