NFL Stars T.J. and Derek Watt Say Brother J.J. Watt Will 'Bring His A-Game' to Host SNL
NFL star J.J. Watt will be hosting Saturday Night Live for the first time over Super Bowl weekend—and his brothers say he’s ready and excited for the comedy challenge.
“He’s the kind of guy that takes pride in everything he does—whether it’s football or doing something like hosting SNL,” J.J.’s younger brother Derek Watt, fullback for the Los Angeles Chargers, tells PEOPLE at the DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket Lounge during Super Bowl week Miami. “He wants to be great so he’ll do the work to make sure he is.”
The Houston Texans defensive end will be joined by musical guest Luke Combs on the Feb. 1st episode of Saturday Night Live.
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“He is definitely going to bring his A-game, that’s for sure,” says T.J. Watt, 25, linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers—and the youngest of the three brothers. “He’s a very funny, quick-witted guy, and we know he’s really excited for everyone to see it all come together.”
While the Watts have been texting during the week and getting updates on how the monologue and skits are shaping up, they say J.J., 30, has been keeping many elements of the show a secret.
“We’ve gotten hints,” T.J. tells PEOPLE before their meet-and-greet session at the DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket Lounge. “He bounces ideas off us to see what would actually be funny and not corny.” Adds Derek, 27: “We know enough to know a little of what to expect, but he kept enough away from us so it’ll still be surprising.”
While J.J. broadcasts live from New York on Saturday night, T.J., Derek and their parents, John and Connie, will gather with close friends in Miami to watch the show together on Super Bowl eve. “We wish we could be there with him but he knows we’ll be rooting for him from here,” says Derek.
Although SNL is a solo gig for J.J., the brothers have joined forces on another project for prime-time television. In May, it was announced that the NFL stars will host and produce “Ultimate Tag”—an extreme sports competition series based on the popular playground game—which will premiere on FOX in spring 2020.
“It was really fun to be able to do that together,” says T.J. “We’re really close-knit and family-oriented so it’s great to be able to spend quality time together while working together. We know we’re lucky to be able to have this.”