The Time Giorgio Armani Randomly Popped Up in an ‘SNL’ Cold Open

It’s been reported that iconic Italian designer Giorgio Armani has passed away at the age of 91, leaving behind a fashion empire worth “over $10 billion,” in no small part thanks to the suits that are definitely worth the price of a bowl of soup.

Even though he was a major celebrity, and famous for clothing A-list Hollywood actors, Armani rarely showed up in movies and TV shows (unlike all the attention-hungry celeb designers who cameoed in Zoolander).

In fact, Armani’s only acting credit on IMDb is a brief appearance on Saturday Night Live way back in 1993. The episode wasn’t hosted by Armani, but rather, late Beverly Hills, 90210 star Luke Perry. The musical guest that night was Mick Jagger, who also joined Mike Myers for a memorable Weekend Update segment in which Myers played Mick and Mick played his whacked-out Rolling Stones bandmate, Keith Richards.

Armani’s role was limited to the show’s cold open involving C-SPAN’s coverage of Bill and Hillary Clinton, played by Phil Hartman and Jan Hooks. The sketch, which certainly hasn’t aged well, finds the Clintons celebrating “National Mental Health Week” by welcoming “crazy people” to the White House. They first meet an obsessive conspiracy theorist, played by Rob Schneider — a casting decision that feels oddly prophetic in retrospect. 

President Clinton is then introduced to “a man claiming to be the Prime Minister of Italy,” played by Armani. He greets the couple in Italian, then touches Hillary’s jacket without her permission, much to her horror, before being ushered away.

It’s unclear if the audience was actually aware that the part was being played by a fashion icon, considering that there was no applause break or reaction of any kind when he first entered the scene.

It then turns out that Armani’s character really was Italian Prime Minister Giuliano Amato. Days later, President Clinton is forced to apologize “for the unfortunate mix-up” and for the treatment that Amato “received from White House security.”

“I’m sure the Prime Minister understands that once he wandered onto the bus, there was simply no way, absent an interpreter, to verify that he was the Prime Minister of Italy and not a crazy person, many of whom claim to be visiting heads of state,” Clinton states. “The shots he was given will have little or no lasting effect. And we believe he can return to Italy as soon as the doctors say he is able to fly.”

Unfortunately, Armani’s SNL debut was overshadowed by the show’s second sketch of the night, which happened to be one of the worst in the show’s history, all about Prince Charles being transmogrified into a sentient tampon. 

Armani really dodged a bullet by staying away from that disaster.