‘SNL’: Kate McKinnon skewers ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, Oscar Isaac hosts
After booking key roles in the “Star Wars,” “Dune” and Marvel Cinematic universes, Oscar Isaac has conquered yet another major entertainment institution: “Saturday Night Live.”
This weekend, Isaac made his highly anticipated “SNL” hosting debut opposite musical guest Charli XCX. The acclaimed actor kicked off an episode jam-packed with commentary on a wide range of hot-button topics, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill, Rihanna’s baby bump and Netflix’s “Inventing Anna.”
“My name is Oscar Isaac, but my full name is Oscar Isaac Hernández Estrada,” the “Card Counter” star began his opening monologue.
“I said to Hollywood, ‘You can pick two of these names.’ Guess what they went with? The white ones. I’m half Guatemalan, half Cuban. Or, as casting directors call that, ‘ethnically ambiguous.’ According to them, I can play anything from a pharaoh to Timothée Chalamet’s daddy.”
To promote his forthcoming performance in Marvel’s “Moon Knight,” Isaac shared home videos of himself making a superhero movie as a child at his friend’s house in Miami. Marvel’s latest TV entry, starring Isaac as the titular vigilante with a double identity, premieres March 30 on Disney+.
“You might be asking, ‘Oscar, why did you use your monologue to show us these old home videos?’” he continued.
“The reason is: It’s important to encourage kids to be weirdos. Because, every once in a while, one of those weirdos grows up to host ‘SNL.’”
Pop singer-songwriter Charli XCX is holed up in Beachwood Canyon with her boyfriend and two roommates. “The idea of remaining still is quite daunting to me.”
Also on Saturday’s installment, dance-pop star Charli XCX performed “Beg for You” and “Baby,” and longtime “SNL” cast member Kenan Thompson taped his 1,500th sketch on the comedy series.
Here are some more highlights from this weekend’s episode.
Cold open tackles Ukraine, Fox News-style
On the first sketch of the night, Fox News anchors Laura Ingraham (Kate McKinnon) and Tucker Carlson (Alex Moffat) hosted the network’s “Ukrainian Invasion Celebration Spectacular,” with special guests Donald Trump (James Austin Johnson), Steven Seagal (Bowen Yang), Donald Trump Jr. (Mikey Day) and Kimberly Guifoyle (Cecily Strong).
At the top of the show, the pair of conservative pundits took a moment to address “all the nice things we said about Russia and all the mean things we said about Ukraine” in recent weeks.
“We did sound pretty awful in hindsight and foresight,” McKinnon’s Ingraham said. “I called the president of Ukraine pathetic. He stayed and fought with his people in the war, and I called him pathetic from a news desk in Washington.”
“I kept saying we should be more worried about our own border getting invaded by Mexico,” Moffat’s Carlson added. “In my defense, I am racist, so I thought that was true.”
Chloe Fineman goes full Anna Delvey
One of “SNL’s” newest and brightest stars, Chloe Fineman, took the “gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss” meme to an extreme after watching one too many episodes of “Inventing Anna,” the hit Shonda Rhimes series about infamous Russian German con artist Anna Delvey.
“This food is, like, basic, you know,” Fineman said, mimicking “Inventing Anna” star Julia Garner’s accent on the show. “Chips are broke-ass. We need something more exclusive. More VIP.”
McKinnon defends — then defies —Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill
During Saturday’s “Weekend Update” segment, McKinnon sounded off about new Florida legislation banning discussions of sexual orientation or gender identity in schools — also known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
“I heard about this law, and I think it’s amazing,” McKinnon joked, initially feigning ignorance about the purpose of the bill.
“When I was in middle school in the ‘90s, I was tortured by the constant use of the word gay. Like, ‘That’s so gay’ or ‘Ew, you’re gay.’ It made me feel horrible. And to hear that [Florida Gov.] Ron DeSantis has taken a stand and said, ‘No, you cannot say gay in school anymore,’ I’m so jazzed. And in Florida, of all places.”
After “Weekend Update” co-anchor Colin Jost clarified that the bill actually prohibits schools from acknowledging that “gay exists at all,” McKinnon pivoted with her signature comedic flair.
“Anyway, I am deeply gay — sorry, deeply concerned,” she continued.
“This is gonna make kids gay and trans — sorry, depressed and suicidal. And I think these laws are lesbians — sorry, unconscionable. ... If the ‘90s were right, and gay means bad, then this is the gayest law I have ever seen.”
Rihanna’s impeccably dressed baby bump sparks envy
Also on “Weekend Update,” a “weary [pregnant] mother in her darkest hour” played by Ego Nwodim commented on pop sensation Rihanna’s baby bump — which has been glamorously accessorized to the nines and heavily photographed in recent weeks.
“Look at Rihanna ... with a perfect, cute little baby bump,” Nwodim said.
“Meanwhile, I look like I’m trying to shoplift a turducken. I’m just regular pregnant. I want to be famous pregnant. ... You know how I announced my pregnancy? I threw up on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.”
‘PAW Patrol’ protesters say screw the paw-lice
What if the setting of Nickelodeon’s popular children’s cartoon, “PAW Patrol,” was a real town? That’s the premise of this “SNL” sketch, starring Isaac as a city councilman protesting the mayor’s “PAW Patrol” initiative.
“Enough is enough!” Isaac said. “Fact: This mayor fired all of our city’s police officers, firefighters and paramedics and replaced them with a group of six talking dogs. I think that was a bad idea, and I’m not alone....
“Criminals and lowlifes are flocking here because they know there’s only one cop patrolling our streets, and it’s a dog!”
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