Two legends paying homage to one another – and having a little fun.
Back in 1982, Saturday Night Live had one hell of a show. The iconic Johnny Cash was the host, and the just as iconic Elton John was the show’s musical guest. While they could have just had Johnny do double duty (host and perform his music), as they often times do in the modern day, they just had the “Man in Black” focus on the comedy and brought the “Rocket Man” singer in to handle the music.
It was quite the spectacle.
And portions of that SNL episode have managed to stay relevant all these years later. Specifically, when it came time for Johnny Cash to introduce the musical guest (as is tradition on the long-running sketch comedy show), he and Elton John pulled off a stunt that still peaks the interest of social media users today.
Was it an elaborate stunt? Not necessarily. Was it controversial in any way? Not particularly. So how did the Johnny Cash-Elton John billing create a moment that has continued to be relevant across decades? Well, they simply swapped out their outfits.
As you can see here:
@sassollou #johnnycash #eltonjohn #snl #huluchippendalesdance #fyp ♬ Ball & Chain – Remastered 2003 – Elton John
Weird to see the “Man in Black” wearing that much color, no?
Clearly, Johnny Cash had a great sense of humor. And it was cool to see that Elton John went along with the bit, and sported an outfit that the “Ring of Fire” singer would have regularly wore. Question is… who came up with the idea?
That’s still a bit unclear. But when Johnny and Elton made the switch back in 1982, they made headlines. And funny enough, the hilarious costume change is still making headlines over 40 years later. Johnny actually pulled off the Elton John look, and Elton didn’t look too bad in Cash’s get-up.
They couldn’t include the actual audio for copyright strike reasons, but you can see Elton John rocking Johnny Cash’s look in the video below:
@sassollou Replying to @swiftstep124 #eltonjohn #johnnycash #fyp ♬ Cold Heart – PNAU Remix – Elton John & Dua Lipa
Could we be in for another costume switch on this week’s episode of SNL?
Jack Black is hosting, and Elton John (along with Brandi Carlile) is the musical guest. I could see Jack Black being game to throw on some Elton John garb to introduce he and Brandi Carlile, but I don’t know if the comedian has enough of a signature look to where Elton John could once again wear what the host would normally wear.
Guess we’ll have to wait and see though:
THIS SATURDAY
Jack Black, Elton John, and Brandi Carlile!!! pic.twitter.com/mYnLJlmqkc— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) April 3, 2025
If Elton John and Brandi Carlile really want to make it a memorable moment, they should pull a Morgan Wallen and walk off the stage early during the show’s sign off…
