'SNL' recap: Bad Bunny pulls double duty as host and musical guest (original) (raw)
Hello kiddies, welcome to the latest edition of SNL in Review. Tonight, Bad Bunny — Spotify's most streamed artist of the year and the King of Latin Trap — comes to 8H both as host and musical guest. Outside of Taylor Swift, you would be hard-pressed to find a more popular global music icon, and given the fact he previously appeared in several sketches back in season 46 (when Regé-Jean Page hosted), giving him the chance to host his own episode makes a lot of sense. And, oh yeah, with the ongoing actors' strike, Saturday Night Live is a little boxed in in terms of who they can enlist, which, hopefully, will give the next few weeks some interesting variety!
Bad Bunny hosts 'Saturday Night Live'. Rosalind O’Connor/NBC
I am joined tonight by former SNL cast member Jeff Richards, who thinks cellist Yo-Yo Ma should host with Eddie Murphy as a potential musical guest. This summer, one of Jeff's impressions from his podcast went viral: Gary Busey and "buttered sausage". Maybe you saw it percolating on TikTok?
I asked Jeff what his advice is for Bad Bunny as he prepares to pull double duty tonight. He says: "Bring your own carrot cake."
Cold Open
Mikey Day as Jim Jordan is perfect casting. (He's played him in the past, as has Bill Hader.) Here, the Ohio politician is fraying at the seams over his failure to be elected speaker of the House.
George Santos (Bowen Yang) stops by to cheer him up. Lauren Boebart (Chloe Fineman) calls him from the theater — of course, she's hooking up with someone while seeing Aladdin.
"Yoo hoo, is this the loser's office?" asks Donald Trump (James Austin Johnson). He's very funny — Jim is his least favorite Jordan, he prefers "Michael" and "Sparks." These are generally some of JAJ's stand-up bits as Trump here.
Pretty modest and minor. We've seen worse though.
Monologue
Bad Bunny does whatever he wants — he even has sex in English. But he prefers Spanish.
[Speaking in non-English] appears on screen, which is a nice callback to early SNL, when they did that often. Bad Bunny asks for clarification on the text, as the caption should say he's speaking a sexier language. He has confidence — not sure if I'd call it funny or charismatic, but what do I know?
Pedro Pascal shows up to translate and give advice on how to host. He acknowledges some audience-friendly tropes. Is this a sign the show doesn't trust Bad Bunny to carry the show on his own?
Richards recalls when Justin Timberlake hosted and was also the musical guest, as well as some of his funny backstage moments.
"Rap Battle"
Shout-out 8 Mile — we're in a St. Andrews Hall-style rap tournament. Mikey Day is Walter Whiteboy, outing himself first a la B Rabbit. He embarrasses himself, severely.
His challenger Fuego (Bad Bunny) surprisingly reacts with compassion, winning the battle for being a good person.
"The Age of Discovery"
A Fred Armisen cameo! In an all-Spanish short film, two explorers from the 1600s explain the promise of America: pumpkins, tomatoes, and tobacco. The nobility is… not impressed.
Armisen last appeared back in March when Jenna Ortega hosted.
"Telenovela"
Tomas Padilla is confronting his brother. It's a very intense scene, until Latina Jefferson (Punkie Johnson) shows up, butchering her line. She does not speak Spanish.
A sudden surprise: Mick Jagger! This is his first cameo since 1986. I am pleasantly surprised — Jagger is one of the OG host/musical guests, going back to season 4 with the Rolling Stones. (Their new album is really good by the way! Check out the song with Lady Gaga and Stevie Wonder.) Not sure if this sketch — or this host/episode — warranted the return of an absolute legend, but I'm here for it.
Please Don't Destroy: Bad Bunny Is Shrek
Bad Bunny shows up as Shrek in our boys' office. He wants to make a movie with them as the various characters from the franchise, plus Michael Jackson.
Bad Bunny performs "Un Preview"
Speaking of her Stones duet, Lady Gaga shows up to announce Bad Bunny's first performance! I am sensing a theme following Taylor Swift's cameo last week.
This is the second single from his fifth studio album Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana. Here is the music video. The audience loves Bad Bunny!
Weekend Update
Colin Jost calls President Biden the "Groot of Presidents," criticizing his appearance in Israel. Michael Che mocks Jim Jordan and George Santos.
Jada Pinkett Smith (Ego Nwodim) comes on to comment on the recent stories around her memoir and her marriage with Will Smith, a.k.a. "publicly cucking my millionaire husband." She can't help but bring up Tupac: "Call me Mrs. Shakur!" I like this.
"Protective Mom 2"
A recurring character! Bad Bunny plays the disapproving aunt to Marcello Hernandez, while Pedro Pascal returns as the overprotective mom. We saw the original sketch back in February. Luis gets around! Brittany is gone, and his new girlfriend is played by Chloe Troast. Their Spanglish includes references to having a "side chick" and "booty call."
I like this because it's not a total repeat of the original concept — it kind of feels like the next installment. Even if the beats aren't different.
"Subway Platform"
Another repeat! Folks will recall the Waffle House sketch from the Jenna Ortega episode. This time characters inspired by The Pursuit of Happyness have a serious conversation in the foreground, getting upstaged by the goofy and loud Metro riders in the background.
Bad Bunny performs "Monaco"
This was the third single off his latest album. The music video features Al Pacino!
"Convent Meeting"
Molly Kearney is back playing a nun! This time, they are investigating finding the man hiding amongst the nunnery. He has been secretly intimate with the other nuns, upsetting their virginal purity. Mick Jagger returns! The audience seems to recognize him more in this sketch.
A little crude and lame, but there's a good joke about Peacock and Whoopi Goldberg at the end. And it's still fun to have Jagger around. Why not just have him host, or play off the Rolling Stones' new album in another episode?!
"Enrique's Daughter"
The skincare company Burt's Bees is being acquired, and they need to discuss strategy and potential layoffs. But Enrique (Bad Bunny) just wants to talk about his daughter getting married.
Final Thoughts
—What did you think? Vote here!
—Lots and lots of cameos. The audience went bananas for Bad Bunny no matter what he did, though he was mostly... not good! I know it's a unique situation, but still.
—Thank you to Jeff Richards — and happy birthday! Check out "Buttered Sausage" when you can. I asked him about any tips for next-generation comedians looking to go viral online, and what it felt like to have some of his work seen over 5 million times. He said: "It felt like an intense scalp massage, warm and tingling. No lessons, other than post often and pray."
—Not a ton of Sarah Sherman so far this season! Too bad, I was enjoying her momentum from earlier this year. Heard she might have had an Update appearance cut earlier tonight. Don't do that!
—Mick Jagger, in this economy? Wow.
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