Following Pete Davidson and Ariana Grande breakup last month, the comedian’s been using their whirlwind relationship as material. First, he broke his silence during an October 20 set, when he said he’s in the process of covering up his Grande-related tattoos and ended it saying he was looking for a roommate after he moved out of the $16 million apartment he and Grande shared. Most recently, he made fun of his short engagement in a clip promoting tonight’s Saturday Night Live with musical guest Maggie Rogers and host Jonah Hill.
Even though Davidson doesn’t mention Grande or his other ex-girlfriend Cazzie David by name, the jab at his past failed relationships got the attention of many Grande fans and even prompted a reaction from the singer herself. She responded to his jokes in a now-deleted tweet, writing, “for somebody who claims to hate relevancy u sure love clinging to it huh.”
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It seems like someone definitely saw the tweets—and thought they were directed at Davidson: According to TMZ, SNL has reportedly nixed a sketch Davidson wrote about their relationship that was expected to air tonight. A source told TMZ that after Davidson learned his ex-girlfriend was upset he “didn’t want to go through with it” anymore. Lorne Michaels, executive producer of SNL, signed off on his decision, the site reports.
Who knows when either of them will tweet, joke, or speak out next—but at least Grande-and-Davidson shippers can rest easy tonight.
Real talk: I tried ranking Kate McKinnon‘s best celebrity impressions from Saturday Night Live, and I couldn’t do it. They’re all just so funny and good that placing one on top of the other felt wrong. Yes, McKinnon’s Hillary Clinton impersonation is arguably her signature—and very spot-on—but her Justin Bieber is also iconic. And her Betsy DeVos. And her Ellen DeGeneres! Plus, there are a slew of lesser-known impressions no one talks about but really should. See where I ran into trouble? So instead of ranking McKinnon’s impersonations, let’s just enjoy these 10—presented in no order—that encompass so much of why she’s a comedic genius.
Betsy DeVos: McKinnon has stepped into the current Secretary of Education’s shoes three times. My personal favorite? Her appearance on Weekend Update, where she tossed in a “potential grizzlies” reference and said Louisiana schools should have crocodile crossing guards.
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Frances McDormand: McDormand took home the Best Actress Oscar for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri earlier this year, and with that came McKinnon’s impression of her on Saturday Night Live. The comedian playfully poked at McDormand’s acceptance speech (which was awesome, revisit it here) during a Celebrity Family Feud parody sketch.
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Ellen DeGeneres: The dancing, the hair, the voice: It’s all so uncanny that if you close your eyes (and maybe have a glass of wine), you’ll think you’re actually listening to Ellen DeGeneres.
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Rudy Guiliani: Interestingly, McKinnon revealed to Seth Meyers back in May that playing Guiliani came naturally to her. “Turns out, it wasn’t as hard as I thought because we have something in common, which is that we both go like this,” McKinnon said, before crossing her eyes. “I’ve been [crossing my eyes] for a long time.”
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Penélope Cruz: McKinnon played Cruz during her first-ever episode of Saturday Night Live—in a skit alongside Sofia Vergara—and she didn’t disappoint. Pantene shampoo has never been funnier.
Jeff Sessions: “In collusion, happy Thanksgiving, everyone,” McKinnon-as-Sessions says in this sketch, below—one of more than a dozen she’s done impersonating him. All the bits she does as the United States Attorney General aren’t political, though; she also quips about eating cats and playing dead. Where TF is her Emmy? (Oh wait, she already has two.)
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Ruth Bader Ginsberg: Four words, people: You just got Gins-berned.
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Kellyanne Conway: McKinnon’s done her Conway impression on multiple occasions, and each time it kills. The most memorable one, however, might be when she riffed off Glenn Close’s character in Fatal Attraction. “I’m not going to be ignored, Jake,” she says to Jake Tapper (played by Beck Bennett).
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Hillary Clinton: McKinnon’s Clinton might be the only impression on this list that will make you both laugh and cry. When it was funny, it was very funny. (“Citizens! You will elect me!”) But it also was devastating, especially right after the 2016 election. (That “Hallelujah” cold open is still haunting.)
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Justin Bieber: McKinnon first did Bieber in 2014, but her impression didn’t gain a cult following until the next year, when she spoofed the pop singer’s Calvin Klein ad. Three years later, and it’s still just as funny…especially the drum sequence.
Last night, comedian Amy Schumer made a highly anticipated return to the Saturday Night Live stage to reprise her role as show host and star in a skit that’s essentially a mashup of two incredible—and very, very, different—shows we know and love. Behold, “Handmaids in the City,” a sketch that, however implausibly but undoubtedly successfully, combines Sex and the City and The Handmaid’s Tale.
Positioned as a new, faux-Hulu series, “Handmaids in the City” takes shape as a downright brilliant spoof on modern American television under the current political administration.
“Let’s face it ladies, in 2018, The Handmaid’s Tale is basically our Sex and the City,” the faux-show trailer begins. “So whether you’re on Offred, or an Ofwarren, you’ll love Hulu’s new spinoff show, Handmaids in the City.”
Playing on the internal monologues that guide both The Handmaid’s Tale and Sex and the City, the sketch starts with Offred (played by Schumer) pondering her fate as a female in this new dystopian society—but with a Carrie Bradshaw twist: “As I waited for the girls in downtown Gilead, I was feeling like an uptown gal-ead, and I couldn’t help but wonder: ‘Are women allowed to do anything anymore?'”
From there, Offred is joined by three other handmaids who laughingly discuss the bleak state-of-affairs that is their new subservient lifestyle. When asked how she’s liking her new home, Ofjohn (Aidy Bryant) replies, “Amazing! It’s rent controlled—John controls me, and I don’t pay rent!”)
Ultimately, the tongue-in-cheek spoof led by Schumer plays out perfectly, becoming equal parts a hilarious sketch and all-too-real social commentary on the gloomy-feeling state of affairs for women in American society. As the faux-commercial concludes: “Handmaids in the City. If you’re not traumatized, you’re not watching TV.”
There were a ton of celebrity cameos during Saturday Night Live’s cold open sketch last night, which focused on President Trump’s payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels. From Ben Stiller, who played Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, to Jimmy Fallon and Scarlett Johansson, who impersonated Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, the surprise appearances kept us on our feet throughout the seven-minute sketch. But out of all the cameos, the most surprising one was that of Stephanie Clifford— professionally known as Stormy Daniels—who played herself.
The sketch began with Ben Stiller as Cohen on a “secure” phone call with Alec Baldwin’s President Trump. With FBI agents listening in on their conversation, “Cohen” explains he’s concerned by Trump’s ever-changing explanation of the payments to Stormy Daniels. So they call up former mayor of New York City—and recent addition to Trump’s legal team—Rudy Giuliani, who is expertly portrayed by cast member Kate McKinnon. (Is there anyone she can’t impersonate?)
Throughout the sketch, a ton of other phone calls get in the way of their three-way call. First, Cohen accidentally calls Trump’s personal physician, Dr. Bornstein (played by former SNL cast member Martin Short). Trump then fields a call by White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders (Aidy Bryant) while Cohen has quick one-off conversations with several people in Trump’s inner circle, including First Lady Melania Trump (Cecily Strong), Omarosa Manigault (Leslie Jones), Vice President Mike Pence (Beck Bennett), and Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner.
Finally, Trump instructs his lawyer to call Stormy Daniels to “fix this once and for all.”
And with that, the real Stormy Daniels appears on screen. Cohen asks Daniels if she’s alone, while Trump interrupts and asks her what she’s wearing (cue eye roll). The president promptly hangs up on Cohen so that it’s just the two of them. “So, what up, girl?” Trump says, before asking what she needs to make all of this go away. Daniels retorts “a resignation.”
She also has a little warning for the President: “I know you don’t believe in climate change, but a storm’s a-comin’, baby.”
Tiffany Haddish and Taylor Swift’s Saturday Night Live episode was epic for several reasons. First and foremost, it made history: Haddish was the first non-cast black female to ever host the show. (Crazy, right? Talk about long overdue.) The evening also featured Swift’s first live performances from her Reputation era; she performed two of her singles, “Call It What You Want” and “Ready for It” In short, it was a pretty phenomenal night.
But arguably the greatest thing about it happened off-camera: Haddish and Swift became friends after doing the show together. In fact, Swift liked Haddish so much that she invited her to a potluck dinner party—and even agreed to make Haddish’s favorite dishes.
“Taylor was like, ‘Tiffany, oh my God, I like you. We ‘gotta hang out,'” Haddish told Ellen DeGeneres on her show. “And I was like, ‘Yes, girl. We ‘gotta hang out girl. Let’s hang out!’ I told her, ‘If I come over, you ‘gotta make me some barbecue chicken, some potato salad, and a brisket. And she was like, ‘OK.’ And I was like, ‘I’m ‘gonna bring some collard greens because I got my own garden and I got greens.'”
This dinner party actually happened, too, and Swift is apparently an excellent cook. “Taylor can cook,” Haddish praised. “She can cook! The chicken was bomb. And she made cornbread. Bomb! So good.”
Swift was a huge fan of Haddish’s collard greens, too, which had a secret ingredient. “When I pick my greens, I smile,” Haddish said. “When I wash the greens, I smile. Then when I cut them up, I smile. And then when I cook them, I smile. They call it joyful greens…And then [Swift] ate my greens. She was like, ‘Oh my gosh, Tiffany, I have been wanting greens for so long. I go to all these different places and get greens, and they’re never good. These greens are so delicious. And I was like, ‘Girl, because them is joyful greens!'”
Incredible. Watch Haddish explain this for yourself in the video, below:
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Listen, if Swift films a “Bad Blood” sequel, Haddish needs to be the star. This is the friendship we didn’t know we needed.
