Actor Ayo Edebiri, fresh off her Emmy win for “The Bear,” hosted “Saturday Night Live,” which featured musical guest Jennifer Lopez, and a surprise appearance from Nikki Haley.
After two weeks of “Saturday Night Live” episodes featuring actors who couldn’t quite overcome the challenge of hosting the long-running series, it was time to let a comedy pro take the reins. And run it right to the winner’s circle. Recent Emmy winner for “The Bear” Ayo Edebiri proved more than capable, bringing her quick-delivery and comedic energy to nearly every sketch, even the cold open.
Edebiri got emotional in the monologue, sang in multiple sketches, and even got to be the person to confront Nikki Haley (the real Nikki Haley, appearing in the cold open) about omitting slavery when she was asked what caused the Civil War. The host was part of a filmed musical ode to the internet-sexualized “Dune 2” popcorn buckets that have a sandworm mouth on them. With Mikey Day, she portrayed one of two college students who take a hard line against microdosing. Edebiri was one of several people in relationships giving a “New York Morning” show correspondent (Bowen Yang) a hard time because they have less than idyllic meet-cute stories for Valentine’s Day. She played a contestant on a game show, “Trivia Quest,” who gets special treatment from the host (Ego Nwodim); a woman who is stuck on an elevator and wants to create a new society based on hooking up; and the victim of a horrific hairstyling who goes on “The People’s Court,” among other sketches.
Musical guest Jennifer Lopez performed “Can’t Get Enough,” with rappers Latto and Redman, and “This Is Me… Now.” Lopez didn’t appear in any sketches, but comments that Edebiri made on a podcast about her that resurfaced Friday were addressed in a game show sketch we’ll discuss shortly.
Does Haley still have a shot against Donald Trump, the Republican presidential frontrunner? The former South Carolina governor hasn’t had a chance to debate Trump in this election cycle, but she was able to confront the next best thing: James Austin Johnson. Johnson appeared as Trump in the cold open, as part of a CNN Town Hall hosted by Charles Barkley (Kenan Thompson) and Gayle King (Punkie Johnson).
