Saturday Night Live
Alexander Skarsgard & Cardi B
January 31, 2026
Alexander Skarsgård is a goofy little guy. Well, not little, I guess. He’s actually pretty tall. And handsome. And often cast in serious roles about serious men. But from everything I’ve ever read about him, in real life, Skarsgård refuses to take himself seriously: showing up to red carpets in Farah Fawcett drag; using a pantless photo of himself for his IMDB page; bringing his best friend, Jack McBrayer, to some of the biggest awards ceremonies and red carpets of his career, and doing prom poses with him … Skarsgård’s a goofy little guy!
And he’s no stranger to comedy. Despite being the lead in movies like The Northman and on shows like Big Little Lies, Skarsgård got his start in America in comedy — namely Zoolander — and became famous for his consistently hilarious portrayal of pansexual Eric the Vampire on True Blood. He has since appeared in other comedies, including Drunk History, Eastbound and Down, a delightful little cameo on What We Do in the Shadows, and most recently on Murderbot. So, it’s somewhat surprising that this is his first time hosting Saturday Night Live, as he’s a natural fit: he’s funny, he’s obviously game for anything, he has amazing range and can play with expectations.
And it worked. Skarsgård’s debut on SNL was easily one of the best episodes of the season, in large part because the writing staff was clearly writing specifically for him and not just plugging him into generic sketches, but also in equal part because Skarsgård is, as previously noted, a goofy little guy.
You get a break from the President Dingus cold opens, hooray! Instead, here is Pete Davidson doing the worst possible impersonation of Tom Homan, White House Border Czar, having a meeting with his ICE agents, who, it turns out, are very VERY stupid. The writing is sharp here: they handle the awfulness of ICE with the appropriate amount of mockery and scorn. But I just don’t know why or how Pete Davidson got dragged into this. Confusing.
Grade: A
Alexander Skarsgård notes in passing that this is Saturday Night Live‘s 1,000th episode, before spending the rest of the monologue celebrating (and harassing) the SNL band. Which is nice, but not particularly funny.
Grade: B
It’s every liberal child’s dream: their Republican parent admits they might have been wrong about President Liar. Ashley Padilla plays said parent, insisting that her adult children NOT REACT to her confession, while they struggle to contain their outrage and incredulity. As someone who fantasizes about such a moment happening one day, this one hit hard.
Grade: A+
Jane Wickline is an Olympic luger who hates her sport and is terrified to do it. Terrific conceit, great execution, and maybe Wickline’s best bit since she joined SNL (and I am not a Wickline hater, of which there are many).
Grade: A
The filming of the deadly serious Scandinavian movie, “Stench of a Family,” is interrupted when the lead actors break out in giggles and joke that their outtakes will be part of a blooper reel, while the American director grows increasingly exasperated. They did a variation of this sketch when Glen Powell hosted in November, but it works better here thanks to having actual Scandinavians in the sketch: both host Alexander and his legendary father, Stellan.
Grade: B+
Immigrant Dad Talk Show is another recurring sketch, having been visited by Ramy Youssef and Dave Chappelle previously. Here, Hernandez’s Immigrant Dad discusses discipline and marital conflict with his Finnish neighbor, played by Skarsgård. They are both, however, perplexed by their American neighbor, Kevin, and his overly affectionate relationship with his son. They manage to get Stellan into this sketch, too, as well as Cardi B (who is funny enough, but not quite host-ready).
Grade: B
A group of Vikings is pillaging a monastery and killing monks while discussing their feelings and insecurities. It’s the perfect idea for our Viking host, but the jokes are only OK.
Grade: B-
“Weekend Update” is pretty solid this week with jokes about Minnesota, brutal Epstein and Luigi Mangione jokes, and plenty of solid digs at the Melania movie.
Grade: A-
Sarah Sherman is back on “Weekend Update” as their “weather correspondent,” which involves her giving Colin Jost a hard time but from outside in the cold. And, bonus! Alexander Skarsgård’s best friend, Jack McBrayer, sneaks in a cameo. (No, for real, Eric from True Blood and Kenneth from 30 Rock are besties.)
Grade: A+
Andrew Dismukes and Ashley Padilla are back at the “Weekend Update” desk as “Two People Who Just Hooked Up” to talk about the Super Bowl. It works once again thanks to Dismukes and Padilla’s undeniable chemistry.
Grade: A
Skarsgard is the new girl in town whose mother has arranged a play date with some other pre-teen girls in the neighborhood. However, when the other girls confront Agnes about the pop culture things she doesn’t know about, she reacts violently. “Stop asking what she knows,” might be the best delivered line of the entire night.
Grade: A-
Somehow, I had forgotten that Skarsgård played Tarzan in The Legend of Tarzan back in 2016 (maybe because the movie was forgettable at best), but he dons the loincloth once again to portray a Tarzan who has some doubts about his relationship with Jane. Specifically, why an Englishwoman would be with “naked man raised by gorillas who no speak English” and what that says about her. It’s an amusing little bonbon.
Grade: B
Finally, a woman brings her new boyfriend on a trip with her friends, and he impresses them with his quick wit, only for them to discover he’s been getting all his jokes from Cards Against Humanity. An original enough concept for sure, but hardly the strongest outing of the night.
Grade: B-
Final Grade: A-.
Saturday Night Live airs at 10:30/11:30 p.m. Saturdays on NBC and streams on Peacock.