Selena Gomez wrapped up her "Saturday Night Live" monologue with a few inspiring words from one of her very first costars: Barney. After impersonating her longtime friend Miley Cyrus and wondering if she might follow in Scarlett Johansson, Emma Stone, and Kim Kardashian's footsteps by finding love on the "SNL" set, the "Only Murders in the Building" star kicked the show off with a rousing sing-along of the "Barney & Friends" theme song.
"I'll admit I am a little nervous," Gomez said near the end of her monologue. "But I just think back to those words of wisdom that one of my costars would tell me before every show: 'I love you, you love me, we're a happy family.' You know it!"
From there she led an enthusiastic audience sing-along of Barney's timeless classic. The moment was easily one of the most nostalgic things to happen at Studio 8H in recent memory (at least for millennials). But Gomez didn't stop there. The night was full of fun callbacks to the aughts and nods to her "Only Murders in the Building" castmates, who also happen to be "SNL" alums.
"Barney & Friends" was one of Gomez's first-ever acting gigs. She appeared on the show alongside the big purple dinosaur from 2002–2004. In 2018, she told People that she looks back on the experience fondly, even though she got made fun of at school for being on the show. "It was amazing to be able to be 7 years old and experience that. It was wild," she said.
Later in the evening, Gomez played a Bratz doll that comes to life when a young girl (Sarah Sherman) struggles with the idea of her parents divorcing. However, instead of helping her, her Bratz dolls, which also included Bowen Yang and Aidy Bryant, inquire about her dad's new girlfriend. In the end, the girl asks them to turn back into dolls to which Gomez responds, "No, we're going to Miami with your dad."
The evening wasn't just about paying homage to the aughts, though. Gomez also enlisted her "Only Murders in the Building" costar and former "SNL" cast member, Steve Martin, to join her for a sketch about the history of the whoopee cushion. The subject matter may have been random, but Martin and Bryant, who played an inventor and his muse, respectively, appeared to have a blast in the zany skit which featured Bryant as the unluckiest woman alive - and the inspiration for the whoopee cushion, shock buzzer, and snakes in a can.
Gomez may have been a first-time host, but thanks to her nods to Barney and the inclusion of Martin, it felt like she and the "SNL" cast were one big happy family.
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