After a 20-year absence, Jack Black returns to give ‘Saturday Night Live’ a kick in the pants

Saturday Night Live
Jack Black and Elton John & Brandi Carlile
April 5, 2025

I don’t know why it’s been 20 years since Jack Black hosted Saturday Night Live — did he have something against Kate McKinnon? — but he came roaring back this week with more energy than all the other season 50 hosts combined. Jack Black is a reliable comedic force. Is he a bit much? Yes, often. But sometimes SNL needs that wackiness, it needs someone who can — through a sheer act of will and ability to mug for the camera — force a laugh out of the audience. The sketches in this episode were for the most part very dumb, but thanks to Black’s insistent clownery and manic energy, I found myself amused more often than not. SNL needs to not wait another 20 years to bring him back; he’s more than earned that five-timers jacket next time around.

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CNN is rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic

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Steve Martin and Martin Short give the gift of a solid ‘Saturday Night Live’

Saturday Night Live
Steve Martin and Martin Short, Brandi Carlile
December 10, 2022

Here’s a fun little SNL fact: this is not the first time Steve Martin and Martin Short have co-hosted the show. Back in 1986, Martin, Short, and their Three Amigos co-star, Chevy Chase shared hosting duties for what was also a holiday-timed episode.

As a matter of fact, the most enduring sketch of that night was “Steve Martin’s Holiday Wish,” a bit that I’m sure you’ve seen as it is often included in SNL Christmas holiday specials:

Just note-perfect Steve Martin.

This week’s SNL was lacking Chevy Chase — but not missing him. Over the years, Martin and Short have developed their own delightful comic dynamic, which carried the monologue. The two veterans kept the entire proceedings tight, funny, and professional and seemed to delight in playing off the younger cast. It was a warm satisfying cup of cocoa of an episode.

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Oh no, did I help get President Fraud elected? (No, but Mark Burnett has a lot to answer for.)

Continue reading “Oh no, did I help get President Fraud elected? (No, but Mark Burnett has a lot to answer for.)”