Will Arnett picked up guest hosting duties on Tuesday night’s Jimmy Kimmel Live, while Kimmel himself took some more time off to spend with his family following his newborn son’s scary heart surgery ordeal. In other words, this was the perfect time for Arnett to plug his revival of The Gong Show for ABC, and he did so by welcoming on “Tommy Maitland,” the supposed 72-year-old standup comedian from London who has been tapped to host the updated game show; who has been strongly presumed to actually be Mike Myers.
Under about 10 pounds of makeup and prosthetics, Myers’ involvement — which won’t likely be found on any literature, promotions or even credits tied to the show — was more or less confirmed by the appearance. Although he is said to be going full “method” for the part, it quickly became apparent that it was indeed the Wayne’s World star under there, as the accent he uses is only a slight variation of every goofy accent he uses in all of his movies, and the face he makes while laughing at his own jokes is unmistakable.
Still, all-in-all worth it for some cheap shots “Tommy Maitland” gets in at Arnett’s expense, such as calling the LEGO Batman star “a cross between George Hamilton and a Crest Whitestrip” and giving him the nickname “Mr. Hand Sanitizer” because he’s good for “three pumps and a squirt.” Expect all this and more when The Gong Show returns on June 22.
