Peyton Manning reflects on 'Saturday Night Live' during 'SNL 50' Anniversary Special

Peyton Manning is a funny guy, isn’t he? He was when he appeared on Saturday Night Live nearly 20 years ago while still playing in the NFL.

He was on the red carpet Sunday night during the SNL 50 Anniversary Special and reflected on what it was like to film the show. Heck, like anything else, Manning treated it like football in preparation and execution.

It certainly a fond time to look back on for the Hall of Fame QB.

“Well, for a football player to be able to take their helmet off and show that they can laugh, they’re not afraid to make fun of themselves, they don’t take themselves too seriously,” Manning said on NBC. “I was with an all star cast that year back in 2007 … I laughed all week, and it was fascinating to go behind the ropes in someone else’s arena. You don’t get to do that in football.

“You don’t get to have a 12-person in the huddle to really see what it’s like, but I got to go behind the ropes in creating the sketches and the rehearsals. It’s a lot like a football game-week, and it’s a live event, which I could relate to.”

One of Manning’s sketches was practicing throwing the football to kids running routes on the field. He famously threw the ball and pegged each kid in the hands or the back of the head, to many laughs on a track of course.

“it was a real honor for me,” Manning said. “You know, I was nervous about until some of the parents of the kids were telling Andy Sandberg, I learned to hit my kid in the face, and so once they said that, I went, you know, ‘I’ll knock your kid out.'”

Manning retired from the NFL following the 2015 season and a Super Bowl 50 victory. Ironic considering his reunion with SNL during the show’s 50th anniversary.

Manning won Super Bowls with the Indianapolis Colts (XLII) and Denver Broncos (50) and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the Class of 2021.

He currently hosts The Manning Cast on ESPN2 with brother Eli, which showcases the brothers giving viewers an alternate experience during Monday Night Football. He also created Omaha Productions which is responsible for myriad sports and entertainment content.