I was unsure what to expect this week with Charli XCX hosting SNL—perhaps Bowen Yang’s best-day-ever and plenty of brat energy? Charli brought it all, proving she’s not just a pop star but also a fantastic host with solid comedic timing. Along the way, we got some jokes about Trump’s recent cabinet picks and the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight sprinkled throughout. Let’s get into it!
The Cold Open
The cold open spoofed the meeting between Trump and Biden, taking jabs at both sides. After last week’s cold open, I wondered if they might go soft on Trump, but nope—they called out the bizarre cabinet picks and the overall chaos. Biden (Dana Carvey) likened the fireplace in the background, and the aforementioned chaos, to the “This Is Fine Dog” meme, while Trump (James Austin Johnson) complained about the White House feeling “dated”, like a Regal Cinemas, and admitted he forgot how boring being President is.
From there, they zeroed in on Trump’s cabinet picks, referring to Elon Musk and Matt Gaetz as Alien vs. Predator. Sarah Sherman, as Gaetz, hilariously flaunted his recent plastic surgery. And Alec Baldwin made a surprise cameo as RFK Jr., ducking out early because, well, there’s a dead dolphin in his car. It was equal parts unhinged and uncomfortably accurate.
Came all this way, had to explain
Well, the Kels-squad is back, this time at Kelsey’s (Chloe Fineman) baby shower -revealing, to the tune of “Hot to Go”, that a certain viral sensation might be the father. That’s right, D-O-M-I-N-G-O!
Quick throwback: In my recap of the first Domingo sketch, which I stand behind, I wasn’t a fan and could not figure out why the show put this sketch first. Cut to a week later and I’m seeing Domingo all over TikTok. The show clearly saw the viral potential – and honestly, it’s been living rent-free in my head ever since. So my bad on that one!
The twist? Kelsey is having twins and one is Domingo’s and one is Matthew’s. Matthew (Andrew Dismukes) asks Kelsey “when is the last time you saw Domingo?” Domingo (Marcello Hernandez) crashes the party, saying “It is today”, and invites Kelsey and Matthew to Miami to co-parent.
The real highlight for me is Matthew’s outrage as he seems to be only one acknowledging the sheer absurdity of what’s happening, while her friends have no qualms about delivering this devastating news. I guess setting it to a pop banger takes the sting away. Against all odds, I did find myself laughing a few times at this one, as opposed to the first one. Could I actually be warming up to the Domingo sketches? Sorry, probably not.
Wicked Auditions
The “Wicked” auditions sketch was enjoyable, continuing SNL’s tradition of absurd screen test pre-tapes. These are always a favorite of mine, from imagining celebrities in would-be miscast roles to the rapid-fire impressions. This one didn’t compare to the original Star Wars screen test from 1997 or Top Gun, but it wasn’t bad either!
Chloe Fineman nailed spot-on impressions of Sydney Sweeney and Leslie Mann, while Sarah Sherman was perfection as Bernie Sanders auditioning to be the Mayor of Munchkin City. Charli XCX brought her A-game with takes on Adele and Troye Sivan.
Part of what makes these sketches so fun is the chance for the cast showcase impressions that don’t always fit into a typical sketch.
Thanksgiving Baking Championship and the Banger Boyz Podcast
The recurring “Baking Championship” sketch brings back the familiar formula – and Kyle Mooney returns as Ralph. For the cake reveals, we start with an ambitious character cake gone horribly wrong; a wildly inappropriate turkey that launches stuffing out of its body, as the host (Andrew) exclaims “Dear God!”; a beautifully decorated turkey cake, that the judges inexplicably despise; and Ralph makes his triumphant return with another phallic creation.
Sure, the “Baking Championship” sketches are predictable at this point, but the sheer absurdity of the cake reveals never fails to make me laugh.
The “Banger Boyz Podcast” sketch – I had to research this one – and it seems to be a reference to the Nelk Boys’ Full Send Podcast, where Trump was a guest in October. If you’re unfamiliar- as I was – it’s basically a bunch of prankster YouTube bros, who dabble in right-wing propaganda.
The hosts are played by Andrew, Marcello, and Emil Wakim. The sketch leans into their cluelessness: they ramble about Trump winning the election and casually name-drop his podcast appearance. Then things escalate when Marcello gets a call from Trump asking him to be the Secretary of Commerce. Naturally, none of them know what that means and decide it must involve being in charge of “all the commercials.” Charli XCX, playing the show’s producer, steps in to clarify, “I think it’s about, like, international trade.”
Charli stole the show with hilarious ad reads throughout the sketch, for products like “The Pube Wacker”, “Zyn Junior Nicotine Patches for Kids”, and “Male Chimp.”
Acting Teacher
Marcello plays an acting teacher in a commercial-acting class, who has two acting credits to his name – Fear Factor and MILF Manor, where he accidentally hooked up with his mom. As he gives the students questionable tips on random words to emphasize and never turning away from the camera -but instead walk backwards with high-knees, in the most unnatural way possible. He attempts a teaching exercise delivering “perfect ad reads” of company slogans, yelling “What’s in your WAAALLLEETT?” and “Fine! Have it your way!”
Marcello was hilarious in the role, which is a bit different or him, and he seems to be bringing an Adam Sandler-type of energy.
Shrek: The Musical
The last sketch of the show begins with four friends coming out of Shrek: The Musical, waiting for the fifth friend Leilani (Charli XCX). She emerges from the theater with a green mouth, clearly having hooked up with Shrek. Sarah Sherman‘s character goes inside to find the director, returning moments later with her own green mouth and incriminating green handprints.
As this is happening, the group engages in hilariously random banter about being late for their Domino’s reservation. Pablo (Emil Wakim) finally chimes in to discuss pizza toppings, leading to short-tempered Gadget (Bowen Yang) to sass, “Finally, Pablo chimes in.” Pablo claps back with, “Three chatty ladies on Adderall and a gay guy—it’s hard to get a word in.” Gadget responds, “Hey, I’m on Adderall too!”
Eventually, Gadget turns his back to the group, revealing green face and hand prints on the back of his pants. Michael Longfellow shows up as the guy playing Shrek, swaggering in with the line, “Well, well, well, if it isn’t the three onions I just peeled back.” Gadget tells him to choose one of them, and he chooses Pablo, the one who “just wants to get to Domino’s.“ All of the unhinged banter and random 1-liners – this was such a fun, silly sketch at the end of the show.
Parting Thoughts
Not knowing what to expect of Charli’s comedic ability, I was blown away. She was incredible and totally committed—whether it was nailing accents, impressions, or diving headfirst into complete chaos. From her Troye Sivan screen test in the Wicked sketch to the bizarre ad reads in the acting class, Charli proved she can hold her own. While not every sketch hit it out of the park, the bold choices and chaotic energy kept things entertaining. Here’s hoping SNL will have Charli back to host!
The show returns on December 7th with host Paul Mescal and musical guest Shaboozy.
