Most '90s kids were probably too young at the time to really understand what Michael Bolton was singing about most of the time, but it's hard to dispute that he was one of the decade's masters of love songs. Netflix's new special Michael Bolton's Big Sexy Valentine's Day Special celebrates the iconic performer, but it also features an appearance from a challenger to his throne. If there was one main competitor that Bolton had for smooth, long-locked balladeer supremacy in the '90s, it was none other than saxophonist Kenny G. After over 20 years of battling it out on the charts with their hit songs, Michael Bolton and Kenny G battled finally battled it out in the Big Sexy Valentine's Day Special — kind of.
The special itself is a wacky trip through Bolton's musical and comedic passions, and one of the earliest segments in the special features him facing off against Kenny G — kind of. In the special, Kenny G is played by Brooklyn Nine-Nine star and Bolton's frequent collaborator Andy Samberg. The two meet, and Kenny G strikes Bolton where it hurts the most — mocking him for cutting off his defining hairstyle from the '90s in favor of a shorter cut. The two do battle in a back-and-forth song-off, with Kenny G blasting away on his soprano saxophone as Bolton uses his silky vocal chords to sing the notes back at him.
Although Samberg plays Kenny G for the special, the real Kenny G had a role as well. After Kenny G decides to end the battle (which had just evolved into a "chill jam sesh", anyway) and leave through a window, a janitor played by the real Kenny G makes a quick expletive remark about what he's just seen. While the surprise cameo seems at first glance to be the only sign of the real Kenny G in the show, the credits reveal that the "Andy Samberg saxophone solos [were] performed by Kenny G." The special may pit these two performers against each other, but it's clear that there's no bad blood between the soft-rock legends.
