Dave Grohl Intentionally Told Christopher Walken to Mispronounce 'Foo Fighters' in InfamousSNLMoment

Mar. 15, 2025

Walken and Grohl have each appeared on ‘SNL’ multiple times over the show’s 50-year run.Photo:Dana Edelson/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty (2)

Dana Edelson/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty (2)

One of the many infamousSaturday Night Liveon-air slip-ups took place in 2003, when guest hostChristopher Walkenspecularly mispronounced the Foo Fighters' name as he introduced the band as the musical guest. But in a new interview withDave Grohl, he reveals that he was the one to ask Walken to pronounce it that way.

In the new Peacock docuseriesSNL50: Beyond Saturday Night, the Nirvana alum, 56, shared an anecdote about how Walken, 81, came to accent “Foo” instead of “Fighters” when the band performed on the variety show in February 2003.

“We got to meet him for the first time atSaturday Night Live,” Grohl said in an interview, perEntertainment Weekly. “Before introducing the band, he asked me if the accent was on ‘Foo’ or ‘Fighters.’ "

In archivalfootage of Walken’s 2003SNLappearance, theSeveranceactor can be seen chatting with Grohl and his bandmates before they begin filminga promo video. Just before they begin filming, Walken turns to them and asks them: “What’s the emphasis? ‘FooFighters’ or ‘FooFighters?’ "

The Foo Fighters perform on ‘SNL’ in 2005.Dana Edelson/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

Dana Edelson/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

Grohl replies as a joke: “FooFighters' is the best.”

In his interview, the drummer said he realized that his joke had worked as the band was getting ready to step onstage and go live.

“We were standing there on the stage as we were about to go to air, and I’m like, ‘Oh, he’s gonna do it! He’s gonna do it! He’s gonna f—— do it!’ " he said. “Pin-drop silence, and he says, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, FooFighters.’ "

More than 20 years later in October 2023, Walken made a cameo onSNLas comedianNate Bargatzehosted and the Foo Fighters performed — so of course, he had to introduce the band again, with the correct pronunciation this time.

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SNL50: Beyond Saturday Nightfeatures tons of the sketch series' alums and guests discussing some of the long running show’s greatest moments. One part of the docuseries features a discussion amongstWill Ferrell,Jimmy Fallon, and more as they reflected on the viral success that was the iconic “More Cowbell” sketch.

Fallon recalled of the hilarious sketch: “You hope for one of these things. It’s like lightning in a bottle. It rarely happens, where you have a catchphrase that takes off.”

Fallon continued, “I remember, coming off of that, it almost felt like we had went to camp together or something. We grew up together. We had just had an experience.”

source: people.com