Last night's episode of SNL was hosted by comedian John Mulaney, with Phoebe Bridgers as the musical guest. It marked Mulaney's seventh time hosting, and he returned with many of his usual comedic signatures, including a massive, NYC-inspired musical bit. His monologue took a few jabs at baby boomers and the generational beef between them and Gen Z. He also delivered a lengthy impression of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The cold open featured a CIA meeting bringing together some of the biggest names in tech — James Austin Johnson as Peter Thiel, Ben Marshall as Sam Altman, Jane Wickline as Dario Amodei, Jeremy Culhane as Elon Musk, and Andrew Dismukes as Mark Zuckerberg — to "learn the difference between a woman who would actually want to have sex with you and a woman who is clearly a spy." The sketch nodded to the recent scandal involving Nvidia co-founder Jensen Huang, who reportedly stepped down from his position after revelations of an extramarital affair with an alleged Chinese spy. Former cast member Bowen Yang returned as Huang.
This year's musical bit centered on new legislation banning horse-drawn carriages in Central Park following concerns over animal abuse and civilian deaths. Veronika Slowikowska delivered a stunning vocal performance as a woman who spends weeks finishing the NYC Marathon, while Kenan Thompson sang as the cloud of weed smoke hovering over Manhattan. Bowen Yang also appeared as Mary Todd Lincoln, reprising the character from Cole Escola's hit show Oh, Mary!
Another standout was a Woodstock sketch imagining how the baby boomer generation would do a complete 180 by 1985 — becoming increasingly corporate, buying houses, and pushing amphetamines and other stimulants.
This marked Bridgers' third time performing on SNL, including one appearance with boygenius. She performed "Bobby" and "Still Standing." She kicked off "Bobby" with a hearty scream as smoke covered the floor, giving the set a ~spooky~ atmosphere. Things only got more haunting with "Still Standing." She wore a white lace dress and seemingly understated makeup, but that all changed during the final third of the song, when blacklighting revealed a skeletal face and made her white dress glow. There was no guitar smashing this time, but it was a deeply moving performance. For "Bobby," she was backed by her touring band, which includes Melina Duterte of Jay Som.
SNL also announced its next live show, airing December 5, with first-time host Amanda Seyfried and first-time musical guest Don Toliver. Watch clips from last night's show below.
