Zach Galifianakis shaves his beard while hosting ‘Saturday Night Live’

Galifianakis shaves his beard while hosting ‘SNL’

NEW YORK — While hosting “Saturday Night Live,” Zach Galifianakis (gal-ih-fih-NAH’-kihs) covertly shaved his trademark beard.

The 40-year-old comedian slipped backstage while the show’s musical guest, Vampire Weekend, performed. When Galifianakis emerged for the next sketch, his shaggy, reddish beard was gone, with a mustache in its place.

When Galifianakis returned to wave farewell at the end of the show, he’d changed yet again, donning a fake beard much like his original.

NBC posted a Web-only video on NBC.com and Hulu.com of Galifianakis rushing backstage and quickly shaving.

Galifianakis, who co-starred in “The Hangover,” has often made his beard a focal point in his standup and has rarely shaved it. In a 2008 interview, he joked: “I would shave, but then I look like Jodi Foster.”

NBC is owned by General Electric Co.

On the Net:

www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/