The comedian definitely delivered!
Hello, Conehead nation!
Welcome to the penultimate episode ofSaturday Night Liveseason 46!
Olivia Rodrigo, Keegan-Michael Key, and Kate McKinnon on ‘Saturday Night Live’.Rosalind O’Connor/NBC
His credits includeKey & Peele,Madtv, and, ahem, the upcomingSchmigadoon!, co-starringCecily Strong.
She shares: “I met Michael on set my first day.
He’s so tall, which is refreshing for me.
He reminded me of family.
He asked me if there were any changes to the script that I wanted to make.
Mind blown emoji.”
In terms of tonight’s show, she says, “I’m a fan of Keegan-Michael Key.
He’s an American treasure.
Then someone will ask, ‘Which one?’
And we will say, ‘Barack Obama.’
And we will laugh.
He’s a high-quality performer.
My favorite character of his isObama’s alternate persona.”
Let’s see if our overlords at Studio 8H decide to mine that decision for satire.
Cold Open
Anthony Fauci (Kate McKinnon) is back!
“It’s ya boy!”
To clear up confusion about the correct mask behavior, she enlists the CDC Players.
Meanwhile,Bowen Yangorders a scotch on the rocks during a flight.
“Want to bang?”
he asks his flight attendant (Ego Nwodim).
They have great chemistry.
Cecily Strong and Alex Moffat are rioters at the Capitol.
This gets a huge reaction.
And Lauren Holt is a “hot dog store” owner welcoming in Punkie Johnson.
(Kyle Mooneykind of ruins this one.)
AndPete Davidsonjokes about masturbating in public Melissa Villasenor deters him.
ThenChris Reddis a creepy adult at a school.
It ends with a joke about Israel.
I believe we can creditColin Jostand Gary Richardson for this bit of madness.
Good energy, and a well-executed group “Live From New York!”
I have a good feeling about tonight.
Monologue
“Masks are coming off!”
He has been a superfan ofSNLsince growing up near 8 Mile Road in Detroit.
He is honored to be here.
Pete Davidson offers him a tattoo.
Steven Castillo (!)
as an audience member asks about winning an Oscar forGet Out.
AndKenan Thompsonclarifying his name is different from Keegan is funny like Uma/Oprah from the 1995 Oscars.
Not going to lie, I can’t forget about Key’s role inDon’t Think Twice.
She adds, “I lovedKey & Peeleand quietly brooded when I learned they were canceled.
I know I was upset because I threw myself into watching British sitcoms and/orDuck Dynasty.
Not in protest, but rather just to drown my feelings and avoid triggers.
I didn’t want to see Black men being funny.
You don’t have to worry about seeing Black people onDuck Dynastyor on BBC-TV comedies.
Luther isn’t a comedy.”
Her favoriteKey & Peele sketch is"I Said Bitch."
Prom Show
Bowen Yang andHeidi Gardnerare hosting a show from their high school prom.
This prom is brought to you by water bottles, strapless bras, and hand stuff.
“Hippie or crazy religious?”
Yang asks Chloe Fineman.
Aidy Bryant and Mikey Day are two dorks who bang.
That is hilarious and noted.
The Last Dance: Extended Scene
This is a follow-up on the already classicMichael Jordan documentary.
Key portrays His Airness.
“Just an amazing competitor,” says Alex Moffat as Phil Jackson.
I love seeing Kenan’s Charles Barkley.
The Muppet Show
OMG, this is an amazing recreation.
Melissa Villasenor is doing a spot-on Lily Tomlin.
Statler and Waldorf are heckling the show per usual.
Suddenly, Kenan and Keegan appear as security.
“You are more than welcome to leave!”
He keeps calling Kermit “Kramer.”
Things get violent, as Kenan lays into their “filthy asses.”
This ends with a savage, dark joke about assaulting disabled veterans.
Hats off to Steven Castillo, Gary Richardson, and Dan Bulla for penning this.
This is classic and a great showcase for all involved.
I hope this encourages more people to rediscover the originalMuppet Show, now streaming on Disney+.
The Muppets are operated by the Monkey Boys, who are based out of Philadelphia.
Beck Bennett, Mikey Day, and Kyle Mooney provided the voices.
Gemma & DJ Balls
Poor Kenan, his wife left him on his birthday.
His friends are consoling him at TGI Fridays.
They’ve hired him a band, who keep referencing their deep love.
(Reminder: They have a new show on Apple!)
Good to see Gemma again this is one of Cecily’s recurring characters from a minute ago!
Olivia Rodrigo ‘Drivers License
Here we go, one of the TikTok generation’s great anthems.
Bit of a Lana Del Rey vibe to me, personally.
But it is an undeniable bop.
Itisremarkable, as much as things change, things stay the same.
Time is a flat circle.
Ellen Cleghorne says she’d “love to do a parody” ofthe music video.
She adds that Olivia “has a beautiful voice and she’s young.
Poor people don’t have that problem of driving by their ex’s house at 16.
This is what we mean by, ‘in all things give thanks.’
Mo’ money, mo' problems.
If you could’t buy gas, you could’t have boy problems.”
you could sense the energy from the crowd.
They also go into Liz Cheney losing her leadership spot this week.
Kate McKinnon appears as Cheney.
She was supposed to be an example of every Republican woman: “blonde, mean.”
Her allies include “Nancy Reagan’s… ghost” and Jared from Subway.
“Conservatives are leaving me high and dry!”
“Do you know who my father is?!”
Andrew Dismukescomes on and begins talking about his photo-less Wikipedia page, and his home state of Texas.
He pays tribute to his “Old Ma Ma,” his great grandmother.
Some refer to these as DCOMs, if I am not mistaken.
I am a fan of how specific this is!
Kentucky horse racing rules don’t allow that.
I asked Ellen about her experience with Che on his HBO show.
She says, “I loved working for Michael Che and playing his mother.
My favorite part was the game show scene.
It was the best day of my life since I have an artistic crush on Che.
He’s the perfect comic fearless, funny, and unapologetic.
Working with him I finally understood what ‘lightning in a bottle’ meant.
I can’t wait for season 2 and hope they have me back."'
Gershwin Tribute
Woof.
They welcome Key on stage for a song.
he yells at Day.
This is tedious, complete with a random Kenan reaction shot.
Is this the third time Cecily and Key have sung together in a sketch tonight?
Little much, no?
Olivia Rodrigo ‘Good 4 U’
Okay, this isripping Paramore, right?
“Misery Business” stans, reveal yourselves.
I mean, good for her.
Having lived through the height of emo pop punk in the mid-2000s, this is not for me.
They cannot contain their enthusiasm while sitting in the crowd.
Then Aidy Bryant, Andrew Dismukes, and Beck Bennett are the hillbillies who also join in.
Final Thoughts
“This was better than the dream!”
Keegan-Michael Key definitely delivered!
What did you think?
!Vote hereor weigh in below!
Thank you again to Ellen Cleghorne!
Check out her scenes with Che on HBO Max!-Do you like comedy?
Watchingthings on YouTube?Spotify?
Do you like comedy?
Watchingthings on YouTube?Spotify?
I hosted it courtesy ofSNL Stats.
We do a deep dive on the Best Comedic Performance category, which features many formerSNLcast members.
