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Benson Boone is making the leap from Coachella to the SNL stage in just a couple weeks, when he’ll perform live as musical guest on the May 3 episode. It will mark Boone’s first appearance on Saturday Night Live. His SNL debut will be alongside Abbott Elementary star Quinta Brunson, who’ll serve as host for […]
Lizzo has a message for President Donald Trump’s economic policies.
During her April 12 appearance as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live, the 36-year-old rapper-singer wore a black T-shirt with the word “TARIFFIED” in bold red letters — a clear jab of Trump’s newly announced 145% tariff on Chinese imports.
Appearing on the Jon Hamm-hosted episode, Lizzo used the platform to promote her upcoming fifth album, Love in Real Life, which currently has no official release date. This marked her fourth appearance on the iconic sketch comedy show (she also hosted once in 2022).
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For her opening performance, Lizzo took the stage with a trio of backup singers and an electric guitar to perform a medley of “Love in Real Life” and “Still Bad.” After a brief shredding session, she ditched the guitar and was joined by a crew of dancers, all dressed in black, to finish off the high-energy performance — all while rocking her politically charged “TARIFFIED” shirt.
Later in the show, Lizzo delivered a show-stopping performance of “Don’t Make Me Love You,” a likely track from Love in Real Life. Channeling an ’80s vibe, she stunned the audience in a shimmery gold dress, with her hair blown by wind machines as she belted out the powerful song.
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Lizzo confirmed last month that Love in Real Life is officially complete. “ALBUM IS DONE YALL!” she shared on Instagram, posting a photo of herself in the studio with a playful caption: “ASTROLOGY EXPERTS Do my mercury got micro braids? Cus I got an emergency root canal, announced SNL & finished my album all in one day today.”
So far, Lizzo has released two tracks from the upcoming album: “Still Bad” and the title track. Aside from “Pink” for Greta Gerwig’s 2023 Barbie soundtrack, the first singles from the project mark the Yitty founder’s first proper releases since 2022’s Special, which reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and spawned two-week Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 single “About Damn Time.”
Watch Lizzo’s SNL performances below. For those without cable, the broadcast streams on Peacock, which you can sign up for at the link here. Having a Peacock account also gives fans access to previous SNL episodes.
In new promos for this weekend’s Saturday Night Live, Lizzo pays homage to another pop star with a rich history on the SNL stage: Britney Spears. Saturday’s musical guest Lizzo wears a Britney T-shirt in the promos, throwing back to the pop princess’ teen-idol days. This weekend will mark Lizzo’s fourth time performing on SNL […]
Jack Black reimagined a classic My Chemical Romance track in a hilarious sketch on Saturday Night Live.
While hosting the iconic sketch comedy show on April 5, the actor and comedian channeled MCR frontman Gerard Way by performing a reggae parody of the band’s 2006 hit “Welcome to the Black Parade.”
The nearly three-minute sketch, titled “Goth Kid on Vacation,” features SNL cast members Kenan Thompson and Ego Nwodim as members of a Jamaican reggae band who cope with their own pain by laughing at goth kids vacationing on their island.
“When there is war and struggle and pain/ How do we fill our souls with joy again?” the duo sings before adding, “We look and we laugh at goth kid on vacation.”
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The camera then cuts to a stereotypical goth teenager (played by Michael Longfellow) dressed in all black with a classic emo hairstyle. He’s shown playing Magic: The Gathering from his hotel balcony, walking the beach in a heavy black leather jacket and combat boots, and belting in frustration after getting hit with a beach ball while painting his nails black.
Halfway through the pre-recorded skit, a long-haired Black joins the scene with a backing band, adding a reggae twist and reimagining the lyrics to My Chemical Romance’s “Welcome to the Black Parade,” which reached reached No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 2007.
“When I was a young boy, my parents took me down to Jamaica for my high school spring break,” Black sings, wearing an outfit reminiscent of Way’s goth-inspired look from the music video. “They said come to the pool, but I stayed in the room with my graphic novels so I could mastur—-.”
Saturday’s episode also featured musical guests Elton John and Brandi Carlile, who performed a pair of songs from their new collaborative album, Who Believes in Angels? Check out their performances of “Little Richard’s Bible” and the project’s title track here.
Watch SNL‘s “God Kid on Vacation” sketch below. For those without cable, the broadcast streams on Peacock, which you can sign up for at the link here. Having a Peacock account also gives fans access to previous SNL episodes.
Saturday Night Live took aim at Morgan Wallen following the country star’s abrupt exit during the show’s end credits in late March.
During the NBC sketch comedy show’s cold open on April 5, just a week after Wallen’s headline-making appearance as musical guest, President Donald Trump — portrayed by James Austin Johnson — made a jab at Wallen while discussing his “Liberation Day” tariffs.
“I even put tariffs on an island uninhabited by humans. It’s called Heard and McDonald Island,” Johnson’s Trump said, holding a poster featuring a hamburger in a hula skirt. “I would love to visit there. Can you imagine that? Big Mac and a hula skirt. Get me to God’s country, right? Remember that?”
The “Get me to God’s country” line was a direct nod to Wallen’s comment on his Instagram Story after his much-discussed exit from the show on March 29, when he abruptly walked off stage at Studio 8H during the end credits after whispering something to host Mikey Madison.
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Later in the April 5 episode, SNL‘s Colin Jost poked fun at Wallen during Weekend Update, cracking jokes about the financial state of the country.
“This was the worst week for the stock market since the summer of 2020. But you have to remember — back then, the president was also Trump,” Jost said. “Just in the past two days, investors have lost over $6 trillion. Money is leaving the stock market faster than Morgan Wallen at goodnights.”
During his musical guest appearance on SNL, Wallen performed the title track from his upcoming album, I’m the Problem, along with his song “Just in Case.”
Just days after his controversial appearance, the country singer capitalized on the highly publicized moment by launching a new line of “Get Me to God’s Country” merchandise. Wallen had not publicly commented on the incident or explained the meaning behind the phrase at press time.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly following Wallen’s walk-off, longtime SNL cast member Kenan Thompson called the incident “definitely a spike in the norm.”
“We’re so used to everybody just turning around and high-fiving us, everybody’s saying, ‘Good job, good job, good job.’ So when there’s a departure from that, it’s like, hmm, I wonder what that’s about?” Thompson said, adding that Prince had done the same thing during his appearance on the show years ago.
“I’m not saying Morgan Wallen is Prince, but we weren’t surprised because Prince was notoriously kind of standoffish. It’s just how he was. So we just thought like, ‘Okay, now he’s gone back into fantasyland.’”
Wallen’s forthcoming album, I’m the Problem, is set to be released on May 16 and features 37 tracks, although only a few song titles have been revealed so far.
Watch SNL‘s cold open and Weekend Update sketches below. For those without cable, the broadcast streams on Peacock, which you can sign up for at the link here. Having a Peacock account also gives fans access to previous SNL episodes.
Elton John and Brandi Carlile paid a visit to Studio 8H to perform a pair of songs from their new collaborative album.
The longtime friends appeared as the musical guests on Saturday Night Live on April 5, with Jack Black taking on hosting duties.
Set against a starry, neon-lit backdrop with their names emblazoned on the walls, the duo opened with the rocking, 1950s-inspired “Little Richard’s Bible,” with John on piano and Carlile on guitar. Later in the episode, they returned for an inspiring performance of the title track from their new album, Who Believes in Angels?
John and Carlile wrote and created the album alongside John’s long-time co-writer Bernie Taupin and producer Andrew Watt. Who Believes in Angels?, which dropped on April 4, features previously released singles “Swing for the Fences,” “Never Too Late” and the title track.
“As my Farewell tour came to an end, I knew I wanted to make a new album with Brandi, I wanted to shift gears and do something different from anything I’d done before,” John previously told Billboard of the project. “I have always found Brandi so inspiring, our friendship was so close, and I just had the instinct that we could produce something really amazing.”
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The iconic musician added, “Creating Who Believes in Angels? was challenging, and I had a lot of self-doubt, but alongside Bernie Taupin and Andrew Watt, we ended up writing 10 songs in 20 days and it was one of the most joyous and exhilarating experiences I’ve ever had in my life.”
This marked John’s first time back on SNL in more than a decade. He last appeared on the sketch comedy show in 2011, when he pulled double duty as both host and musical guest. Prior to that, he made his SNL debut in 1982. Meanwhile, Saturday marked Carlile’s third appearance on the late-night show.
It’s a busy weekend for both musicians. In addition to their SNL appearance, they will also host a one-hour concert special celebrating the new album. An Evening with Elton John and Brandi Carlile will air on CBS on Sunday (April 6), featuring live performances, stories about the duo’s friendship, and an intimate look at the making of their new album.
Watch John and Carlile’s SNL performances below. For those without cable, the broadcast streams on Peacock, which you can sign up for at the link here. Having a Peacock account also gives fans access to previous SNL episodes.
Jack Black is hosting Saturday Night Live for the fourth time this weekend (April 5), and you’d think he’d be a pro by now. However, in a new promo for the show, the School of Rock star gets a little confused as to what “hosting” means.
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In the minute-long clip, cast members Ego Nwodim and Ashley Padilla discuss Black’s odd behavior on set. “I think he thinks hosting SNL is, like, literal hosting,” Nwodim explains. “Like, he’s having people over at his house or something.”
The scene then cuts to various moments in which Black treats studio 8H like his home, demanding that cast member Michael Longfellow take his shoes off before heading to the stage. “Sorry, I’m a stickler,” the comedian says.
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He then repeatedly tells Jane Wickline where the restroom is, offers some more cast members some of his roast for tasting, and makes a call for more ingredients due to the attendance of “more people than I was expecting.”
The clip then cuts back to Nwodim and Padilla, before Black appears behind them, holding a cooking tray. “Oh, great, the asparagus is soggy,” he says before angrily throwing the vegetables in the air. “I am blowing it!”
Black’s last time hosting was 20 years ago, in December 2005. Joining him in this weekend’s episode are Elton John and Brandi Carlile, who will be appearing as the musical guests.
Watch the promo with John and Carlile below, and catch the full Saturday Night Live episode on April 5 at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC, before it begins streaming on Peacock.
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Fresh off the back of his early exit from Saturday Night Live over the weekend, Morgan Wallen has launched a new line of “Get Me to God’s Country” merchandise.
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Launched on Tuesday (April 1), the new merch options are rather simple, consisting of a white shirt and a hat, with the latter available in two different color variants. All the items feature the same design, however, with the Coors logo worked into a design which bears the words “Get Me to God’s Country.”
Despite the timing of the merch drop, the Club Wallen Instagram account has assured fans it’s not part of an April Fools’ Day joke.
The nascent run of merch comes just days after the phrase rose to prominence following Wallen’s early walk-off from Saturday Night Live. After performing a pair of songs from his forthcoming album, I’m the Problem, Wallen briefly joined the SNL cast at the end of the show, as is customary on the long-running sketch comedy series. He then whispered something into host Mikey Madison’s ear, gave her a hug and abruptly walked off the stage at Studio 8H.
Shortly after the incident, Wallen shared a photo on his Instagram Stories from his private plane, with the caption “Get me to God’s country” written over an image of the runway.
Given the somewhat mysterious nature of the phrase and the swift launch of the merchandise line, it’s currently unclear whether the slogan is part of Wallen’s new album, or something else entirely. The forthcoming record, I’m the Problem, is scheduled to be released on May 16 and features a total of 37 tracks, though only a handful of their titles have been released to date.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly following Wallen’s walk-off, longtime cast member Kenan Thompson said the incident was “definitely a spike in the norm.”
“We’re so used to everybody just turning around and high-fiving us, everybody’s saying, ‘Good job, good job, good job.’ So when there’s a departure from that, it’s like, hmm, I wonder what that’s about?” Thompson added, noting that Prince had previously done the same thing during his appearance on the show.
“I’m not saying Morgan Wallen is Prince, but we weren’t surprised because Prince was notoriously kind of standoffish. It’s just how he was. So we just thought like, ‘Okay, now he’s gone back into fantasyland.’”
Wallen is yet to publicly comment on the incident or provide information as to the meaning behind the phrase.
Morgan Wallen’s early Saturday Night Live exit made headlines over the weekend, and now longtime cast member Kenan Thompson is weighing in.
“I don’t know what goes through people’s minds when they decide to do stuff like that. I don’t know if he understood the assignment or not, or if he was really feeling a certain kind of way,” Thompson told Entertainment Weekly. “I thought maybe he had to go to the potty or something.”
The moment happened at the end of the episode, in which Wallen appeared as musical guest to perform a pair of songs from his forthcoming album, I’m the Problem. As is customary, Wallen joined the SNL cast onstage alongside host Mikey Madison to thank viewers for tuning in. Typically, the week’s guests hug and celebrate with the cast members onstage for a few moments before the episode ends.
However, Wallen was seen whispering something into Madison’s ear, giving her a hug and abruptly walking off the stage at Studio 8H. Shortly after, Wallen shared a photo on his Instagram Stories from his private plane, with the caption “Get me to God’s country” written over an image of the runway.
“It’s definitely a spike in the norm,” Thompson said. “We’re so used to everybody just turning around and high-fiving us, everybody’s saying, ‘Good job, good job, good job.’ So when there’s a departure from that, it’s like, hmm, I wonder what that’s about?”
Thompson added that it’s not the first time a musical guest left the stage suddenly. “Prince did the same thing,” he recalled. “I’m not saying Morgan Wallen is Prince, but we weren’t surprised because Prince was notoriously kind of standoffish. It’s just how he was. So we just thought like, ‘Okay, now he’s gone back into fantasyland.’”
He continued, “But Saturday I guess it was just different because it just felt so abrupt. And it was already such a small grouping on the stage anyway. So it was just like, oh wow, that was pretty visible. You know what I’m saying? It was a pretty visible thing.”
Thompson also weighed in on Wallen’s Instagram Story post. “The ‘God’s country’ of it all is strange because it’s like, what are you trying to say? You trying to say that we are not in God’s country? We’re not all in God’s country? We’re not all under God’s umbrella? That’s not necessarily my favorite,” he said. “But whatever. Moving on, we got a new show. We got Jack Black this week.
Wallen has yet to explain his side of the story publicly.
Morgan Wallen‘s hasty retreat from the stage at Saturday Night Live over the weekend during the traditional credits roll lovefest raised a lot of eyebrows. After performing two songs as the musical guest on the episode hosted by Oscar-winning Anora star Mikey Madison, Wallen whispered something into the actress’ ear and then abruptly walked off […]