Marilyn Manson Is Also Confused About All The Popes In ‘The New Pope’

It wasn’t long before the new pope became the new pope on The New Pope that his wishes began coming true. No, not ending world hunger or helping to eliminate diseases. There’s plenty of time for that. Instead, John Brannox (John Malkovich), now going by John Paul III, made sure his first order of business was meeting with some of his favorite celebrities.

First on that list? Marilyn Manson. And yes, that’s the real Marilyn Manson playing himself at the top of the fourth episode of the HBO series. Jude Law’s Pius XIII is still fast asleep in a coma, but Marilyn Manson is alive and well — and showing off pictures of his nephew to the highest-ranking Catholic in the world!

“Beautiful baby, your nephew,” the pope mutters as they chat. Marilyn then presents him with a gift that he brought, one of his very own paintings.

“Interesting, thank you,” the pope says in the same bored tone. Oh, but it gets way more awkward than that.

“So, you look a bit older. It might just be the beard,” Marilyn tells him. “I remember this amazing speech that you gave in Venice but I don’t remember you having a beard then.”

“That was Pius XIII,” the pope informs him.

“Oh. So then who are you?” Marilyn asks. When the pope tells him he’s John Paul III, Marilyn takes a minute to process before responding, “Please forgive me Holy Father, you gotta understand, I’ve been in the studio holed up for months and I don’t really keep track of the news.” Honestly? There are worse excuses for not knowing who the current pope is — especially considering the revolving door at the Vatican in this show.

“May I ask what happened to the old pope?” Marilyn presses, clearly as much of a Hot Pope fan as the rest of us.

Once John Paul III lets him know he’s in a coma, and that there was a previous new pope who has passed away, Marilyn inquires if he’s gone to visit “the pope in a coma,” suggesting that maybe he should.

John Paul III brings this up later with his closest advisors, telling them, “Marilyn Manson doesn’t know who I am.”

“Marilyn Manson doesn’t know who he is,” Sofia (Cécile de France) quips.

“The church I have in mind must be better at informing people,” he says. “Every Marilyn in the world should know reflexively who the pope is. That’s not vanity, that’s necessity. As for them knowing who they are, there’s always time for that.”

He then announces, “I wish to pay a visit to Pius XIII.” Of course he wants to take a gander at the Hot Pope because popes are just like us! Sofia is quick to call this move “dangerous,” stating, “To have two popes together in one photograph wouldn’t do much to clear up the confusion.”

But John Paul III assures her, “That photograph will never be taken, the visit will be strictly private,” and that he’ll only be seen entering and exiting the building.

“In storytelling that is called powerful deference,” she tells him.

“My admiration for well-read women will never fade. Perhaps that’s why I don’t miss Meghan,” the pope tells her, getting in yet another dig at Meghan Markle. Another one of the pope’s favorite celebrities will pop up in the next episode, but after the repeated royal jokes, it’s clear that it won’t be the former Duchess of Sussex making a cameo anytime soon.

Where to stream The New Pope