Chris Rock may be hosting Saturday Night Live this week, but the SNL alum makes it clear in his promos that Saturday’s show is all about musical guest Prince.
As one might expect with the shy Purple One, Prince himself doesn’t make an appearance in the SNL spots, but Rock talks him up.
Prince to Play Uninterrupted 8-Minute Jam on ‘Saturday Night Live’
In the first spot, Rock teases, “That’s right, Prince. He’s nearby. Can you find him?” The camera then scrolls over to a purple-clad Bobby Moynihan, who puts his finger to his lips, as a caption reads, “SNL acknowledges this is clearly not Prince.”
In another ad, Rock and Moynihan walk through a crowd of people, with women screaming every time they say “Prince,” something Rock says just happens.
“Any time you say the words Prince, a woman will scream somewhere in the world,” he says.
Chris Rock Talks Prince’s ‘Purple Rain,’ 30 Years Later
In the final ad, Rock says he and Moynihan will be singing Prince’s songs. While the SNL star says he’ll do “When Doves Cry,” Rock says he’ll opt for “the nasty stuff.”
Rock’s latest film Top Five hits theaters Dec. 5 after Paramount won a bidding war for the hot title at the Toronto Film Festival.
He recently praised Prince’s Purple Rain in Billboard, saying of the 30-year-old album, “There’s not a bad record on Purple Rain. Thriller is allegedly the best album of all time, and that has at least two bad songs on it. There’s no ‘Baby Be Mine’ on Purple Rain.”
As for the artist, Rock says, “Prince was funny. He was really cool — he’s one of the last guys with a real mystique…He’s the best there is. Thirty years later, there’s nothing remotely close.”
This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.