Justin Timberlake Says Beyoncé ‘Was Not Having It’: ‘Single Ladies’ SNL Idea
Remember when Beyoncé appeared on Saturday Night Live? She was in a sketch that parodied her iconic “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” video in a funny and unexpected way. Justin Timberlake talked about how he convinced Beyoncé to take part in the sketch during the Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music documentary, which aired on January 27 (and which is available on demand on Peacock).
In November 2008, when “Single Ladies” was huge, Beyoncé was the musical guest on SNL with host Paul Rudd. This was her fourth time on the show, and everyone expected her to just perform two songs from her new album, I Am… Sasha Fierce.
But then, Bobby Moynihan shared in a 2018 interview with Billboard that, the Saturday before, he and Kenan Thompson were hanging out in Kenan’s dressing room. Kenan showed him the “Single Ladies” music video, and Bobby thought, “What if I wore a leotard and danced behind her? Maybe that would be funny.” The idea turned into a sketch where Bobby and Andy Samberg dressed as Beyoncé’s backup dancers. In the sketch, Beyoncé, played by herself, gets confused because the video’s director (played by Paul Rudd) doesn’t want women to be the backup dancers for her song about female empowerment.
Samberg asked Justin Timberlake to help convince Beyoncé to do the sketch. In the Billboard interview, Justin said, “I remember storming into her dressing room already wearing my leotard and starting the choreography! I knew at that point we had something big on our hands.”
Justin also shared more in the Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music documentary. He said, “I was like, ‘Are you serious about the full leotard?’ and he was like, ‘Yeah.’ I thought it was so funny, we had to do it.”
At first, Beyoncé wasn’t so sure about joining in. Justin explained, “She was polite, but she was not having it. I didn’t get why she didn’t realize how hilarious this was going to be!”
Then, Justin put on his leotard, heels, and tights, and knocked on Beyoncé’s door. When she opened it, he threw his robe off and stood there with his hands on his hips. Beyoncé looked at him and said, “No, you didn’t!” Eventually, she agreed to join the sketch, and the rest is SNL history.
In the final sketch (which you can’t find an official video on YouTube), Paul Rudd plays the director of the “Single Ladies” video, introducing Beyoncé to her new backup dancers. She’s nervous, but Rudd reassures her, saying, “Don’t worry about these guys, B-Town. I picked them myself—they’re pros.” The three men, dressed in black leotards, white tights, and heels, enter and assure Beyoncé they’re warmed up, “like biscuits,” according to Moynihan, while Timberlake adds, “Yeah, dance biscuits!”