It wouldn’t be Chris Rock internet hosting “Saturday Evening Reside” with out some buttons being pushed, proper?
The previous solid member returned to host for the fourth time and wasted no time in taking jabs at everybody from Jake Paul to Elon Musk and even Jennifer Lopez. However earlier than he acquired into all that, the episode kicked off with a chilly open led by Sarah Sherman as authorized commentator (and rabble-rouser) Nancy Grace. Within the sketch, Grace hosts her crime-related YouTube present the place she discusses the present circumstances surrounding the alleged United Healthcare CEO shooter, Luigi Mangione, and the web’s overt infatuation along with his attractiveness. Whereas primarily skewering the assist being garnered for Mangione and his actions, the chilly open additionally does an ideal job of poking enjoyable of social media itself and the cesspool its grow to be.
As with many stand-up comics who host, Rock’s monologue primarily doubles as considered one of his units, along with his trademark biting humor being directed in direction of Mangione, in addition to Donald Trump’s assassination try in July and the strict deportation coverage that he’s more likely to put in place upon taking workplace subsequent month. Lots of the jokes have been aimed toward offending one particular person or one other, however a universally humorous bit within the monologue concerned Rock criticizing boxer Jake Paul for beating up on a 60 year-old Mike Tyson. Rock pointed to the Netflix particular as a low level for white males and puzzled if Paul would take into account combating Morgan Freeman subsequent. The final on Rock’s checklist of grievances was Joe Biden himself and the pardon he lately gave to his son Hunter Biden. The actor and comic utterly understood why Biden would make a alternative reminiscent of this, however nonetheless discovered it a clumsy denouement to his presidency.
In the one pre-taped skit of the night time, “SNL 50” made mild of everybody’s least favourite vacation pastime: The workplace Christmas get together. Shot and edited like a business from the ’90s or early 2000s or promotional video for an enormous battle, the sketch hilariously juxtaposes the blandness of the standard workplace setting with the depth of a raucous rager. Making mild of all the problems that may come about at these features, from the nice and cozy beer and soggy meals to the prolonged secret Santas that nobody needs to take part in, it’s an ideal encapsulation of what it feels prefer to be compelled to have a good time with folks you actually don’t know all that nicely.
Later within the night, Rock reunited along with his former cast-mate and longtime pal Adam Sandler, who seems in a sketch as a hospital affected person who’s imagined to be having his appendix eliminated, however because of a clerical error made by a careless nurse performed by Sherman, the docs have eliminated his gallbladder as an alternative. Because the docs begin to freak out and throw blame round, Sandler wakes up from the anesthesia to calm them down. This might be much more efficient if he wasn’t squirting blood in everybody’s faces, however he nonetheless manages to get his level throughout amidst the gore.