It may have been past his daughters' bedtime, but Ryan Gosling still took some time during his Saturday Night Live gig to give Eva Mendes and their daughters a sweet shout-out.
On April 13, the The Fall Guy actor returned to long-running comedy show for his third round as host, alongside musical guest Chris Stapleton.
After a night spent trying not to break character due to laughter during skits and full of surprise appearances from Emily Blunt and SNL alum Kate McKinnon to college basketball star Caitlin Clark, the doting dad capped off the night with a nod to his girls.
Taking to the stage along with the SNL crew to bid farewell to the audience, Ryan then declared: "Eva, Ezzy, Ama, I love you," seemingly revealing his nicknames for his daughters Esmeralda Amada, nine, and Amada Lee, seven.
And while Eva has in the past supported Ryan from behind-the-scenes, as she did for his epic performance at the Oscars, it does appear she stayed back in their California home while he was in New York.
Ahead of her love's SNL appearance, she took to Instagram to share a photo of herself scrunching up her face, and wrote: "[Friday] mood when I realize I'm technically working this weekend."
© GettyEva and Ryan – who have never addressed whether they are married – met in 2011 while working on the set of crime thriller The Place Beyond the Pines, and have been together ever since.
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Though the notoriously private couple has not made a public appearance together since promoting their 2012 film, Ryan doesn't shy away from publicly expressing his love for his family during his own public appearances.
© GettyEarlier this year, when he was honored at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival with the Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film, Ryan stepped up to the stage to give his own toast, which he also capped off with a tribute to his family.
© Dave Allocca/Starpix/REX/ShutterstockNoting how his career in film led him to finding love with Eva, he said: "Most importantly, I got to meet the girl of my dreams, Eva Mendes, and have two dream children."
He continued: "I dreamed of making movies and now movies have made my life a dream," before concluding with: "No way I have contributed half as much to cinema as cinema has given to me."
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