CHARLI XCX - 11.16.2024
Charli XCX brought brat energy to her cameo-filled SNL hosting debut.
Welcome back to Sunday Morning Live!!! Last night marked the first double-duty episode of Season 50, and it was so brat. Charli XCX served as host and musical guest.
Let’s take a look at this week’s episode!
Cold Open
The night kicked off with James Austin Johnson and Dana Carvey portraying Donald Trump and Joe Biden during their White House transition meeting. The sketch made fun of Trump’s recent controversial Cabinet appointment picks, with Sarah Sherman as Matt Gaetz and Alec Baldwin as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The sketch even ended with Johnson’s Trump offering Carvey’s Biden a spot in his Cabinet.
Monologue
After serving as musical guest on the show in 2014 and 2022, Charli XCX hosted for the very first time. In her monologue, she joked about how she got her parents to drive her to play at her first rave at age 15, thanked autotune for being there throughout her entire career, and used Martha Stewart’s recent documentary to explain the meaning of “brat.” Former cast member Kyle Mooney made a cameo to ask Charli if he qualified as “brat” if his favorite type of club is “turkey” and the only drugs he takes are “Claritin.”
Noteworthy Sketches
“Babymoon”
Last month, when Ariana Grande hosted the show, she led the “Bridesmaid Speech” sketch, where four bridesmaids sang a terrible rendition of Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” to accidentally expose the bride’s infidelity with a man named Domingo in front of her husband. That sketch became a viral hit, garnering over 150 million views online. Now, Charli XCX leads a version of the sketch at a baby shower, as the bride is now pregnant, and they expose the fact that “D-O-M-I-N-G-O” is the father of one of her twins to the tune of Chappell Roan’s “HOT-TO-GO.” Personally, I thought it was a bit soon to bring this bit back, but it was fun to watch nonetheless.
“Wicked Auditions”
WithWicked finally hitting theaters next week, SNL provided a look into the audition process by showing screen tests of actors who didn’t make the cut for roles like Glinda, Elphaba and Fiyero. I’m a big fan of when the show does audition sketches, as you get a quick roundup of random impressions from the cast. Among my favorites in this sketch are Charli XCX as Adele (and later as Troye Sivan), Sarah Sherman as Bernie Sanders and Marcello Hernandez as Bad Bunny.
“Here I Go”
In his latest appearance on the show, Andy Samberg led a musical short about his habit of calling the cops for any minor thing that happens outside of his home. Charli XCX even joins in as his wife. Like many Samberg SNL songs, it’s extremely catchy.
“Acting Teacher”
Marcello Hernandez plays an energetic commercial acting teacher with unconventional tips for acting. Charli XCX is his star student (and wife) who *almost* became the face of Mucinex. The duo’s slogan ad read is a real highlight of the sketch as the two choose the worst parts of company slogans to emphasize in their delivery.
“Shrek: The Musical”
A group of four friends attends a production of Shrek: The Musical but it’s slowly revealed by the presence of bright green paint, that they each hooked up with Shrek. The general premise of the sketch is already pretty wacky, but the throwaway lines, like how they’re running late for a reservation at Domino’s, make it work even better.
Weekend Update
In last night’s Weekend Update, Colin Jost and Michael Che joked about everything from Trump’s recent Cabinet picks to Friday night’s boxing match between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul.
Bowen Yang appeared as “Tiger King” Joe Exotic to discuss why he should be pardoned by Trump and his reasoning behind asking to be a part of the president-elect’s Cabinet - all while being attacked and dragged offscreen by a tiger.
Sarah Sherman appeared as the widow of viral social media sensation Peanut the Squirrel, who was euthanized by the New York State Department of Environmental Conversation. Sherman fully delivered in her chaotic impression of squirrel life, and the sound effects are hilarious.
Musical Guest
Charli XCX brought brat to Studio 8H with performances of “360” and “Sympathy is a knife,” in front of giant flashy screens reminiscent of her Sweat Tour. Julia Fox, the inspiration for the “so Julia” line in “360,” introduced Charli’s performance of the song.
“360”
“Sympathy is a knife”
That’s your rundown! Let me know — what did you think of this week’s episode?
The next episode of Saturday Night Live airs on December 7th and will feature Paul Mescal as host, with musical guest Shaboozey. See you then!
