'SNL': 'Elvis' star Austin Butler honors mom in touching monologue - USA TODAY

For his "Saturday Night Live" hosting debut, Austin Butler made amusive of himself and drew laughs for a "Lord of the Rings" impression, but besides touched hearts with a tearful tribute to his precocious mother.

In the NBC sketch show's Christmas occurrence Saturday, the Golden Globe-nominated "Elvis" prima poked amusive astatine his "deeper, much Elvis-y voice" – an interrogation clip from 10 years agone was revved-up to high-pitched chipmunk tones – and besides his kid stardom connected Disney Channel and Nickelodeon shows during his opening monologue.

"I was truly into aggravated immersive acting" similar Robert De Niro successful "Raging Bull," Butler, 31, joked. "On set, I'd beryllium like, 'I didn't screw your wife!' And they'd say, 'Put down the knife. You're scaring iCarly."

'I couldn't beryllium an imposter': How Austin Butler vanished into the relation of Elvis Presley

Butler recalled being homeschooled arsenic a kid ("I was besides weird," helium cracked) and the times increasing up successful Anaheim, Calif., wherever his ma would person him and his sister instrumentality "the time off" and they'd spell to Disneyland. "And past the ninth clip she did that, we were like, 'I don’t deliberation she knows however to teach.' ”

He broke retired the spot-on Gollum content that he'd bash for his mom, who helium watched "SNL" play with arsenic a kid with "crippling shyness," and explained that "being silly with her is what broke maine retired of my shell" and what started him successful acting.

Butler past choked up erstwhile helium said that "Mom is nary longer with us." He besides talked about how proud she'd beryllium that her lad "who utilized to not beryllium capable to bid for myself astatine a edifice is present lasting connected this stage," which drew a rapturous applause from the audience.

The actor's ma died she died of crab successful 2014.

"So immoderate clip you spot maine doing a silly dependable oregon making a comic face, that’s for you, Mom.”

Butler decidedly got to person immoderate amusive successful his "SNL" gig: In a sketch nodding to his caller relation arsenic the King of Rock and Roll, Sarah Sherman played Jewish Elvis with Butler arsenic an aged grandma truthful blistery and bothered that she throws her underwear astatine him.