Sterling K. Brown has found himself as one of the elite dramatic actors of his generation with a primetime Emmy win for his turn as Randall Pearson in This is Us, as well as a role in The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story. He’s supplemented his dramatic acting with slightly lighter affairs in Black Panther and the upcoming The Predator, but he hasn’t forgotten his roots: sadness.
And so, Brown does his best to keep it together during his first Saturday Night Live monologue, but the emotions are just too much. This man knows that now, wherever he goes, the tears will follow and flow freely. It’s heartbreaking how beautiful this moment is. Look at Brown up there, realizing his dream.
He admirably sucks it up before recalling the advice Keenan Thompson gave him as he prepared to host the show this week, and then he breaks down again. Maybe a visit by SNL‘s Leslie Jones will help cheer him up? It does, for a moment, but then he breaks down again knowing that he’s in the presence of comedy and Olympic greatness. It’s almost too much for anyone to handle, let alone a man like Brown who wears his heart on his sleeve.
