SNL favorite Pete Davidson made a surprise return to Studio 8H this weekend. The former cast member was brought out during a segment of Weekend Update, and not surprisingly, the audience sounded very stoked to have him. He did about four minutes or so of jokes, and not surprisingly, he got a ton of laughs poking fun at anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che, himself and of course, his much-discussed ferry boat.
A few weeks ago, The New York Times ran a story on the aforementioned boat, which the pair have named Titanic 2, and in it, the revered paper called it a “money-losing fiasco.” Given the decommissioned ferry boat, which the two have dreamed of redeveloping, has become an occasional source of comedy on SNL itself, it’s not a huge surprise to see the show address the article. You can watch Davidson absolutely crush in his Classic Pete style below, which involves outlining a new scheme: turning the ferry boat into a new home for Staten Island voters mad about the results of the mayoral election…
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This appearance is a great example of Davidson’s unique style and pacing. He writes and delivers clever, well-written jokes about taboo subject matter, but he does so in a very good-hearted troublemaker kind of way. Whether joking about his former boss Lorne Michaels needing to step aside or Michael Che finally looking old or Colin Jost looking like a Kennedy or his own dad tragically passing away, he intentionally seeks out difficult subject matter and then smiles at you while he’s delivering his jokes in a way that’s like half-apologizing and half daring you to get mad.
The ferry boat, of course, isn’t such a sensitive topic. The two, who both have deep connections to Staten Island, bought the State Island ferry boat along with a third investor on a whim with plans to turn it into an event space. Unfortunately, they’ve run into numerous expensive problems, and those issues have been widely discussed in the New York papers, which enjoy making light of the situation. Jost’s own wife Scarlett Johansson has even taken shots at her husband and Pete for their purchase, and SNL has regularly gotten in on the fun as well. Fortunately, the two comedians seem very much in on the joke, and the ferry boat has actually had some high profile wins recently.
Davidson’s appearance was a surprise, but it shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone who watches SNL regularly. The ex-Not Ready For Primetime Player was a very popular cast member for eight seasons and has returned once a year since he left the show in 2022, either as a host or to do a cameo. He was also in multiple sketches during SNL 50 and clearly has a great fondness for the show, the cast and longtime showrunner Lorne Michaels. He’s also still revered by fans.
It’s why, despite not being a traditional cast member, he thrived on the show for so long. You always felt like you got a different presence from him, and to its credit, Saturday Night Live figured out how to showcase that presence really well.
That’s actually a good reason for SNL’s incredible longevity and success. Some cast members, like Will Ferrell, Kristen Wiig, Kenan Thompson and Phil Hartman types, are very easy to showcase in sketch comedy. They’re able to play multiple characters, do impressions and appear in sketches with different comedic sensibilities. Others like Davidson, Adam Sandler and Andy Samberg aren’t that same kind of performer. They’re more aggressively themselves, but the show still found a way to make them co-exist and in the proper moments, stand out and show their natural charisma.
This SNL episode in question was hosted by comedienne Nikki Glaser. The show will return next week with guest host Glen Powell, who fans are really fired up to see. He previously cameoed on the show during Sydney Sweeney’s hosting appearance, but it’ll be his first time as the star. Given his comedic work, he should be a fantastic fit. Olivia Dean will be the musical guest.