Justin Timberlake Showcases Latest Single ‘Selfish’ with Humorous Commentary on ‘Comeback’ During Saturday Night Live Performance
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Timberlake’s Comeback to Studio 8H After a Decade: Highlights Include ‘Selfish’ and ‘Sanctified’ Performances, Alongside a Playful Skit with Jimmy Fallon
Justin Timberlake Makes a Sexy Comeback to Saturday Night Live for the Sixth Time, Performing New Tracks “Sanctified” and “Selfish” Alongside SNL Alum Jimmy Fallon
Host Dakota Johnson welcomed the “Mirrors” singer for his first musical guest appearance in over a decade. Timberlake, 42, presented a second new track, “Sanctified,” featuring rapper and singer Tobe Nwigwe, who also graced the SNL stage.
The lead single from Timberlake’s upcoming solo album, “Selfish,” was performed just days after its release on Wednesday. SNL alum and Timberlake’s close friend, Jimmy Fallon, introduced the track. Fallon remained a recurring presence throughout the night, appearing alongside Timberlake during Johnson’s monologue and joining the singer to revisit former characters from the sketch series, including their portrayal of the Gibbs brothers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLC8XiBxV1k
Timberlake Lightens the Mood with “Comeback” Jokes in Dakota Johnson’s Monologue
During Dakota Johnson’s opening monologue, Timberlake playfully joined her on stage, referencing their collaboration in the 2010 hit drama, The Social Network.
“What are you doing up here, are you lost?” Johnson teased the singer, to which Timberlake explained he heard his name mentioned and thought it was his cue.
This led to a humorous exchange, with Timberlake offering his assistance for sketches and mentioning his past SNL hosting experience. Johnson playfully reminded him, “That was 10 years ago.”
“Anyway, I’m so happy you chose my show for your comeback,” Johnson expressed to Timberlake. “Comeback, is that what we’re calling it?” he humorously responded, prompting the actress to clarify she meant it in a positive way.
“OK, I see what this is. This is where we make a joke like, ‘First he was bringing sexy back, and now he’s bringing coming back,'” Timberlake quipped, eliciting laughter from the audience, before offering Johnson good luck.
The former *NSYNC member, who had hosted the late-night comedy sketch show five times in the 2000s and early 2010s, marked his sixth appearance, this time as a musical guest.
On January 19, Timberlake started hinting at his first solo album in six years, titled “Everything I Thought It Was,” featuring a preface narrated by Benicio Del Toro. Last Friday, he utilized SNL’s trademark post-it notes in an Instagram post to confirm his role as a musical guest. Subsequently, he released “Selfish” along with its accompanying music video.
“Selfish” harkens back to Justin Timberlake’s early 2000s R&B-influenced sound, produced by his longtime collaborator Timbaland. In a 2023 interview with Variety, Timbaland, the producer of FutureSex/LoveSounds, revealed that he and Timberlake had completed work on his sixth studio album. Timbaland explained, “We had songs that maybe were too complicated, so we said we want it to feel like FutureSex part two, so we did songs that will fit that.”
Between his latest album, Man of the Woods, and the upcoming Everything I Thought It Was, Justin Timberlake has taken on roles in four films, including two entries in the Trolls movie franchise. In Trolls Band Together, the third installment of the animated musical comedy series, the pop star joined forces with his former boyband to drop their first song in 21 years, titled “Better Place.”
For those eager to catch Timberlake in action, Saturday Night Live airs on Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC. Everything I Thought It Was is scheduled for release on March 15.