It’s Will Ferrell’s party, and we’re all invited. On Oct. 7, the actor made a surprise appearance as guest DJ at a Sigma Alpha Mu frat party at the University of Southern California, his alma mater. Getting the party started ahead of the football team’s game against the University of Arizona, Ferrell hopped behind the turntables and blasted a medley of hits, including “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor and “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers. Ferrell also played “N— in Paris” by Jay-Z and Kanye West, which features a clip of his “Blades of Glory” character Chazz saying, “No one knows what it means, but it’s provocative.”
At one point, Ferrell even took his hands off the turntables to operate a fog cannon as he bobbed his head along to the music. Around him, college students danced, sang along, and, of course, recorded the unforgettable moment on their phones. Even with video evidence, however, the fact that the four-time Emmy winner would suddenly appear at a college event to show off his DJ skills feels a little surreal.
How did he land the gig? Did he bring his own DJ equipment? What will he do next: deliver pizza to the dorms? Start a flash mob in the quad? Fill in as an adjunct professor? Once the novelty of the situation sinks in, though, we can’t help but admit that hosting a surprise DJ set is incredibly fitting for someone as lovably eccentric as Ferrell.
Considering Ferrell’s oldest son Magnus is a sophomore at USC, it makes sense that his impromptu DJ set coincided with USC’s Parents Weekend. But Ferrell has actually been a regular at the university since he graduated in 1990. During his time at USC, he studied sports broadcasting and joined the Delta Tau Delta fraternity. Since graduating with a BA degree in sports information, he’s remained an active alumn; he delivered the class of 2017 commencement speech, which he ended with a rendition of Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You.”
Beyond banging on the drums in “Step Brothers” and joining an international music competition in “Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga,” Ferrell — who is often confused with Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith — continues to pursue his musical talents in other ways. For instance, in 2022, the proud dad crashed Magnus’s first live performance with his band by jumping in to play the cowbell, a reference to one of his most memorable “Saturday Night Live” sketches. Needless to say, we have a feeling this DJ set won’t be his last.
Ahead, see Ferrell’s DJ set at USC for yourself.
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