Austin Butler had people in floods of tears this weekend after dedicating his Saturday Night Live hosting debut to his late mother Lori.
The Elvis actor smashed his first ever SNL appearance, but found himself holding back tears in his opening monologue as he remembered his late mom - the person who 'broke him out of his shell' and 'started him in acting'.
Speaking to the NBC studio audience, Austin revealed that he spent his childhood watching SNL with his mom.
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Have a listen below:
"We watched every week,” he shared. "Even though I had this crippling shyness, when I was with her, I’d do anything to make my mom laugh. I’d make funny faces and voices and I’d even do this Gollum impression."
The actor continued: "Being silly with her is what broke me out of my shell and it’s the core of what started me in acting."
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Austin then started to choke up as he told the audience: "My mom is no longer with us but I’ve been thinking a lot about her this week just imagining how proud she’d be that her son who used to not even be able to order food for myself at a restaurant is now standing on this stage."
The emotional host got a huge cheer from the crowd, before concluding: "So tonight, anytime you see me doing a silly voice or making a funny face, that’s for you mom."
Austin wasn't the only one who welled up during the opening scene - people watching from home found themselves reaching for the tissue box.
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Rushing to Twitter, viewers showered Butler with praise for the moving monologue.
"Austin Butler just gave arguably the most personal and moving opening monologue on #SNL," raved one fan. "Here is to remembering our Moms who are no longer with us."
A second commented: "Austin Butler is so sweet. I can't remember a time the opening monologue made me cry. Rest assured, Austin, your mom is very, very proud."
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A third emotional viewer penned: "Austin Butler gave his mom, who passed away, a sweet tribute. She’s definitely proud of you, Austin."
And a fourth wrote: "That opening speech was so emotional and adorable, Austin choking up talking about his mom brought tears to my eyes. He’s such a genuine and pure human, he deserves all the opportunities coming his way."
While promoting Baz Luhrman's Elvis movie, Austin revealed that his mother's passing connected him to the crooner in a way, since they both lost their mothers when they were 23 years old.
"When I learned about his mom - and then knowing that we were the exact same age - that just hit me," he told Today.
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"It was just one of those things where you know the stars are aligning and that just became the most personal thing."
Topics: Film and TV, Celebrity
Ali Condon