S44.E01: Adam Driver / Kanye West

[MBayGal]

Was the woman on the large screen in Kanye's first song Retta?  Looked like her to me.  

[vb68]

1 hour ago, peeayebee said:

Maybe I was imagining things, but I thought they were going for just the opposite -- The partiers think this is the best time of their lives, but all the shitty stuff that happens later is kind of karma for that behavior. I don't know.

This is more or less the way I took it. Karma is the right word. I definitely didn't view it as being positive or that it wasn't suppose to matter. At best all the "kids" turned out as hypocrites. At worst they were assholes. I was just kinda surprised they left Kavanaugh's name out of it. 

Edited September 30, 2018 by vb68

[theredhead77]

2 hours ago, helenamonster said:

I am confounded by the frat party sketch. In any other political climate it would at best be mildly amusing and at worst instantly forgettable, but in the context of the Kavanaugh hearings...what were they trying to say, exactly? That the shit you get up to in high school and college should have no bearing on your adult professional life? Like sure, a doctor probably shouldn't lose his license because he went to a kegger in college, but what Kavanaugh is accused of doing is so much worse and the way he has dealt with it has demonstrated to a huge portion of the country that he is not fit for one of the most influential positions in American politics. I want to call the sketch tone-dead, except I don't even know what tone they were going for.

 

1 hour ago, peeayebee said:

Maybe I was imagining things, but I thought they were going for just the opposite -- The partiers think this is the best time of their lives, but all the shitty stuff that happens later is kind of karma for that behavior. I don't know. Now that I think about it, maybe I was just seeing what I wanted to see. I'm not interested enuf to watch it again.

I wonder if the party sketch was based on this Vox article about rape culture and the 80s 

[Linnee]

Quote

The Kanye number was a fucking mess....he's an idiot

I thought it was the longest, most stupid skit ever. Until I recognized his face. WTF was that? Not art. Or entertaining.

[JZL]

Wow, Kanye/Ye/Fishdicks needs to be taken down about a hundred thousand notches.  He probably thinks his own farts are high art. 

IMHO Pete Davidson needs to find some other topic for his humor besides himself.  I'm sympathetic, but after a year it stops being funny.  Maybe in three months it'll be revealed that his whole Grande thing was some Kaufman-esque bit.  At least he did well in the classroom sketch.

Adam Driver was pleasantly surprising.  He nutted that classroom sketch.  There were a lot of pretty good laugh lines and the show was mostly good.  It's too bad KW had to fart all over it.

[Amethyst]

2 hours ago, MBayGal said:

Was the woman on the large screen in Kanye's first song Retta?  Looked like her to me.  

Adele Givens, a comedian and actress.  

[Macbeth]

10 hours ago, Pete Martell said:

 

Anyway, Kate McKinnon is very funny and very talented, but all I saw with her Lindsey Graham was some very difficult makeup and a lot of effort on her part to grind out an impression. 

I agree.  I think Graham would be easy to lampoon.  Kate had the makeup and really nothing else.  It was a fail and I like her RBG impersonation.

For me Jon Stewart's impersonation of Graham as Scarlett O'Hara was the best. I wish Colbert would invite Stewart on tomorrow night to do it. 

[Janimo]

A bit more info about what an asshole Kayne was on SNL:

https://start.att.net/news/read/article/people-kanye_wests_protrump_rant_gets_boos_on_saturday_ni-rtime/category/entertainment

[vb68]

Wow. I just hope Lorne is playing him, and they really don't want Ye to come back and host. I imagine the cast might revolt.

 

4 hours ago, Galileo908 said:

There's a theory going around that Kyle's name was deliberately forgotten to tie in to the sketch.

I just read that Kyle's name was put back in for the late encores on the West Coast, so this might be giving them too much credit. I think it was a legit mistake. It's a good theory, though.

Since nobody has said anything, Trump did trash the show in a tweet today. Just like old times. I bet anything he was watching.

Edited October 1, 2018 by vb68

[Guest]

2 hours ago, JZL said:

Wow, Kanye/Ye/Fishdicks needs to be taken down about a hundred thousand notches.  He probably thinks his own farts are high art. 

IMHO Pete Davidson needs to find some other topic for his humor besides himself.  I'm sympathetic, but after a year it stops being funny.  Maybe in three months it'll be revealed that his whole Grande thing was some Kaufman-esque bit.  At least he did well in the classroom sketch.

Adam Driver was pleasantly surprising.  He nutted that classroom sketch.  There were a lot of pretty good laugh lines and the show was mostly good.  It's too bad KW had to fart all over it.

After all the crap they got for letting Trump host, I can't believe they even considered Kanye as musical guest after his "slavery was a choice" tirade. Mac died what, 2 weeks ago? I would imagine that Ariana canceled soon after. He was really all they could scrounge up last-minute?

Pete's shtick worked as an affably aimless 20-year-old, but he's been milking the "pothead who lives in his mom's basement" persona for like 5 years now. He is outgrowing it not only in terms of age, but also in terms of circumstances. I think Lorne took him under his wing because he reminded him of Jimmy, but the boyish charm is wearing off to reveal a grating Peter Pan complex. Like Jimmy Fallon, Pete just breaks and giggles his way through every sketch and seems to think he can coast by on his own charm. As someone who is about his age, it's annoying to watch him magically succeed and gain fame just by existing and being Lorne's golden boy. And now on top of everything, him snagging Ariana Grande (a pairing that has managed to confuse me infinitely more than even Jost/ScarJo) has sent his ego through the roof. You know what persona doesn't match lovable stoner? World's smuggest sugar baby.

[MBayGal]

1 hour ago, Amethyst said:

Adele Givens, a comedian and actress.  

Thanks!

[madpsych78]

Adam Driver needs to come back as a guest star with that oil man father character. It's better than David S. Pumpkins!

[Thumper]

I don't watch Kanye.  But I am old.  

[possibilities]

I liked Leslie as Serena.

I agree Kate is kind of losing her luster. I used to ADORE her. but she's seemed to be phoning it in for a while now.

[Hubcap82]

Is anyone else tired of the political bullshit on SNL? Geez...

[rmontro]

I literally groaned when I saw Kanye West was going to be on, so many of his past performances have been insufferable.

But to my surprise, I actually thought he was passable this time.  I think I appreciate that he's finally turned the auto tune down.

No way should he have gotten a third song though.

10 minutes ago, Hubcap82 said:

Is anyone else tired of the political bullshit on SNL? Geez...

Yes.

[Inquisitionist]

On ‎9‎/‎29‎/‎2018 at 10:49 PM, Spartan Girl said:

 Still, that cold opening was hilarious and Kate SLAYED as Graham.

Yes to the first clause, no to the second.

On ‎9‎/‎29‎/‎2018 at 11:48 PM, Alexis2291 said:

Kate as Graham was great. ??

"I am usually an optimist. I'm a keg-is-half-full kinda guy." - Matt Damon/Kavanaugh ??

No to the first sentence, hell yes to the second.

On ‎9‎/‎30‎/‎2018 at 8:36 AM, Pete Martell said:

Anyway, Kate McKinnon is very funny and very talented, but all I saw with her Lindsey Graham was some very difficult makeup and a lot of effort on her part to grind out an impression. This whole idea that it needs to be a "thing" for McKinnon to impersonate various political figures - I just don't get why this needs to be an absolute. When I can see a comedian struggling and struggling with the material, then I'm not laughing.

Uh-huh.  Her Graham impression was too close to her take on Sessions.  Not good.

On ‎9‎/‎30‎/‎2018 at 8:58 AM, Ohwell said:

Unfortunately, Kate McKinnon's Lindsey Graham impression was cringeworthy, and then when she was RBG I said "enough!" and changed the channel and forgot to even change back. 

Well, I didn't change the channel, but I agree that her RBG is wearing thin.  Did not think it was well-written this week.

About the only things I bother to watch now are the cold open and WU. 

[theredhead77]

9 hours ago, Hubcap82 said:

Is anyone else tired of the political bullshit on SNL? Geez...

Nope. I am here for it! 

SNL has always been political, skewering whatever shenanigans the current [at the time] administration is doing. 

Edited October 1, 2018 by theredhead77

[proserpina65]

Not a fan of Adam Driver or Kanye West, so I didn't watch most of the show, but that cold open was fantastic.  The writers really came up with some terrific stuff very quickly.  Although, to be fair, Judge Kavanaugh and various senators did give them a lot to work with.

[proserpina65]

11 hours ago, Hubcap82 said:

Is anyone else tired of the political bullshit on SNL? Geez...

Nope, pretty much the only reason I watch it.

1 hour ago, theredhead77 said:

Nope. I am here for it! 

SNL has always been political, skewering whatever shenanigans the current [at the time] administration is doing. 

Some of my fondest memories of the early days include Chevy Chase lampooning Gerald Ford's golfing skills.

[BTBAM310]

Am I the only one who said out loud "WHO THE F&*K IS AWKWAFINA???"  when they showed the host/musical guest next week?

Edited October 1, 2018 by BTBAM310

[Phishbulb]

Just now, BTBAM310 said:

Am I the only one who said out loud "WHO THE F&*K IS AWKWAFINA???"  when they showed the host/musical guest next week?

It's Kanye dressed as a water bottle....j/k.

She is a former comedic rapper, now actress who appeared this summer in the movies "Ocean's 8" and "Crazy Rich Asians".

Much like Tiffany Haddish last season, she had kind of a breakout summer and thus her SNL hosting stint. 

Also the first female Asian host since Lucy Liu in 2000. Actually, maybe the only one besides her? That I can think of anyway.

[BTBAM310]

5 minutes ago, Phishbulb said:

It's Kanye dressed as a water bottle....j/k.

She is a former comedic rapper, now actress who appeared this summer in the movies "Ocean's 8" and "Crazy Rich Asians".

Much like Tiffany Haddish last season, she had kind of a breakout summer and thus her SNL hosting stint. 

Also the first female Asian host since Lucy Liu in 2000. Actually, maybe the only one besides her? That I can think of anyway.

That's funny because the only other time I didn't know the host was Tiffany Haddish.

[Ottis]

19 hours ago, vb68 said:

This is more or less the way I took it. Karma is the right word. I definitely didn't view it as being positive or that it wasn't suppose to matter. At best all the "kids" turned out as hypocrites. At worst they were assholes. I was just kinda surprised they left Kavanaugh's name out of it. 

It would have worked better if they had included positive outcomes for kids on the outskirts of these "cool kids." Because the skit focused only on the behaviors related to Kavanaugh-type behaviors, it felt overtly political vs. an observation of people, actions and karma. I would have liked the latter, but I'm biased given I was always a kid on the outskirts of what seemed like idiotic behavior and yet lots of other people there thought it was awesome.

[Tachi Rocinante]

Damon was excellent.

Kanye is a talentless unpolished turd in a live setting.

Kate's version of Graham was worse than her Sessions, which is terrible.

[Dev F]

43 minutes ago, Tachi Rocinante said:

Kate's version of Graham was worse than her Sessions, which is terrible.

There's at least a character behind her Sessions impression, the idea that he's a naughty little southern racist who's half possum. For Graham -- as with her Giuliani -- there was basically nothing but awkward physical mimicry. If Kate were an actual impressionist like Darrell Hammond or Jay Pharoah, she might be able to skate by on the uncanniness of her impressions -- but she's more like Will Ferrell, in that she needs a strong comedic take to compensate for the fact that her impressions are pretty basic. Throwing her out there with nothing beyond "Try to look and sound like the real guy" is setting her up to fail.

Edited October 1, 2018 by Dev F

[cpcathy]

1 hour ago, Tachi Rocinante said:

Damon was excellent.

Kanye is a talentless unpolished turd in a live setting.

Kate's version of Graham was worse than her Sessions, which is terrible.

I concur on all counts.

Matt Damon has a gift for comedy, he really nailed this cameo.

[teddysmom]

On 9/30/2018 at 12:59 AM, Galileo908 said:

Matt Damon was the last person I expected to play Kavanaugh. I was hoping for Jason Sudeikis, or some other cast member. But oh my god, did he kill it.

Esp considering he showed up at 30 Rock at 4 pm Saturday afternoon. Jost called him late Friday night and he got on a plane to NYC from LA Sat morning. 

I think I actually did a double take when he walked out, like is that, omg that's Matt Damon.  

I read about the Adam Driver old man sketch before I saw it on dvr so I went back and watched, it was pretty funny, as was the White Nationalist moving to Vermont. I loved the security guard at the end "time to wrap up the white nationalist pity party". 

[rmontro]

9 hours ago, theredhead77 said:

SNL has always been political, skewering whatever shenanigans the current [at the time] administration is doing. 

It's one thing to make political jokes, it's another thing to simply make a political statement (and everyone applauds).  They do the latter too often.

[JZL]

I'm a little surprised after all the time SNL spent digging at Trump since, and all the time Trump wastes twranting about SNL, they still get flack for having him host.  Trump was nothing but a big  joke at that time.

[LuvMyShows]

22 hours ago, madpsych78 said:

Adam Driver needs to come back as a guest star with that oil man father character. It's better than David S. Pumpkins!

Sounds like I'm the only one, but I didn't like the old oil man father....and he's no David S. Pumpkins!

On 9/30/2018 at 9:36 AM, Pete Martell said:

Anyway, Kate McKinnon is very funny and very talented, but all I saw with her Lindsey Graham was some very difficult makeup and a lot of effort on her part to grind out an impression. This whole idea that it needs to be a "thing" for McKinnon to impersonate various political figures - I just don't get why this needs to be an absolute.

I wish I could Like this 1,000 times!

On 9/30/2018 at 3:35 PM, helenamonster said:

The woman heard gasping "oh my God" at that horrific birth control joke Pete told was actually me in my apartment thirty blocks away.

Funny comment, in a too-bad-it-happened kind of way...

[Wavy]

On ‎10‎/‎1‎/‎2018 at 1:23 AM, Hubcap82 said:

Is anyone else tired of the political bullshit on SNL? Geez...

If you don't like politics, this isn't the show for you.

[Pete Martell]

14 hours ago, rmontro said:

It's one thing to make political jokes, it's another thing to simply make a political statement (and everyone applauds).  They do the latter too often.

I read this last night and while I don't agree with all of it, it sums up many of my feelings about SNL and their approach to politics in recent years. 

http://www.vulture.com/2018/09/snl-brett-kavanaugh-matt-damon-political-comedy.html

There are some good moments, and some good performances, but the whole thing tends to feel like states-the-obvious flailing, skirting around taking an actual position or writing proper material. It's not just about Trump, as it was the same with Hillary (not even getting into their Obama material...). The show wants to get buzz yet also wants cookies for being "woke" yet also doesn't want to be too harsh and lost their mainstream standing. The result is a hodgepodge that we're supposed to appreciate because hey, that's just SNL. 

I dearly wish they would spend more time focusing on improving overall sketch quality, coming up with better recurring characters, and getting back to having interesting things to say about pop culture and entertainment as a whole. There are many other shows and formats that focus on Trump and politics. SNL may have a history with politics, but it has never been an absolute, and doesn't have to be now, especially when they can't do the topic justice. 

Edited October 2, 2018 by Pete Martell

[vb68]

I've tried to read that article several times now, and I get lost each time. I'm not sure what it's compliant is with the Kavanaugh sketch specifically. The article is all over the place- kinda what it's accusing the show of. I think? The first paragraph actually wanted to take a shot at how inappropriate it is to take a shot at Dr. Ford herself. Duh. There's no way they would ever do that. So it's just a silly way to start off.

There's lots to complain about. God knows the show is never perfect. But I still think that Cold Open was on fire. Was it as good as Tina Fey's Sarah Palin sketches? No, of course not. But I don't consider that a strike against it.  It was the equivalent of a debate sketch. It wasn't vague in what it was doing and didn't need to be surprising.   It was just making the point that this real life event was just ridiculous.

So again, I think the article is a mess. I actually agree with more of the comments. The sketch was just funny, riding on the strength of Damon's impression. It didn't need to do more than that.  

Edited October 2, 2018 by vb68

[Ottis]

On 10/2/2018 at 8:48 AM, vb68 said:

So again, I think the article is a mess. I actually agree with more of the comments. The sketch was just funny, riding on the strength of Damon's impression. It didn't need to do more than that. 

I think the article is arguing that the sketch *did* need to do more than that. I read it as saying the sketch was a caricature, while what was needed was more purposeful statement. But to be fair, the show was handicapped there, because most of the criticisms of Kavanaugh's testimony *are* surface level. He drank beer, he had calendars, he shouted, he cried. The hearing, and the still ongoing investigation, hasn't provided meat beyond that. There is the implication that Kavanaugh's reactions are driven by entitled white privilege, but that narrative is being applied to many things/people/institutions in power. It's isn't saying anything new. So as the article states, the easiest path to follow was exaggerating reality, vs. saying something new. That seems to be what bothers the article's writer. I'm not deep enough to notice the difference. 

On 10/1/2018 at 8:19 PM, LuvMyShows said:

Sounds like I'm the only one, but I didn't like the old oil man father....and he's no David S. Pumpkins!

I'm kind of surprised so many people loved this sketch. It was decent. I think what actually made it was the "student" who was so gung ho about being an oil barron. "You're weak like H.L. Minken!" I'm sorry I can't recall her name now (edit: MELISSA VILLASEÑOR!), but I have come to enjoy her characters. Also, it annoys me that the closed captioning live and online translates one of Driver's asides to the teacher (Aidy) as "ma'm" when is he clearly saying, "'marm," as in school marm.

On 9/30/2018 at 8:34 PM, SnarkEnthusiast said:

And now on top of everything, him snagging Ariana Grande (a pairing that has managed to confuse me infinitely more than even Jost/ScarJo) has sent his ego through the roof.

I expected Pete to pointedly ask Colin something along the lines of, "You get it, right" when they were talking about Pete/Grande, given Jost *was* Pete a year or more ago with ScarJo (admittedly, a much more mature couple, but the concept was the same). It was surprising they didn't go there.

Edited October 3, 2018 by Ottis
I sometimes type like a drunken monkey

[Eyes High]

On 9/30/2018 at 2:21 PM, ahisma said:

Michael Che was on fire in Weekend Update:

• I'm sending my kids to a black school where it's safe.

Nah, this is a joke stolen from Chris Rock, who did a bit in his 1999 special Bigger and Blacker where he's talking about kids reacting to the Columbine shooters, as I'm sure the writers are aware, particularly since this quote made the rounds after the school shootings earlier this year:

Quote

What the hell is wrong with these white kids shooting up the school? (...) Damn, the world's coming to an end. You'll have little white kids saying 'I want to go to a black school where it's safe.'"

Not cool.

Edited October 2, 2018 by Eyes High

[Spartan Girl]

On September 30, 2018 at 10:34 PM, SnarkEnthusiast said:

After all the crap they got for letting Trump host, I can't believe they even considered Kanye as musical guest after his "slavery was a choice" tirade. Mac died what, 2 weeks ago? I would imagine that Ariana canceled soon after. He was really all they could scrounge up last-minute?

 

Lets just hope they never ask him to come back again.

[rmontro]

9 hours ago, vb68 said:

I've tried to read that article several times now, and I get lost each time. I'm not sure what it's compliant is with the Kavanaugh sketch specifically. The article is all over the place- kinda what it's accusing the show of. I think?

Maybe it's trying to demonstrate what's wrong with the show by doing it itself  :)

Seriously, I had no problem with the Kavanaugh sketch.  It's usually on Weekend Update where they cross the line IMO.  For instance, this week Michael Che said:

"If you aren't the best person to ask the questions, maybe you're not the best person to be a senator", or something like that.

That is not a joke, that is a statement.  A political statement, specifically.  There's nothing funny about it.  And that's what I don't like.  If you're not trying to be funny, and instead you're just telling me what you think politically, that's not good SNL material IMO.

[Joe Hellandback]

On ‎30‎/‎09‎/‎2018 at 12:53 PM, nickp1991 said:

Kavanaugh is Matt Damon’s best performance

Don't forget him in Team America?

On ‎30‎/‎09‎/‎2018 at 5:25 PM, OpalNightstream said:

The alyssa Milano cardboard cutout was hilarious!

Also I agree with PP that Pete Davidson seems so unstable and uncomfortable with his life that I think he thinks Ariana will make it all better but will only make it worse in time if it isn’t already. No way will this turn out to be the saving grace for him. I think he’s funny in a sad clown kind of way. 

She sure knows how to find the lens!

[Joe Hellandback]

I thought the opener was brilliant, especially like;

Good old boy senator; "Was this foreign or domestic beer?"

Kananaugh; "I drink AMERICAN beer!"

"You weren't pounding a Heneiken were you?"

Actually for a bunch of lefties on SNL they were probably walking a fine line, you couldn't mock Ford without causing outrage but Alyssa Milano is (VERY!) fair game. 

[Mystery]

18 hours ago, rmontro said:

Maybe it's trying to demonstrate what's wrong with the show by doing it itself  :)

Seriously, I had no problem with the Kavanaugh sketch.  It's usually on Weekend Update where they cross the line IMO.  For instance, this week Michael Che said:

"If you aren't the best person to ask the questions, maybe you're not the best person to be a senator", or something like that.

That is not a joke, that is a statement.  A political statement, specifically.  There's nothing funny about it.  And that's what I don't like.  If you're not trying to be funny, and instead you're just telling me what you think politically, that's not good SNL material IMO.

Colin Jost said that. It wasn't something new for SNL; it's the kind of thing that SNL has always done -- poke at people who don't do their jobs. We don't elect senators so that they can hide behind someone else during a confirmation hearing. I have no problem believing that he would have said the same thing if a Democrat had tried it. I remember Seth Meyers on Weekend Update, criticizing President Obama for saying that he couldn't change Washington D.C. from the inside; that *we* had to do it. I couldn't find the clip (NBC takes down SNL clips whenever they pop up) but Seth said: "You want us to fix it? Look, if you make a Facebook page, we'll like it. It's the least we can do. But it's also the most we can do." https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/city-hall/story/2012/09/snl-on-the-limits-of-liking-obama-and-inexplicably-undecided-voters-000000

I think that Weekend Update is where SNL has always felt free to skewer politicians without focusing on about being funny. 

Edited October 3, 2018 by Mystery

[Hanahope]

Good opener to the season.  Cold Open funny, but sad/true (needed more wrinkles on those white old men). 

Adam Driver was great in all his skits.  Fortnite was hilarious for this older gamer.  Career day too, haha.

I have to agree that Pete's character is not aging well, nor his new found super fame.  btw, I get the uproar over the tic tac joke.  But bcp are not in bottles that are easily substitutable.  They're in bubble/foil packs (at least when I used them), and its a bit hard fake a used bubble/foil pack.

I like the RBG skit in general, but agree that this one went a tad too long.  I wanted more Serena!

[Jody]

           Chris Redd Has Not Been On Four Years  OR AT Least I Don't Think So ! That Would Have Been In 2014 And After 2010, I Think They Had Bobby And Taran And Chris Redd Was NOT With Them ! I Think Chris Redd Came On Last Year And This Is His Second Year ! Chris And Heidi And Last Year Luke Null And Mikey Day And Alex And Melissa ALL Came On Together !

[izabella]

On 9/30/2018 at 9:34 PM, SnarkEnthusiast said:

Pete's shtick worked as an affably aimless 20-year-old, but he's been milking the "pothead who lives in his mom's basement" persona for like 5 years now. He is outgrowing it not only in terms of age, but also in terms of circumstances. I think Lorne took him under his wing because he reminded him of Jimmy, but the boyish charm is wearing off to reveal a grating Peter Pan complex. Like Jimmy Fallon, Pete just breaks and giggles his way through every sketch and seems to think he can coast by on his own charm. As someone who is about his age, it's annoying to watch him magically succeed and gain fame just by existing and being Lorne's golden boy. And now on top of everything, him snagging Ariana Grande (a pairing that has managed to confuse me infinitely more than even Jost/ScarJo) has sent his ego through the roof. You know what persona doesn't match lovable stoner? World's smuggest sugar baby.

To me, Pete has never, ever been funny.  Now, he's even less funny, if that's possible.

[Jody]

        Hello Isabella. I Don't Think Pete Davidson Has Been On Saturday Night Live FIVE YEARS ! I Think Maybe More Like THREE Years ! IF he Had Been On FIVE Years, That Would Be 2013 And I Don't Think Pete Was Ever On Update with Seth Meyers ! Pete Doesn't Have To Be Funny And He Plays The Teenager With A Problem OF Low Self Esteem And He Uses Drugs ! ! I Don't Think Pete Always Laughs And I Think There Are Some Skits Where He Does Not Laugh ! How Ever, I Don't Know Why They Got Pete Davidson ! AT Least Jimmy Fallon Can Do Impressions ! Jody

[helenamonster]

20 hours ago, Jody said:

        Hello Isabella. I Don't Think Pete Davidson Has Been On Saturday Night Live FIVE YEARS ! I Think Maybe More Like THREE Years ! IF he Had Been On FIVE Years, That Would Be 2013 And I Don't Think Pete Was Ever On Update with Seth Meyers ! Pete Doesn't Have To Be Funny And He Plays The Teenager With A Problem OF Low Self Esteem And He Uses Drugs ! ! I Don't Think Pete Always Laughs And I Think There Are Some Skits Where He Does Not Laugh ! How Ever, I Don't Know Why They Got Pete Davidson ! AT Least Jimmy Fallon Can Do Impressions ! Jody

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Davidson#Television

Pete joined the show in 2014 (season 40). This is his fifth season. He was never in the cast at the same time as Seth, but he has been here for a while--cast members tend to stay about seven years so if he sticks to that trajectory, he's already more than halfway finished.

[possibilities]

I was surprised to see Kenan. I thought I heard he was leaving the show, but either I was mistaken, or I guess he changed his mind.

[vb68]

Kenan definitely has a deal for a pilot.  But it's very unclear and open ended when that will be going forward. I think he's here for most, if not all, of this season. Judging from this show, he may be starting to get phased out. But it's just one show. Aidy has her own deal, and it certainly looks like she's back fulltime for this season.

I think this was the best season opener in ages.

[proserpina65]

On ‎10‎/‎02‎/‎2018 at 8:10 PM, rmontro said:

Maybe it's trying to demonstrate what's wrong with the show by doing it itself  :)

Seriously, I had no problem with the Kavanaugh sketch.  It's usually on Weekend Update where they cross the line IMO.  For instance, this week Michael Che said:

"If you aren't the best person to ask the questions, maybe you're not the best person to be a senator", or something like that.

That is not a joke, that is a statement.  A political statement, specifically.  There's nothing funny about it.  And that's what I don't like.  If you're not trying to be funny, and instead you're just telling me what you think politically, that's not good SNL material IMO.

I disagree.  It was a joke, and a damned funny one to me.   Wanting a senator, any senator, to be intelligent enough to ask questions of a judicial nominee in a controversial position isn't political - it's common sense.

[Mystery]

My friend thinks that Adam Driver is the subject of this Blind Gossip item from today, but would the staff of SNL actually do this?

"This very average-looking actor has gone from TV star to movie star in the past few years.

That sudden trajectory probably has a lot to do with his key role in a major franchise.

He recently did a quick gig on a TV series. The crew was given specific instructions about how to treat him.

'No one was allowed to look at him. We were ordered to turn our heads every time he walked by so we wouldn’t accidentally catch his eye. It’s a very small and collaborative environment, so it was an odd request.'

We don’t know if Mr. Average Looking has developed a big ego or if he is just super-sensitive, but we do know that he did not make these kinds of demands on the set of his former TV show so we were surprised to hear about this.

Wonder what’s changed?"