‘Emily in Paris’ has an improbable fan in this NFL legend

With Emily in Paris‘ season 4 premiere just hours away, fans might have been frantically doing re-watches and consuming old media related to the show, with one SNL segment standing out.

In January 2022, former star NFL quarterback Peyton Manning appeared on Saturday Night Live‘s Weekend Update segment. Manning appeared as himself and surprised both the audience and co-anchor Colin Jost by discussing something no one expected him to discuss.

When questioned about the recently concluded NFL Christmas games, the former Broncos quarterback quickly brushed off the query and proceeded to talk about the Netflix romantic-comedy drama, Emily in Paris. Manning highlighted how the titular character Emily juggles her personal and professional life, apart from pointing out the impeccable manner in which French cuisine is presented.

In the segment, Manning goes on about rebounding to the show despite Jost’s best attempts to steer him toward football talk. When asked about NFL legend Tom Brady’s potential retirement, Manning shirks it off and instead explains Emily’s complicated love life in football terminology, leaving his host and audience members in splits.

Towards the end, Manning dons the iconic red beret that Emily wears in the TV series while revealing his biggest takeaway from the character. When Jost quizzes him about season 2 being better than season 1, Manning is left flummoxed and responds “There’s a season 1?”

Manning is no stranger to Saturday Night Live, having hosted the late-night live sketch comedy show in 2007, displaying the full range of his sharp wit and comic timing while simultaneously delivering a gem of a digital short, which is still appreciated by the fans. His brother and two-time NFL championship winner Eli Manning has also been featured multiple times on the show, receiving adulation similar to that of his older brother.

Meanwhile, Emily Paris returns on Netflix after a gap of more than one and a half years, with its third season having premiered in December 2022. The Lily Collins series has been the streaming service’s major recent success along with series like Bridgerton and Squid Game, becoming the streamer’s most-watched program in 2022.

The fourth season of Darren Star’s show will be released in two parts, the first part debuting on August 15, 2024, and the second on September 12, with both parts comprising five episodes each.