Eminem Makes Surprise Cameo In ‘Saturday Night Live’s’ Christmas ‘Stan’ Parody

Will the real Slim Shady please stand up? Eminem just delivered an unexpected holiday surprise on “Saturday Night Live.”

The rapper cameoed on this week’s episode during a Christmas-themed parody of the music video for his 2000 hit single “Stan,” which tells the tragic and disturbing fictionalized story of an obsessed Eminem fan.

Pete Davidson portrayed the title character, called “Stu” in the comedic update, who writes aggressive letters to Santa asking for a PlayStation 5. Pete channeled the original Stan perfectly in his “SNL” take, from the Eminem-inspired white tank top and bleached hair to the increasingly unhinged tone of his messages to the North Pole.

Kate McKinnon stepped in to deliver vocals in place of Dido’s sampled chorus while Bowen Yang delighted viewers with an Elton John impression, referencing the British icon’s famed duet with Eminem in which the pair performed “Stan” at the 2001 Grammy Awards.

Though many Eminem fans were already impressed with the sketch’s nearly shot-for-shot accuracy, they got a bonus when the rapper himself appeared in the final sequence.

“That’s crazy. A PS5? I didn’t even ask for this!” a holiday sweater-clad Em says, opening a gift from Santa while sitting underneath a Christmas tree. “I guess Shady must have been a good boy this year. Sorry, Stu. You f**ked up.”

Devon Sawa, who portrayed Stan in the original music video, gave his seal of approval with a simple but straightforward tweet.

The actor reposted a side-by-side comparison of him and Pete as their respective “Stan” and “Stu” personas, and added a tilted laughing emoji to let followers know how much he appreciated the shoutout.

— Erin Biglow