Chris Colfer was all but a household name for more than half a decade thanks to his role as Kurt Hummel on Fox's Glee. While the musical TV show arguably peaked years before it eventually ended in 2015, the glory days of the first few seasons (now streaming with a Hulu subscription) resulted in Colfer landing a spot on Saturday Night Live back in 2011. Now, more than a decade later, the singer/actor reflected on his episode of NBC's comedy mainstay alongside music legends Paul Simon and Lindsey Buckingham... and what he had to keep telling himself.
The SNL episode featuring Colfer aired toward the end of Season 36 back in 2011, with Ed Helms hosting and Paul Simon as musical guest. (You can stream it now with a Peacock subscription.) While the then-Glee star didn't actually have any lines, highlights of his sketch include Kenan Thompson singing, Bill Hader playing Lindsey Buckingham, and then the real Lindsey Buckingham coming on stage as Lindsey Buckingham. Looking back at the experience when speaking with Vulture, Colfer said:
It was a complete secret who was in those seats until I showed up at that rehearsal. They didn’t tell me any details until I actually arrived in the studio — I had to be escorted right on the stage to my seat. I didn’t even have a script. Well, I didn’t need one, of course, because I wasn’t saying anything. And then I turned to my left and it’s Paul Simon. And then I turned to my right, and it’s Lindsey Buckingham waiting in the wings of the set.
Rarely was Glee a hotter commodity than 2011, with Chris Colfer winning a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor as well as earning an Emmy nomination as Outstanding Supporting Actor. Still, being on one of television's most talked-about shows packed with memorable musical covers didn't mean that Colfer was fully prepared to work with legends like Simon and Buckingham.
An added complication? Paul Simon and Lindsey Buckingham are such music icons that Chris Colfer of course already knew certain details about their lives, including Simon's marriage to the late Carrie Fisher and Buckingham's infamously tumultuous relationship with Stevie Nicks. The Glee actor had to keep reminding himself what not to bring up to either of the industry legends, as he shared:
How the heck did I get here? I couldn’t say anything. I froze. I remember thinking at that moment, Chris, do not ask any questions about Stevie Nicks or Carrie Fisher. I had to repeat that to myself over and over and over again in my head. Paul Simon probably thought I was a seat filler.
Given that Chris Colfer didn't actually have any lines in the sketch, Paul Simon might have honestly thought he was a seat filler if he wasn't a Glee viewer, but Colfer not getting to speak was actually part of the punchline of the entire sketch. Take a look:
Alas, just like Bill Hader's version of Lindsey Buckingham, Chris Colfer just didn't get a chance to speak on Diondre Cole's (Kenan Thompson) show. Honestly, I have to shout out Thompson for his work in the sketch, considering how much singing he did in front of Paul Simon, Lindsey Buckingham, and a Glee star! The longtime SNL star is known for many things, but a music career is not one of them.
It remains to be seen if Chris Colfer will ever get another shot on Saturday Night Live. After more than 100 episodes of Glee from 2009-2015, he hasn't tackled another series regular role. He did appear in two episodes of Hot in Cleveland, Absolutely Famous: The Movie, and voiced a character in four episodes of Netflix's Ridley Jones. If you want to revisit his Glee days for the highs and lows of Kurt Hummel's journey, all six seasons are available streaming on Hulu now.
