Longtime Saturday Night Live mainstain John Mulaney returned to Studio 8H last night to host the show just a few days ahead of the United States Presidential Election. Not surprisingly, much of the post-episode conversation has been around Vice President Kamala Harris making a surprise appearance, as well as a fun cameo from Hillary Clinton’s former running mate Senator Kim Kaine. Beyond those louder bits of politics, however, the episode also featured a ton of more traditional SNL stuff I couldn’t get enough of including a musical about bus station milk that featured Pete Davidson and my personal favorite, a pair of new characters inspired by the unconventional relationships of Lana Del Rey and Bella Hadid.
If you don’t keep up with celebrity romances, let me give you the quick highlights here. Mega-successful model Bella Hadid is dating Adnan Banuelos, a self-described cowboy who shows and trains horses. Her sister Gigi, who is also a model, has been rumored to be involved with such celebrities as Leonardo DiCaprio, Bradley Cooper and Zayn Malik, but Bella has gone in a completely different direction and recently bought land in Texas to be closer to her partner. Likewise, popular singer Lana Del Rey recently married a swamp tour guide named Jeremy Dufrene. He gives airboat tours in Louisiana and once took A-lister Glen Powell around, making enough of an impression that the Top Gun: Maverick star posted on Instagram about it.
Both couples seem extremely happy, but they also tend to elicit confused double takes from people when they first hear about the relationship, which is a larger phenomenon that extends to the unfamous. I’m sure you personally know at least one couple who don’t seem like they belong together at all on paper. That’s what Saturday Night Live leaned into last night with two new characters, a poet and student from Barnard College majoring in graveyards and a loud Soul Cycle instructor who loves music. The two were played by Marcello Hernandez and Jane Wickline, who both really commited to the characters. You can watch the chaos below…
One of the keys to Saturday Night Live’s longevity is that it’s a big tent of comedy. There’s not a single style of humor it goes for. Last night featured a lot of political jokes, obviously given what’s going on in the world. It also featured that absolutely insane musical from John Mulaney, as well as some stuff like this that’s just evergreen relatable. Bella Hadid and Lana Del Rey’s current partners might be unique to 2024, but since the dawn of time, people have been getting together that seem like they have no business together on paper. There’s just no accounting for personal attraction.
I love it. The world has plenty of couples that seem like they were predestined to be together. That’s the right play for some people, but I tip my cap to everyone willing to go completely out of their comfort zone and take a risk to make a relationship work with someone who lives a very different life. That’s the stuff that makes the world interesting.
As for Saturday Night Live, it’s, of course, in its historic 50th season. The show has previously announced it will be bringing back lots of former cast members and famous faces for random appearances, and it’ll all culminate in a fun special in February. The show will return with a new episode next week hosted by comedian Bill Burr.