Glen Powell with UPS driver Mitch on "Saturday Night Live" on Nov. 15, 2025.
Glen Powell hosts "Saturday Night Live" on Nov. 15, 2025.

Live from New York, it's Glen Powell ... and his UPS driver?

The "Running Man" star, 37, made his "Saturday Night Live" hosting debut on Nov. 15 and brought a very special guest out for his opening monologue.

While kicking off the show, Powell noted he was originally invited to host "SNL" four years ago for his movie "Top Gun: Maverick." He recalled being on a porch with his family in 2021 when he learned that he would host "SNL," and a UPS driver happened to deliver a package at that exact moment and wondered what all the excitement was about.

Powell shared a celebratory selfie that he and his family took with the driver. But Powell's "SNL" episode did not come to pass because the release of "Top Gun: Maverick" was postponed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The film ultimately hit theaters in May 2022.

"I didn't end up hosting, which means for four years, this UPS driver was just going around saying 'Glen Powell is a liar,' " Powell joked. "So now, I am here hosting. It feels amazing. But what feels even better is proving to this UPS driver that I am not crazy."

Powell then revealed his sisters tracked down the actual UPS driver, a man named Mitch. "To prove to Mitch that I am not a liar, I flew him all the way to New York," Powell said before the show cut to a shot of Mitch sitting in the studio audience.

Mitch came up on stage to take another selfie with Powell, who wrapped his monologue by reflecting on his long road to getting to "SNL."

"I had to wait my entire like, plus four years, to be here. But if I have learned anything, it is that the best things in life don't happen overnight," he said. "And no one knows that better than UPS."

Powell's career success also did not happen overnight, as the actor had been working for years before receiving a major boost in 2022 with his role as Hangman opposite Tom Cruise in "Top Gun: Maverick."

Since then, Powell has been everywhere, including headlining the action sequel "Twisters," starring opposite Sydney Sweeney in the hit romantic comedy "Anyone But You," and leading Richard Linklater's Netflix crime comedy "Hit Man." His latest film is "The Running Man," a new adaptation of the Stephen King novel that was previously turned into an Arnold Schwarzenegger film in 1987.

In his monologue, Powell jokingly acknowledged that "some of you are tired of seeing my face," quipping with a wink, "You know who is not tired of seeing my face? Your mom."

Prior to the episode, Powell told USA TODAY he is a longtime fan of "SNL" and has wanted to host "my whole life," adding, "There's no stage I've dreamed about being on more than 30 Rock. It's really an iconic rite of passage that I just can't wait for."

Powell also described hosting "SNL" as "truly the peak of the mountain for me."

Contributing: Brian Truitt

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why Glen Powell brought out his UPS driver during 'SNL' monologue

Reporting by Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect