Ramy Youssef charms an otherwise forgettable ‘Saturday Night Live’

Saturday Night Live
Ramy Youssef & Travis Scott
March 30, 2024

Ramy Youssef is one of those interesting characters who it doesn’t feel like has had his big breakout moment yet, despite being the creator and star of an Emmy-nominated Golden Globe-winning series that is named after him; being the co-creator of a different Peabody Award-winning show; the star of two HBO stand-up specials and being the co-star of a multi-Oscar-winning film this year. And yet, I don’t think he’s quite a household name … yet.

So I’m pleased he hosted last night’s Saturday Night Live where he was able to show the country his careful, clever, empathetic style of comedy. Last night, Youssef was saddled with an otherwise mediocre set of sketches; there wasn’t an obvious stinker in the group, but there wasn’t anything in here (aside from his monologue) that is going to be remembered in a couple of months. Still, he was able to add to the show a little bit of his culture and comedy about being Muslim-American, introducing it to a new audience during a particularly fraught moment in geopolitics.

Because the world spun into some bizarro universe back in 2016 where everything is absolutely ridiculous and terrible, we live in a moment where our Godless, cheating, fraudster of a Former President is hawking $60 Bibles that come complete with U.S. government documents. It is not merely gross, it’s repugnant and yet also perfectly emblematic of everything that is broken and hypocritical about the White Nationalist MAGA movement.

And that’s the entire concept of the cold open: Former President NFTs walks out of Jesus’ tomb to sell his Bible. And like everything involving Former President Gold Sneakers, it’s nearly impossible to spoof him. Nothing in this sketch is as ridiculous as he actually is.

Grade: B+

Ramy Youssef’s monologue samples from his recent stand-up special, not that it’s a bad thing, especially for the majority of the audience who probably hasn’t seen his most recent stand-up special. Youssef is a brilliant comedian: his delivery is so gentle and smooth that you don’t even notice he’s making salient points about our Islamophobic culture and your own biases until you’re laughing along with him.

Similarly, most of the attention about his monologue will be focused on his prayer for Palestine that he chose to include. It’s sensitive and heartfelt and impossible to argue with, even though it is a subject that inflames so many.

Grade: A

For the game show sketch of the night, we revisit “Couples Goals” (first done in last year’s episode hosted by Quinta Brunson), in which like The Newlywed Game, a pair of married couples compete to see who knows each other better. While one husband ends up revealing some embarrassing habits, the other exposes his well-planned dark fantasy.

Grade: A-

The “Please Don’t Destroy” boys and Ramy go out with Travis Scott and find themselves entirely too high and filled with social anxiety. I’m pleased that the PDD boys seem to have pulled back from their more absurdist tendencies and have matured into a pretty consistently funny groove. This is no exception.

Grade: A

Youssef and Marcello Hernandez, along with Kenan Thompson, are immigrant dads who are too hard on their sons, adore their daughters, and are appalled at a white neighbor’s affectionate relationship with his son. Marcello is really staking claim to the whole immigrant relative schtick at SNL and that’s just fine.

Grade: A-

Here, Ramy Youssef is the captain of a basketball team trying to fire up his team with a pep talk in the face of the fact that they have been exposed to their coach’s kinky sex life. It’s dumb and immature and some people will love it.

Grade: B-

The ad spoof of the night is Ozempic for Ramadan, helping Muslims make it through fasting. It is clever, and though it is specific to the struggles of Muslims, it doesn’t alienate non-Muslim audiences — it’s still funny even if you aren’t observing Ramadan.

Grade: A-

“Weekend Update” takes shots at Former President Two Corinthians, at President Biden’s fundraiser, and the Baltimore Key Bridge disaster. It’s fine, but this week both of the visits to the desk are better than the news jokes from Che and Jost.

Grade: B

“Piper Dunster” is a TikTok creator who is outraged by the conspiracy theories spread on the internet about Kate Middleton. Except … when Colin Jost dives into her content a little more, he discovers that she’s been promoting a number of terrible ideas, including the Titanic submarine, eating wet market bats, and worst of all, George Santos.

Grade: A

New York celebrity owl Flaco died last month after flying into a building, and his widow, played by Sarah Sherman, comes to the “Weekend Update” desk to discuss his pigeon herpes and to take a shot at Colin Jost’s marriage.

Grade: A-

Andrew Dismukes is a David Caruso-esque detective who makes a lame joke at a murder scene, only to be ignored by his colleagues to his great irritation. Eh.

Grade: C+

Finally, our first glimpse of Bowen Yang of the night, as an NPR intern who is irritated that the Tiny Desk Concert is interrupting his podcast work. A gentle — but incredibly accurate — skewering of NPR, the bands who play Tiny Desk Concerts, and NPR’s podcast style in general.

Grade: A

(Actually, it was pretty good.) Final Grade: B+.

Saturday Night Live airs at 10:30/11:30 p.m. Saturdays on NBC and streams on Peacock.