Last night’s episode of SNL was hosted by comedian John Mulaney, with musical guest Phoebe Bridgers. This was Mulaney’s seventh time hosting, and he returned with many of his usual comedic signatures, including a massive New York-inspired musical number. His monologue criticized baby boomers and the generational conflict between them and Generation Z. He also delivered a lengthy impression of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The cold open included a CIA meeting bringing together some of the biggest names in tech – James Austin Johnson as Peter Thiel, Ben Marshall as Sam Altman, Jane Wickline as Dario Amodei, Jeremy Culhane as Elon Musk and Andrew Dismukes as Mark Zuckerberg – to “learn the difference between a woman who would actually want to have sex with you and a woman who is clearly a spy.” The sketch nods to the recent scandal involving Nvidia co-founder Jensen Huang, who reportedly resigned from his position following revelations of an extramarital affair with an alleged Chinese spy. Former actor Bowen Yang returned as Huang.
Mulaney’s final parody medley on Broadway centered on new legislation banning horse-drawn carriages in Central Park following concerns about animal abuse and civilian deaths. Veronika Slowikowska delivered a stunning vocal performance as a woman who spends weeks completing the New York City Marathon, while Kenan Thompson sang as the cloud of weed smoke hovered over Manhattan. Bowen Yang also appeared as Mary Todd Lincoln, reprising the character from Cole Escola’s hit series. O Mary!
Another standout was a sketch from Woodstock imagining how the baby boomer generation would do a complete 180 by 1985 – becoming more and more corporate, buying houses and selling amphetamines and other stimulants.
This was Bridgers’ third time performing on SNLincluding an appearance with boygenius. She performed “Bobby” and “Still Standing”. She called out “Bobby” with a hearty scream as smoke covered the floor, giving the setting a ~spooky~ atmosphere. Things got even more haunting with “Still Standing.” She wore a white lace dress and seemingly discreet makeup, but everything changed during the last third of the song, when black light revealed a skeletal face and made her white dress glow. There was no guitar crashing this time, but it was a deeply moving performance. For “Bobby,” she was backed by her touring band, which includes Jay Som’s Melina Duterte.
SNL also announced its upcoming live show, airing Dec. 5, with first-time host Amanda Seyfried and first-time musical guest Don Toliver. Watch clips from last night’s show below.
Gn entert
