Saturday Night Live
Ayo Edebiri & Jennifer Lopez
February 3, 2024
Ayo Edebiri, if you weren’t aware, has become something of America’s Sweetheart, between her Emmy-winning and delightful portrayal of Sydney on The Bear, her hilarious role in Bottoms (if you’re in the mood for a very silly teen comedy, this has got you covered); her voice acting in Big Mouth; Clone High; The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse; and her guest-starring role as Quinta Brunson’s sister on the ever-popular Abbott Elementary. Edebiri is ubiquitous these days, and for good reason: she’s funny, relatable, and very likable.
As for her performance as a host on Saturday Night Live, like any professional stand-up comedian, she’s a natural. She’s comfortable in front of a live audience; she’s completely devoid of embarrassment or self-awareness (in a good way); and she’s clearly up for anything, from portraying a nerdy teenage boy to poking fun at herself and her own public missteps. Edebiri is one of those hosts that you just know on an alternate timeline somewhere is actually a member of the SNL cast. But as for this timeline, we’ll just have to hope she comes back to host many more times.
Continue reading “Ayo Edebiri gives a bear of a performance on ‘Saturday Night Live’”
The Bachelor
January 22, 2024
Saturday Night Live
Dakota Johnson & Justin Timberlake
January 27, 2024
Dakota Johnson (and not Fanning as I attempted to call her throughout this recap) has returned to host Saturday Night Live for the first time since 2015 — which I did recap, but it was so long ago, it was before this website existed. Thus the recap has long ago vanished, along with any trace of Tubular.
R.I.P. Tubular.
But somehow, more remarkably, it’s been even longer than eight years since musical guest and former SNL regular, Justin Timberlake has been on the show. Timberlake, who has hosted five times (separate from the other two times he was only the musical guest and the EIGHT times he made a cameo), hasn’t set foot in Studio 8H (at least not on air) since 2013. SINCE 2013.
That’s right: neither the host nor the musical guest have been on Saturday Night Live since OBAMA WAS PRESIDENT. If that doesn’t make you feel old, I don’t know what will. In any event, despite having to brush off a few cobwebs, both Johnson and Timberlake were up to the task and performed well last night. If anything, Johnson seemed worlds more confident and mature than the last time she hosted, and she was the best thing about the episode.