The 50th season premiere of Saturday Night Live was a hit, featuring host Jean Smart and musical guest Jelly Roll. Fans were excited to see how SNL would handle the changes in the Democratic ticket after President Biden’s exit from the 2024 presidential race. The cold open saw Maya Rudolph reprising her role as Vice President Kamala Harris, with Jim Gaffigan debuting as Harris’s running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, bringing humor to the sketch.
While the episode didn’t focus too heavily on SNL’s milestone, there were nods to it during the monologue and Weekend Update. The episode covered various news stories, including the Harris-Trump debate, the criminal case against Diddy, and more.
Maya Rudolph, Jim Gaffigan, Dana Carvey, and Andy Samberg portrayed political figures, with Dana Carvey returning as Biden and Andy Samberg playing Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff. The sketch featured various jokes and humorous moments from the characters.
The Weekend Update segment covered the 2024 presidential race, Eric Adams’s indictment, and other news stories. The segment also featured a viral baby pygmy hippo character and jokes about rapper Diddy’s indictment.
Standout sketches from the episode included a parody commercial for Spirit Halloween, a parody of $100,000 Pyramid, and a sketch imagining what I Love Lucy would’ve been like without Lucille Ball. The musical guest, Jelly Roll, performed songs from his upcoming album.
Upcoming hosts for SNL include Nate Bargatze, Ariana Grande, Michael Keaton, and John Mulaney, with musical guests like Coldplay, Stevie Nicks, Billie Eilish, and Chappell Roan.
Overall, the season premiere of SNL was a mix of humor, satire, and star power, setting the stage for an exciting season ahead. Fans can look forward to more entertaining sketches and performances in the episodes to come.