‘SNL’ Balances Pop Culture & Politics with Sabrina Carpenter’s Hosting Debut
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Sabrina Carpenter’s first time hosting Saturday Night Live delivered a night of comedic sketches,with a notable shift towards pop culture references alongside pointed political satire.
Sabrina Carpenter captivated audiences on Saturday night, not onyl as host but also as the musical guest, performing tracks from her latest album, “Man’s Best Friend.” The show’s start was slightly delayed due to ongoing college football games, but the evening quickly gained momentum with a mix of recurring characters adn timely political commentary.
Domingo Returns to Wreak Havoc
The recurring sketch featuring Domingo, the romantic party crasher portrayed by Marcello Hernández, made a triumphant return. Domingo once again targeted Chloe Fineman’s character,kelsey,much to the dismay of her husband,Matt,played by Andrew Dismukes. The sketch centered around Matt’s 30th birthday, with Kelsey’s friends, known as the “kelsquad,” serenading the couple with a song detailing their trip to Nashville – and Domingo’s presence.
“D, O, M, I, N, G, O, Domingo!” the Kelsquad enthusiastically chanted, setting the stage for Domingo’s entrance.The Lothario, complete with a goatee, launched into a song recounting his night with Kelsey in Nashville, a night that apparently resulted in a noise complaint. A frustrated Matt lamented, “kelsey, I’m serious, this is strike six!”
Trump Tackles “GOATed” Vegetables & George Santos
While pop culture dominated much of the night, politics weren’t entirely absent. James Austin Johnson’s portrayal of former President Donald trump took a unique turn, placing the former president as a guest on a podcast hosted by the “Snack Homiez”-a group of 12-year-old boys and one 13-year-old “unc” portrayed by Carpenter and other cast members.
The podcast discussion revolved around surprisingly complex topics for the youthful hosts, including the merits of various vegetables and the best Halloween candies.”Some vegetables are fire, and some vegetables low-key be a fruit,” Carpenter’s character quipped.
Introduced by podcast host Braylor, played by Fineman, as “You know him, he’s all over TikTok: President Donald J. trump,” Johnson’s Trump offered predictably unconventional answers. When asked about his favorite vegetable, he responded, “I’ve never been one for the veggies… Ding Dongs. I like a Ding Dong.” He continued with praise for Little Debbie, stating, “She does tremendous work.It’s awful what happened to her.”
The conversation quickly veered off-topic, leading Trump to unexpectedly praise former Representative George Santos. “You know who I do like is George Santos,” he told the young hosts. “He’s weird. he’s a liar. I think he’s great. We don’t know anything about him.He’s one of our favorite people.I don’t know him at all. I don’t know anything about him.” This comment directly followed news of Trump commuting Santos’ sentence on Friday, after the former representative served only a portion of a seven-year sentence for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Johnson’s Trump then connected the commutation to ongoing “No Kings” protests, suggesting, “The people are marching because they’re happy he’s free, right? It’s a ‘Yes, king’ march.” He ultimately concluded, “So, maybe if I think about it, blue Airhead.”
“SNL” airs on NBC, a division of NBCUniversal, which is also the parent company of NBC News.
