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Ariana Grande was working late on Saturday Night Live this weekend, ’cause she’s a singer — not that you would’ve been able to tell from her hilarious spoof of Sabrina Carpenter‘s “Espresso” during the live comedy show Saturday (Oct. 12).
And one day after the sketch — which featured the Wicked star stumbling through parody lyrics set to the tune of the summer smash as part of an awkward bridesmaid tribute — the “Please Please Please” musician shared her reaction. “Very nice and on pitch,” Carpenter sarcastically joked on her Instagram Story, reposting a clip of the skit and adding a couple heart emojis.
The Girl Meets World alum also tagged Grande and the SNL cast members who played bridesmaids alongside the “We Can’t Be Friends” artist in the wedding reception-themed sketch: Heidi Gardner, Sarah Sherman and Ego Nwodim. While toasting a bride played by Chloe Fineman in front of her groom, played by Andrew Dismukes, the quartet reveals through their rendition of “Espresso” that their bachelorette party trip wasn’t exactly innocent.
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“Now we’re back in the house in the hot tub/ She’s there with Domingo,” the bridesmaids sing to the chorus melody of Carpenter’s Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hit as Dismukes watches in horror. “Asks us to leave, get a hotel/ She’s vibing with Domingo.”
Sharing the “Feather” singer’s appraisal on her own Instagram Story, Grande replied, “tysm we tried.”
The “Espresso” skit was just one of several hilarious moments in the Grande-hosted episode Saturday. Though she made a concerted effort not to show off her usually fabulous vocals in the bridesmaid toast, the three-time Grammy winner did get to put her talents to use in a couple other scenes — despite Stevie Nicks appearing as musical guest instead of her.
In her opening monologue, for instance, Grande belted out a few runs in front of a kick line moments after pledging to keep her appearance on the show low-key. Elsewhere, the pop star impersonated Celine Dion, sang an ode to the singular scent of one’s best friend’s house and flexed her opera chops while portraying a young Italian music prodigy named Antonio.
Grande’s second time hosting comes eight years after she first led the show in 2016, and seven months after she appeared as musical guest earlier this year to perform tracks from her Billboard 200-topping album Eternal Sunshine. In May, Carpenter made her SNL debut, singing “Espresso” and “Please Please Please” on the Jake Gyllenhaal-hosted program.
Watch Grande’s “Espresso” spoof on SNL below.
Ariana Grande doesn’t care how popular Wicked is — she still doesn’t want to make jokes about it during her upcoming hosting stint on Saturday Night Live. In a new promo video posted Wednesday (Oct. 9), the pop star meets with a group of the comedy show’s cast members to discuss sketch ideas. “Guys, I’m […]
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Marcello Hernandez has brought a new energy to Saturday Night Live as the breakout star to join the show’s latest cast of comedians. As a result, the 26-year-old has teamed up with some of his favorite Latin music artists including Bad Bunny (who he most recently impersonated) and Karol G. In celebration of the comedy sketch show’s 50th season as well as Hispanic Heritage Month, Hernandez is raising a glass to his achievements in a new campaign with Buchanan Scotch Whiskey.
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The #ComoLoDigas campaign looks to celebrate and display the various ways that Buchanan’s 200% fans pronounce (and enjoy) the beverage, while demonstrating that “what may differentiate Latinos in language unites them in community,” the brand says in a press statement.
As a fellow 200%-er, the #ComoLoDigas campaign also has a personal connection for the actor.
“One of the reasons that it’s been a really cool experience to work with Buchanon’s is the 200% campaign, which is just highlighting people that are 100% their culture or their parents’ culture, and then also 100% American,” Hernandez says in an interview with Billboard. “I think a lot of first-generation people like myself can relate to that.”
SNL‘s Marcello Hernández and Chef Manolo Lopez celebrate the new #ComoLoDigas Buchanan’s Whisky’s Campaign at the soft opening of Café Colmado.
José “Tutes” Tutivén
Keep reading to shop the whiskey and learn more about Hernandez’s experience as a cast member on SNL — including his secret to the perfect Bad Bunny impression as well as what he’s most excited for when Ariana Grande takes over hosting duties.
Choosing Buchanan’s Scotch Whiskey seemed like a natural choice for the comedian as it was a go-to for his family.
“You spend a lot of time when you’re younger not drinking,” he says. “When you get old enough to drink, you just want something that’s familiar. I think that this was really familiar to me because of the family parties I used to go to. It’s like a household name, if you will.”
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His preferred way to take the drink is just a simple mix that avoids sugar: a splash of soda in a glass.
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Part of the reason Buchanan’s tapped Hernandez to be the face of the campaign was through their effort to bring younger Lantino Americans into the forefront — especially as Latino culture and language in the U.S. has evolved over the years. The campaign also hopes to unite the different communities within the culture by celebrating 200% pride and uniting everyone no matter what form (or sound). Within the campaign video, the brand spotlights the various ways in which people have been pronouncing “Buchanan’s” over the years “based on their country of origin, cultural slang or even the neighborhoods they live in, ensuring the love for Buchanan’s Whisky remains, no matter the pronunciation.”
Latino culture in the U.S. and language have evolved over the years, with younger Latino Americans celebrating our nuances, not to create division, but rather to celebrate 200% pride and uniting us no matter what form (or sound) it takes. Launching during Hispanic Heritage Month, the campaign is inspired by the various ways different communities
Below, ShopBillboard chats with Hernandez more about life as a cast member on SNL, his favorite artists and what he looks forward to most when Grande takes over as host.
You just had the premiere for the 50th season. Compared to last season, what was different about this premiere experience?
Well, this year we had Maya [Rudolph] and Andy Sandberg and Jim Gaffigan and Dana Carvie, who all stopped by to play characters of the Presidential race. Having them there set the tone for what season this is going to be and show you how important it is. I just think it’s beautiful, the relationship that people that have graduated from the show still have with it.
You also did a Bad Bunny impression for the premiere. Did he know about it beforehand?
I didn’t tell him, but I did keep him in mind. I didn’t want to ruin the little relationship that we do have, but it was fun. He’s somebody that before I met him, I was just a huge fan. It’s fun to dress up like somebody that you’re fan of.
What do you think is the secret to the perfect Bad Bunny impression?
I think there’s probably different ways to do it, whether he’s on stage versus off stage. Off stage he’s definitely not like a a crazy loud person, maybe the way I am, so maybe turning myself down a couple notches and being a little more chill. He has a grace to him that is fun to watch, and it’s hard to throw him off.
And then looking forward, Ariana Grande is supposed to be hosting soon — any dream sketches with her?
I don’t know if I have any dream sketches, but I do know that when I was 12 or 13, my family and I did a trip to LA, and we were at a restaurant and we saw her. Back then, my sister and I would probably watch her on Victorius and I remember just being like,”we have to take a picture with her.”
We did. There’s this really old picture of really young me with Ariana. Any sketch that we do together will feel like a full circle moment.
Are there any musical guests you’re looking forward to seeing?
Personally, all I listen to is Latin music. I think just having any Latin artist come by would be beautiful and would definitely have me dancing at 8H.
Check below to watch the official campaign video for the Buchanan’s Scotch Whiskey.
When Saturday Night Live debuted in 1975, Kenan Thompson wasn’t even born yet — but Coldplay and Nate Bargatze think the longtime castmember has always been on the show.
“So Kenan, you have been on the show 50 whole years,” Bargatze says to Thompson in new promos for this weekend’s episode. “That’s amazing. How does it feel? … You had to be, what, 10 when it started?”
“You think I’m 60 years old?” Thompson says in disbelief.
“You look amazing for your age!” Bargatze adds, with Coldplay’s Chris Martin chiming in “You really do,” as his bandmates nod along.
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“Aw, thanks, Coldplay,” Thompson says.
Sure, Thompson is the longest-tenured castmember in the show’s history — joining in 2003 and now in his 21st season on the sketch comedy show — but he’s just 46 years old, so he missed a few of the early years. (Fun fact: Thompson was the first regular castmember to be born after the show’s 1975 premiere.)
Elsewhere in the promos, Thompson pokes fun at his long tenure. “This is what I love about SNL,” Thompson says. “People from all over the world coming together to put on a show.”
“I’m from America!” Bargatze says, while Martin adds, “We’re from not America!” Then Thompson admits: “I’m from just behind the door, right over there. Born and raised. All my life, right here.”
Coldplay are returning to the show for an eighth time as musical guest, promoting their brand-new album Moon Music, out Friday. Comedian Bargatze is returning as host for a second time after making his SNL debut last year.
SNL season 50 premiered last weekend, with Jean Smart hosting and Jelly Roll as musical guest.
Watch Bargatze and Coldplay’s Saturday Night Live promos below, and catch the new episode on Saturday (Oct. 5) at 11:30 p.m. ET/8:30 p.m. PT on NBC, before it streams on Peacock.
Jelly Roll brought a pair of new tracks during his musical guest debut on the season 50 premiere of Saturday Night Live. The 39-year-old country singer and rapper brought positive energy to Studio 8H on Sept. 28, performing new songs “Liar” and “Winning Streak,” both of which will appear on his upcoming album, Beautifully Broken, […]
While Chappell Roan has been very serious about her pleas to fans to respect her personal space, Saturday Night Live found a way to make light of the situation on this weekend’s season 50 premiere by likening the red-hot pop star to Moo Deng, the 2-month-old pygmy hippo living at a zoo in Thailand.
On Saturday night’s Weekend Update, Bowen Yang portrayed the viral hippo, who confided in Colin Jost about how hard it was to have the world’s attention on her and have zoogoers throwing bananas and shellfish at her.
“The response has been overwhelming, but it has come to the point that I have to set some boundaries,” Yang said, going on to paraphrase Roan’s words. “Reminder: Women owe you nothing. When I’m in my enclosure, tripping over stuff, biting my trainer’s knee, I am at work. That is the project. Do not yell my name or expect a photo just because I’m your parasocial bestie or because you appreciate my talent.”
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In August, the “Good Luck, Babe!” singer made headlines for speaking out against toxic fan behavior, detailing experiences with stalking and crossed boundaries that she’s faced over the past few months. “I’ve been in too many nonconsensual physical and social interactions and I just need to lay it out and remind you, women don’t owe you sh–,” she wrote at the time in an Instagram post. “I chose this career path because because I love music and art and honoring my inner child, I do not accept harassment of any kind because I chose this path, nor do I deserve it.”
Yang as Moo Deng went on to joke: “Before me, the only hippos in media were either Hungry, Hungry or Jada Pinkett in Madagascar. But now, I’m your favorite hippo’s favorite hippo.”
When Jost suggested that Yang’s Moo Deng sounded a lot like Chappell Roan, the Weekend Update host asked if she even knew who Roan was. “I’m 10 weeks old, Colin. Of course I know Chappell Roan,” Yang said. “And by the way, leave her alone! Let her take as much time as she needs for her mental health.”
On Friday, Roan dropped out of her scheduled performances at the All Things Go festival in both New York and Maryland, writing in a message on her Instagram Story, “I apologize to people who have been waiting to see me in NYC & DC this weekend at All Things Go, but I am unable to perform. Things have gotten overwhelming over the past few weeks and I am really feeling it. I feel pressures to prioritize a lot of things right now and I need a few days to prioritize my health. I want to be present when I perform and give the best shows possible.”
On SNL, Moo Deng also mirrored Roan’s comments about why she wouldn’t endorse a presidential candidate. “I know I’m only 10 weeks old, but this is very important to me so please listen: I will not be making an endorsement in this year’s election.” Roan recently said she would not be endorsing anyone in the U.S. presidential election, but then later clarified that she would be voting for Kamala Harris after fan backlash.
The Weekend Update segment wasn’t Yang’s only reference to Roan in Saturday’s episode: In a sketch later in the night, Yang referred to the classic show I Love Lucy as a “femininomenon,” borrowing the name of a Chappell Roan song.
Watch Yang as Moo Deng below:
In promos for the season 50 premiere of Saturday Night Live, former castmember Maya Rudolph is making her presence known. Musical guest Jelly Roll and host Jean Smart — both making their SNL debuts this weekend — are joined by castmember Marcello Hernandez in the new promos, but there was one more on the way. […]
Talent for the first five episodes for Saturday Night Live‘s 50th season were announced on Wednesday (Sept. 18), with Ariana Grande returning as host on Oct. 12. The first episode of the landmark season on Sept. 28 will feature Hacks star Jean Smart as host joined by first-time musical guest Jelly Roll. Somehow, the six-time […]
Bowen Yang can say for sure that he’s been changed for good after becoming friends with Ariana Grande on the set of Wicked last year.
In a new interview with The New Yorker published Monday (Sept. 16), the actor-comedian got candid about struggling with his mental health while shooting the Jon M. Chu-directed musical duology in England throughout 2023, during which he was also flying back and forth to work as a cast member on Saturday Night Live on the weekends. Luckily, there was someone looking out for him during that time.
“This cannot sound anything but name-droppy, but Ariana Grande was reaching out and going, ‘Are you OK? Come over! Let’s just watch a movie. Let’s get you better,’” Yang recalled. “She was there for me in a true way.”
The “Yes, And?” singer also recalled thinking that her friend’s hectic schedule was “worrisome.” “I understand what it feels like to travel back and forth so often and then have to perform the next day, with no time for your body or mind to figure out what’s going on,” Grande told the publication. “It is incredibly hard and unusual. So I just wanted to make sure he had an ear and a hug and the support he needed.”
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The interview comes just a couple months ahead of the first Wicked film’s Nov. 22 premiere. As recently announced, the second installment will come almost exactly one year later.
Just like in real life, Yang and Grande’s characters (a Shiz student named Pfannee and Glinda, respectively) are friends in the Wicked movies, which take inspiration from both the Broadway musical and Gregory Maguire’s novel of the same name. The Fire Island actor has also proven that he’s as much of a ride-or-die for the two-time Grammy winner as she is for him, with Yang coming to her defense on a March episode of his Las Culturistas podcast with Matt Rogers.
“The narrative is wrong,” Yang said on the show of last year’s tabloid frenzy surrounding Grande’s romance with another Wicked actor, Ethan Slater. “I can tell you for a fact that what people out there seem to be clinging on to is incorrect.”
“If you think this invites karma, I’m here to tell you, your set of facts – I’m not going to reveal the actual facts, because they’re not mine to reveal,” he continued at the time, directly addressing critics who ran with the unsubstantiated narrative that Grande “home-wrecked” Slater’s relationship with ex-wife Lilly Jay, with whom the Broadway alum shares a young son. “But I can say that the matrix of information that you are using to draw a line to the karmic outcome you want is not existent.”
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With the hype behind Kamala Harris’ presidential run continuing to build momentum (and garnering all kinds of hate), fans have been demanding that comedian Maya Rudolph reprise her role as the current vice president of the United States on SNL. Apparently, she will oblige.
According to Deadline, Maya Rudolph plans on returning to Saturday Night Live to give the Harris campaign a comedic boost until election season is over. With the stakes being as high as they are in this current election cycle—thanks to an orange wannabe dictator who plans on making Project 2025 his blueprint for a new America—Rudolph seems intent on using her comedic powers to help propel Kamala Harris into the White House and making that a priority from now until November.
Deadline reports:
Deadline has learned that pre-production on Season 3 of Rudolph’s Apple TV+ comedy series Loot, which was scheduled to begin filming August 26, has been paused. According to sources, the cast and crew of the comedy series, which Rudolph headlines and executive produces, were told earlier this week that production has been pushed for scheduling reasons.
Maya Rudolph is taking her role in fighting for democracy dead serious, and we love her for it. This is nothing new for Saturday Night Live as they’ve become a target for far-right trolls who feel they use their platform to clown their orange overlord and his disciples while propping up his political rivals.
SNL previously employed a similar stunt-casting strategy in the lead-up to the 2020 Presidential election with Jim Carrey and Rudolph playing Joe Biden and Harris from the start of the TV season in early October through December. Carrey relocated to New York, where SNL is based, for the duration.
Jim Carrey as Joe Biden was hella funny though.
Now that Kamala Harris is the main focus of this year’s presidential campaign, it will be interesting to see how Maya Rudolph re-introduces herself when SNL returns to the airwaves on Sept. 28.
Are you excited about Maya Rudolph’s return as Kamala Harris on Saturday Night Live? Let us know in the comments section below.