Woody Harrelson's Fifth 'SNL' Monologue Made a Lot of Fans Go "Hmmmm"

Actor Woody Harrelson sure got the internet talking following his Saturday Night Live monologue on Saturday, February 25, 2023. Find out why The Hunger Games star sparked controversy following his fifth time hosting the long-running NBC variety series.

Throughout Woody's opening monologue for SNL’s February 25th episode, he referenced consuming marijuana in addition to taking a break from drinking alcohol. However, one particular story raised more than a few eyebrows – which began with Woody smoking a joint in New York City's Central Park following his 2019 SNL hosting stint and reading a movie script he described as “crazy.”

"So the movie [script] goes like this: The biggest drug cartels in the world get together and buy up all the media and all the politicians and force all the people in the world to stay locked in their homes,” he shared. “And people can only come out if they take the cartel’s drugs and keep taking them over and over."

He then added, "I threw the script away. I mean, who was going to believe that crazy idea? Being forced to do drugs? I do that voluntarily all day long." Many took this as a jab at COVID-19 restrictions and vaccine mandates – with some going as far as to question whether or not Woody is an “anti-vaxxer.” You can watch Woody’s monologue in full below.

Fans quickly took to Twitter and other social media platforms to share their opinions on Woody’s fifth opening SNL monologue, with one user asking, “What on earth was this antivax nonsense?” Over on Reddit, one user shared, “I don't take medical advice from actors, especially actors who admit they spend most of their time stoned."

Rolling Stone editor Marlow Stern also shared thoughts on the matter, chiming in with, "Yes, Woody Harrelson went full anti-vax conspiracy theorist during his SNL monologue tonight."

There were some supporters out there following Woody’s fifth Saturday Night Live monologue – which sparked debate about whether or not he could be a COVD-19 conspiracy theorist. Elon Musk, for example, shared his agreeance, tweeting, "So based. Nice work."

In addition to describing himself as an "anarchist, Marxist, ethical hedonist, nondiscriminatory empath, epistemology deconstructionist, Texan," the self-proclaimed “redneck hippie” made his political beliefs known as the nation remains divided on various issues.

"You know, the red in me thinks you should be allowed to own guns. The blue in me thinks – squirt guns. So, I’m red and blue which makes purple. I’m purple,” Woody explained as he took the NBC stage for the fifth time.

After Woody’s February 25th SNL monologue, fans questioned whether or not he went off-script and began speaking from his heart and not his cue cards when he made controversial remarks about COVID-19 and the current political climate. While NBC has not confirmed nor denied either way at this time, comedian Ashley Ray shared her two cents, tweeting, “Rant makes it sound like he did randomly without permission when this definitely sounds like a thing that was written and on cue cards.”