Jennifer Lopez Hosted SNL and Changed Into That Versace Dress on Stage
Jennifer Lopez hosted Saturday Night Live over the weekend and her opening monologue featured a show-stopping quick-change into that Versace dress that’s basically become her legacy (it’s the updated version she pulled out on a runway earlier this year to remind people of her iconic 2001 Grammys look.) The whole bit was framed around how J.Lo has been having her best year ever—she got engaged to Alex Rodriguez, she had a huge sold-out tour, she starred in Hustlers, and, believe it or not, she turned 50. She was so euphoric she broke out into a Christmas song (complete with a Rockettes kick line) that ended with her tearing off a chic tuxedo and revealing the famed deep-V gown.
J.Lo had a lot to celebrate. “I got what every girl from the Bronx dreams of: proposed to by a Yankee,” she joked during her first few minutes onstage while also listing the success of Hustlers and her recent tour. “And I slayed the Met Gala. And that’s not a brag. A doctor diagnosed it on the spot as a fourth-degree slay.”
But the big moment was when she showed off the dress—a nod to her SNL hosting gig in 2001, which also involved the Versace piece. That year, she’d cracked about how her mom had always told her to be prepared, so she’d worn the gown under a purple bathrobe. There had even been a split-second when Bill Hader tried to pull off the beloved fashion moment.
Donatella Versace shouted J.Lo out on Instagram, posting videos from her 2001 SNL appearance and her taking over the mic this week. “Jennifer on SNL in the original jungle dress in 2001, she is still so beautiful today, who can tell the difference!?” she wrote in the caption of the older clip.
Afterward, J.Lo reflected on all the good stuff that’s happened to her in 2019 and commemorated her hosting gig with a photo. “This year has brought many blessings. @nbcsnl, thanks for being one of them. #TheBestIsYetToCome,” she wrote on Instagram.
You can watch the clip in full from her 2019 opening monologue, below: