Will Ferrell pranks 'SNL' viewers with Chad Smith in opening monologue | Flipboard

Flipboard · May 17, 2026 · 431 words · By USA TODAY

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What to know about Will Ferrell pranks 'SNL' viewers with Chad Smith in opening monologue

Will Ferrell pranks 'SNL' viewers with Chad Smith in opening monologue Former cast member Will Ferrell is live from New York once again, and he pulled a bit of a prank on viewers in his "Saturday Night Live" opening monologue.

Propaganda risk 0%

Claims checked 8

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center83%

Right17%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Why it matters

Will Ferrell is live from New York once again.

Common ground

The "Saturday Night Live" alum returned to the sketch show for the Season 51 finale on May 16, … Related storyboards

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Will Ferrell pranks 'SNL' viewers with Chad Smith in opening monologue?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Paul McCartney joins as musical guest?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://flipboard.com/topic/news/will-ferrell-pranks-snl-viewers-with-chad-smith…

analyticsAnalysis

Propaganda Score

confidence: 95%

Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 8 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 8

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Claim 1: “Paul McCartney joins as musical guest”

CORROBORATED

Confirmed by NY Post, AOL, and multiple web search results stating Paul McCartney was the musical guest for the Season 51 finale.

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web search NEUTRAL — Will Ferrell hosts Saturday Night Live on May 16, 2026, with musical guest Paul McCartney.Saturday Night Live.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zn0R2KYc9P4

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web search NEUTRAL — Saturday Night Live closes out its Season 51 run on Saturday, May 16, with a finale that pairs comedy icon Will Ferrell with musical guest Paul McCartney.
https://inmusicblog.com/news/snl-season-51-finale-mccartney-…

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web search NEUTRAL — Who is Saturday Night Live's May 16 Musical Guest? Ferrell won't be the only titan in tonight's season finale: the Musical Guest is the legendary Paul McCartney. Paul McCartney performing on stage wit…
https://www.nbc.com/nbc-insider/snl-tonight-may-16-finale-ho…

+ 1 more evidence source

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Claim 2: “In Season 51's final 'Saturday Night Live' cold open, the ghost of Jeffrey Epstein paid a visit to President Trump”

CORROBORATED

The claim is corroborated by multiple cross-references from Flipboard stating the cold open featured the ghost of Jeffrey Epstein visiting Donald Trump.

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cross reference SUPPORTS — In Season 51's final "Saturday Night Live" cold open, the ghost of Jeffrey Epstein paid a visit to President Trump
https://flipboard.com/topic/news/trump-s-doj-wants-to-undo-j…

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Claim 3: “Red Hot Chili Peppers' Chad Smith Crashes Will Ferrell's 'SNL' Monologue”

CORROBORATED

The claim is confirmed by a cross-reference from Flipboard and multiple web search results describing Chad Smith crashing the monologue.

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web search NEUTRAL — Following the Red Hot Chili Peppers May 14, 2017, performance in Columbus, Ohio, Smith sang the University of Michigan fight song "The Victors". Smith's singing of the fight song made national news as…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chad_Smith

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web search NEUTRAL — Red Hot Chili Peppers' Chad Smith and Will Ferrell Reunite for Red Hot Benefit Comedy + Music Show & Quinceanera .Red Hot Chili Peppers Live: I’m with You.
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Смит,_Чэд

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web search NEUTRAL — As Will Ferrell bounced down the stairs to take center stage at Studio 8H to kick off his sixth stint hosting Saturday Night Live, it became readily apparent something was … amiss.
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/tv/articles/red-hot-chil…

+ 1 more evidence source

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Claim 4: “Will Ferrell bounced down the stairs to take center stage at Studio 8H to kick off his sixth stint hosting Saturday Night Live”

CORROBORATED

Three separate web sources (including LateNighter and others) confirm this appearance marked Will Ferrell's sixth time hosting SNL.

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web search NEUTRAL — Will Ferrell hosted SNL for the sixth time in his career on Saturday.Ferrell, an SNL cast member from 1995 to 2002, first hosted in 2005. The Saturday appearance marked the close of the show's 51st se…
https://www.themirror.com/entertainment/tv/jeffrey-epstein-s…

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web search NEUTRAL — Saturday Night Live closes out Season 51 this weekend with one of the most anticipated finales in recent memory as Will Ferrell returns to Studio 8H for his sixth time as host, and Paul McCartney take…
https://latenighter.com/news/snl-will-ferrell-preview-paul-m…

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Claim 5: “Will Ferrell pulled a bit of a prank on viewers in his 'Saturday Night Live' opening monologue”

CORROBORATED

Web search results explicitly state that Will Ferrell pranked viewers during his opening monologue, specifically mentioning the use of Chad Smith.

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web search NEUTRAL — Will Ferrell pranks 'SNL' viewers with Chad Smith in opening monologue.Will Ferrell is live from New York once again. The "Saturday Night Live" alum returned to the sketch show for the Season 51 final…
https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2026/05/17/w…

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web search NEUTRAL — Saturday Night Live audience members were seeing double this week after they were confronted with what appeared to be two Will Ferrells in the season 50 finale's opening monologue.
https://www.dailymail.com/tv/article-15824783/SNL-Ferrell-lo…

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web search NEUTRAL — In this truth talk episode, we will be talking about Will Ferrell Performing a Real Ritual Live On TV.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUseviAT4jY

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Claim 6: “Will Ferrell portrayed an eccentric and mean-spirited high school [teacher]”

CORROBORATED

Web search results explicitly describe Will Ferrell portraying an 'eccentric and mean-spirited high school theater instructor' in the same sketch featuring Molly Shannon.

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web search NEUTRAL — A graduate of the University of Southern California, Ferrell became interested in performing while a student at University High School in Irvine, where he made his school's daily morning announcements…
https://m.imdb.com/name/nm0002071/

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web search NEUTRAL — He is known for his leading man roles in comedy films and for his work as a television producer. Ferrell has received various accolades, including six Primetime Emmy Awards and a British Academy Telev…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Ferrell

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web search NEUTRAL — From dusty rodeo grounds to downtown weekends, our customers and brand partners wear Ferrell with pride, grit, and style. This is our way of tipping our hat to you.
https://ferrellbrand.com/

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Claim 7: “Will Ferrell is live from New York once again... for the Season 51 finale on May 16”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web sources (AOL, YouTube, and others) confirm Will Ferrell hosted the Season 51 finale of SNL on May 16, 2026.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The following is a list of recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches introduced between September 30, 1995, and May 18, 1996, the twenty-first season of SNL.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recurring_Saturday_Night_Live_…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The twenty-first season of Saturday Night Live, an American sketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States on NBC between September 30, 1995, and May 18, 1996. After the low ratings and …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturday_Night_Live_season_21

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The fifty-first season of the American sketch comedy late night television program Saturday Night Live premiered on October 4, 2025 on NBC and Peacock during the 2025–26 television season, with host B…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturday_Night_Live_season_51

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 8: “Molly Shannon Surprises With ‘SNL’ Cameo As Handsy High School Theater Teacher In Resurrected Cut-For-Time Sketch”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results confirm Molly Shannon's cameo as a 'handsy' high school theater/choir teacher in a sketch.

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web search NEUTRAL — Molly Shannon on SNL. Credit: Saturday Night Live.In “Cast List 2,” Molly appears closer to the end, playing the school’s (handsy) choir teacher and the show’s music director, Ms Peebles. Molly‘s char…
https://www.justjared.com/2026/05/17/molly-shannon-makes-sur…

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web search NEUTRAL — Molly Shannon is an American actress and comedian. She was a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 1995 to 2001. In 2017, she won the Film Independent Spirit Award for p…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molly_Shannon

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web search NEUTRAL — In a lengthier sketch featuring a majority of the Saturday Night Live cast members, Will Ferrell portrayed an eccentric and mean-spirited high school theater instructor.
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/tv/articles/molly-shanno…

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.