Justin Timberlake Reveals Beyoncé Wasn't Sold on SNL's "Single Ladies" Sketch at First

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Justin Timberlake dropped a behind-the-scenes gem about one of Saturday Night Live’s most iconic sketches— and it turns out, Beyoncé wasn’t immediately on board.

In the new documentary Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music, Timberlake recalled that Queen Bey was “very hesitant” about the now-legendary 2008 SNL parody of Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It). The sketch, which featured Timberlake, Andy Samberg, and Bobby Moynihan as Beyoncé’s very questionable backup dancers in full leotards and heels, almost didn’t happen.

“She was very polite about it, but she was not having it,” Timberlake admitted. He had been looped into the idea by Samberg, who told him about Moynihan’s original pitch for the sketch. Once Timberlake learned Beyoncé was that week’s musical guest, he was all in. “I was like, ‘Full leotard?’ And he’s like, ‘Yeah.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, this is too funny. Like, we have to do this.’”

The real challenge? Getting Beyoncé on board. Timberlake recalled that he personally took matters into his own hands—literally. He showed up at her dressing room in full costume, leotard and all, and dramatically threw off his robe. “I put my hands on my hips,” he said. “She was like, ‘No, you didn’t.’”

Luckily, it worked. The sketch aired during SNL’s Nov. 15, 2008 episode, hosted by Paul Rudd, and became an instant classic. Even former President Barack Obama later referenced it, telling Beyoncé at his 2009 inauguration, “I’m not like Justin—I didn’t put on the outfit.”

Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music, co-directed by Questlove and Oz Rodriguez, is streaming now on Peacock.