By Matt Mueller Culture Editor Published Jan 21, 2020 at 3:56 PM

Pewaukee native J.J. Watt is a very talented guy. He's been a wrecking ball on the football field his entire career, whether for the Wisconsin Badgers or the Houston Texans. He raised more than $35 million for Houston after it was devastated by Hurricane Harvey. He's an excellent and thoughtful copywriter, as proven by his defense of soccer star (and his fiancee) Kealia Ohai against a crappy headline.

But is he funny? Can he act? America will find out next month when the football star hosts "Saturday Night Live" on Feb. 1.

The booking – joined by musical guest Luke Combs – is certainly unexpected, but the timing actually makes some kind of sense considering it is Super Bowl weekend, and J.J. Watt is one of the more generally enjoyable presences in the NFL. (And, unfortunately for Texans fans and Badgers fans, he is available that weekend since the Texans lost to the AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs.) 

So how will J.J. Watt do? Sports stars are a mixed bag on "SNL" – famously, whether you find it funny or not, one of the true gauntlets of entertainment. Some, like Peyton Manning, thrived on the show and starred in one of the show's finer sketches this side of the millennium. Others, like Michael Phelps ... did not.

Prediction: Watt won't be asked to do too much, starring in a few athletics-themed sketches that don't push him too far out of his comfort zone, but generally we'll leave thinking he was amicable, enthusiastic and did a solid enough job. He might even snag a few laughs; after all, a quick look at his Twitter shows that he is, indeed, pretty funny! (And he has accurate Starburst takes.)

Tune in and see how he does for yourself late night on NBC on Feb. 1.

Matt Mueller Culture Editor

As much as it is a gigantic cliché to say that one has always had a passion for film, Matt Mueller has always had a passion for film. Whether it was bringing in the latest movie reviews for his first grade show-and-tell or writing film reviews for the St. Norbert College Times as a high school student, Matt is way too obsessed with movies for his own good.

When he's not writing about the latest blockbuster or talking much too glowingly about "Piranha 3D," Matt can probably be found watching literally any sport (minus cricket) or working at - get this - a local movie theater. Or watching a movie. Yeah, he's probably watching a movie.