SNL101

Jack Black's 4th time hosting on April 5, 2025 was a refreshingly silly reprieve, from current events and a string of underwhelming episodes. We discuss the implications of the call-and-response-gone-wrong in Weekend Update: Ego Nwodim on the White House Correspondents' Dinner , ethical non-monogamy in Making Love , and the potential of framing to disrupt collective memory in Times Square Kiss . W...

Mikey Madison's hosting premiere on March 29, 2025 was largely unimpressive and was overshadowed by Morgan Wallen's abrupt departure during the closing credits. We discuss punching down and missed opportunities as well as the art of waiting in Big Dumb Line , reboot culture in Please Don't Destroy - Mikey Madison is Squidward , and the dynamics of inside jokes with Devon Walker Shares his Morning...

Lady Gaga's second time hosting (and as musical guest) on March 8, 2025 generated a lot of feelings, some good, some bad, some funny, some sad. We discuss the power of satire in the Trump, Musk and Rubio Meeting Cold Open , satirizing masculinity and power in Weekend Update: Lord Gaga on His Unwavering Support for His Wife Lady Gaga , the manic pixie dream girl and commodity feminism in Mascara Co...

Shane Gillis' second time hosting on March 1, 2025 showcased the potential of a host to "make the show his own;" Gillis was clearly active in the writers room and appeared in every sketch. We discuss how to satirize stereotypes in the Stand Up Monologue and Mid-Day News 2 , the difficulty in satirizing Trump in the Cold Open , the trolley problem in Jane Wickline Gives Dating Advice , and the absu...

We talk with Dr. Dan Amernick, Senior Professional Lecturer and department chair of Media Arts at Marist University. We discuss the show's transformation from an experimental comedy space to a corporate-driven institution, its role in shaping political discourse, and how it has both reflected and influenced American culture over 50 years. The conversation explores the rise of celebrity cameos, the...

We talk with Dr. Noël Carroll, distinguished professor of philosophy, film and media cultures at the Graduate School at the City University of New York (CUNY) and a leading figure in contemporary philosophy of art. We discuss SNL's reinvention of classic comedy formats, its role in shaping political satire, and its connections to countercultural movements. Carroll reflects on whether SNL is truly...

We talk with Dr. Robert Thompson, the founding director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture and a Trustee Professor of Television and Popular Culture at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. We discuss its evolution, cultural impact, and role in political satire. From its nostalgic anniversary special to its function as a talent incubator, th...

In this special episode of SNL101, we are joined by comedy scholars Brittney Michelle Edmonds , Danielle Fuentes Morgan , and Raul Perez , as well as friend of the pod Chuck Hayward, to discuss 50 years of Saturday Night Live through the lens of the 50th Anniversary Special, aired on February 16, 2025 . We talk about the show's role in establishing comedy across the 20th and 21st centuries from Wo...

Timothée Chalamet's third time hosting on January 25 2025 did not necessarily disappoint, but some fan favorites like SmokeChedda TheAssGetta and Tiny Horse were noticeably absent. We discuss James Austin Johnson's ability to impersonate Trump's haughty cruelty in Founding Fathers Cold Open , the role of AI in interpersonal relationships in AI Software , and the power intra Black conversations in...

Dave Chappelle's fourth time hosting on January 18, 2025 featured a markedly mature appearance that balanced the political and the personal. We discuss his progressively classic Stand-Up Monologue and political aesthetics, journalism's struggle in the current communication environment with MSNBC Special Coverage Cold Open , and the power of ambiguity and backstory in Evacuation Alert . We are join...

Martin Short played the elder statesman during his fifth time hosting on December 21, 2024 . This Christmas episode was filled with cameos, callbacks, and current events. We discuss the complexity of homelessness and the rhetoric of anti-woke publics in An Act of Kindness , the intractable intersection of gender and comedy in Parking Lot Altercation , and the winner of this year's  Joke Swap . Emm...

We talk about Chris Rock's fourth time hosting on December 14, 2024 . The alum anchors a largely forgettable episode, interlaced with a few showstopping bangers. We talk about impactful lines from Rock's Opening Monologue , fan fictionalizing the 2022 Oscars Slap in Simpsons Christmas Gift , as well as racial memory and application with Grandpa's Magic Car and Mall Santas . Readings include histor...

Paul Mescal puts on an adequate performance in his SNL debut on December 7, 2024. We discuss spontaneity, creativity, and social comparison in Italian Restaurant Commercial , representations of masculinity in Please Don't Destroy: Paul Mescal is Daddy , and the inconsistent appeal of multi and cross genre content in Gladiator II: The Musical and Shaboozy's A Bar Song (Tipsy) . Readings including a...

In Charlie XCX's debut as host on November 14, 2024, we talk about prison abolitionism in Here I Go and the intersection of entertainment, journalism, and social media in Banger Boys, as well as a selection of #chejokes in Weekend Update that hit on national identity, gender, race, and class. Readings include reflections on prison abolition, a new chapter from Charisse on the intersection of enter...

Bill Burr hosts the post election episode on November 9, 2024, which feels disorganized and arbitrary at best. We talk about the complicated nature of satire and power in SNL for Trump Cold Open , and the complicated nature of meaning and commercial representation in Calling Dad , Buffalo Wild Wings , and Sex Rock CD . We also take time to appreciate Michael Che's frustration with the election on...

John Mulaney returns to host for the sixth time in this pre-election episode. In our post-election analysis, we consider Kamala Harris' appearance in the Pre-Election Cold Open , the role of memory in democratic participation with What's That Name: Election Edition , and what it means to know New York with Port Authority Duane Reade . Readings include Alexis de Tocqueville's "Democracy in America"...

Michael Keaton's fourth time hosting on October 19, 2024 was unfortunately short on Batman, Beetlejuice, and Birdman jokes. We discuss the Weekend Update appearances of Sarah Sherman and Emil Wakim , as well as the absurdity of internalized oppression and how the film by  Please Don't Destroy: Skydiving can remind us to be more empathetic in our everyday lives. We also take a brief detour to rumin...

In this special episode, we are joined by Bob Thompson , Trustee Professor of Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University, to talk about Saturday Night , the 2024 film directed by Jason Reitman about the night of 1975 premiere of SNL. We discuss the viability of historical fiction in a post-modern media ecosystem that has been oral-history'd and behind-the-scene'd to death and how the fi...

Ariana Grande already looks like a 5-timer in her second time hosting on October 12, 2024. We discuss the struggle for unionization with Monica: A Happy Amazon Employee and magnifying the absurdities of history in Castrati , as well learning and to lose and the relationship between competition and cooperation in Charades with Mom . Readings include novels and documentaries on labor rights, as well...

Nate Bargatze returns to host the second episode of the 50th season with his trademark generous use of social space. We talk about masculinity in the Opening Monologue , the desires of the dead in Water Park , grotesque bodies and food in Sushi Glory Hole and Mile High Burger , and asymmetrical bilingualism in Sabado Gigante . Readings address the constructions of masculinity and femininity, philo...

The premiere of the 50th season is finally here! In Jean Smart's first appearance as host after nearly 40 years on television, we talk about repurposing and sustainability in the parody commercial, Spirit Halloween , Black on Black humor in Devon Walker's Eric Adams , and the privacy of public figures in Bowen Yang's Moo Deng . We also fan over Maya Rudolph's Kamala Harris, Jim Gaffigan's Tim Walz...

In the season finale hosted by Jake Gyllenhaal on May 18, 2024 , we discuss Mulvey's Male Gaze and Kracauer's Mass Ornament in Beautiful Girls , unfair labor practices and genocide in Fast Fashion Ad , and humans as props in Weekend Update Joke Swap . Readings include the philosophy of consumer responsibility and the role of American influencers in Chinese propaganda.  

Maya Rudolph returns to host the Mother's Day episode on May 13, 2024 . We talk about anti-queer discrimination and communities of practice with the Opening Monologue , the intersection of occupation, gender, and ethnicity in Nurse Appreciation , and the unruly woman in Hot Ones with Beyoncé . Readings include sociological investigations of a Queer community in Mexico City, structural racism in th...

Dua Lipa's first gig as SNL host on May 4, 2024 was generally enjoyable, but a few moments really stood out. We talk about algorithms and the loss of water cooler conversations in Jerry Seinfeld's appearance on Weekend Update as The Man Who Did Too Much Press , virtue signaling and slacktivism in Teeny Tiny Statement Pin , and the cognitive correlates of blackface and culture vultures in Good Morn...

Ryan Gosling's  third appearance hosting on April 13, 2024  was one of the best episodes of the season. We talk about emotional contagion and breaking with  Beavis and Butt-Head , and the complexity of sexist jokes with the Weekend Update Guest Appearances from SNL's  Resident Boyfriend, Michael Longfellow , and  Caitlin Clark . Readings include the philosophy and psychology of collective laughter...